Suriname

The delegation of the Republic of Suriname congratulates you most warmly. Sir, upon your election to the presidency of the forty-seventh session of the General Assembly. You bring to that high post a wealth of experience and dedication, qualities that augur well for a successful accomplishment of the task before us. Allow us to thank your predecessor. His Excellency Mr. Samir Shihabi, for the excellent manner in which he guided the forty-sixth session of the General Assembly. We wish him well in his future endeavours. We should like to welcome and congratulate the Secretary-General of the United Nations on his assumption of that lofty and equally responsible office. He has assumed the leadership of the Organization at a very difficult and crucial time marked by many political changes, a time at which greater involvement of the Organization in international affairs is demanded. We wish the Secretary-General well and assure him of our fullest cooperation. I take this opportunity to welcome into the United Nations the newly independent States of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Georgia. I should also like to welcome San Marino, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Slovenia. As reported to the General Assembly on previous occasions, for many years Suriname experienced a domestic armed struggle that brought sorrow and mourning to our people and restricted our possibilities for development. We now wish to inform the Assembly that, through patient negotiations, our efforts have resulted in a recently signed agreement for national reconciliation and development. From the very beginning, my Government has attached the highest priority to achieving reconciliation in the country, for my Government wishes to realize the full potential of the Surinamese people in harmony with their aspirations for lasting democratic stability. Negotiations were started as part of our conviction that peace should gradually be forged, based on a political understanding of the various forces involved. Moreover, peace can only be reached if negotiations are promoted and conducted in order to yield lasting results for the benefit of our people. We called in the assistance of the Organization of American States, which, under the auspices of its Secretary-General, Mr. Joao Clemente Baena Soares, provided support in the process of concluding the agreement and in demobilization. Together with his worthy representative, we have succeeded. Concrete results have been achieved, followed by the signing of a substantial agreement based on the crucial need for reconstruction and development and which guarantees respect for human rights. Today, we rejoice that reconciliation in Suriname is concrete and feasible. It has strengthened our determination to achieve national harmony and national development. We are confident that the Organization of American States will render its valuable support in verifying compliance with the agreement, so as to ensure that the established peace-agreement will be observed. As this body has been informed, in 1991 democracy was restored in my country, true to the will of the people. Yet, we must not lose sight of the fact that newly restored democracies such as ours are fragile, and depend to a considerable extent on international understanding and support. My Government has since then made progress in establishing a degree of much-needed political stability, and can now concentrate on finding solutions to the current grave economic crisis, and the potential social crisis, confronting my country. Our socio-economic problems, which have resulted in a sharp decline in production, increased unemployment, sharp price increases and a deteriorating standard of living for the majority of the population, have now compelled us to take serious corrective measures to halt the economic decline and boost economic growth. Experiences throughout the world show that no government can successfully carry out a programme for economic reconstruction and development without the fullest national and international support. My Government has decided to implement a programme for adjustment, recovery and growth. In this context, we have secured valuable support from the European Community. Furthermore, we can report to this Assembly that development cooperation with the Netherlands has been re-established, and that the signing of the framework treaty for friendship and closer cooperation has added a new dimension to bilateral relations between the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Republic of Suriname. Thus, we are encouraged because our national development strategy has found a ready response from the international community in this crucial aspect of our democratic process. I can assure this Assembly, and with some emphasis, that in implementing the adjustment programme our view is that a well-balanced and consistent approach to the social dimensions of the programme is indispensable to its final outcome. In the past few years, forces of change have transformed the international political arena and profoundly changed the major balance of power that emerged from the Second World War. Antagonisms and hostility between the super-Powers have been replaced by unprecedented joint efforts and partnership. This has facilitated, through dialogue and by peaceful means, the solution of a number of regional conflicts and the settlement of others. We believe that the new political climate has had constructive effects in the world, and has enabled us to define a broader and more fully integrated role in international security. The international community is experiencing a rebirth of the United Nations after 45 years of existence, for the fullest use is being made of its peacemaking and peace-keeping potential in order to bring about just and lasting peace in several parts of the world. As a result of the new mandate of this reinvigorated Organization, our hopes are being justified that it will not be long before the unfolding dramas of human suffering, exploitation, poverty, fratricide, hunger and malnutrition, and aggressive nationalism will finally be banished from the planet. Our Organization is facing the challenge and responsibility of bringing about an overall and lasting settlement of various problems on the basis of respect for the rights of all. It must encourage States to adhere to the Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other relevant instruments as the best means of protecting and promoting human rights. We support a just and lasting settlement in Central and Eastern Europe: we are concerned about the growing tensions and conflicts in that region, which endanger international peace and security. We are keeping close track of developments in former Yugoslavia, and take this opportunity to welcome the efforts of our Organization, the London Conference and the Non-Aligned Movement summit. A just and lasting settlement is necessary on the African continent, we are deeply concerned by the threat from the growing instability in the Horn of Africa caused by the conflict in Somalia. We express regret that, despite the signing of a cease-fire agreement, the parties involved have not abided by their commitments and have thus not permitted the unimpeded distribution of humanitarian assistance to those in need. In this respect, my delegation has endorsed the proposal to convene a conference on the national reconciliation, reconstruction and unity of Somalia which should lead to a peaceful and lasting political settlement of the conflict. My delegation strongly condemns the tragic escalation of violence in South Africa, which has halted the negotiating process within the framework of the Convention for a Democratic South Africa (CODESA). We strongly urge the South African regime to create a climate that is conducive to peaceful negotiations aimed at an agreement on the text of a new constitution based on a non-racial, democratic and united South Africa. An overall and lasting settlement is needed for the Arab-Israeli conflict and the Palestine issue. My Government firmly supports the ongoing peace process, which is aimed at reaching a just, comprehensive and durable solution to the question of the Middle East. We welcome the progress made in reaching overall settlements of the conflicts in Asia, particularly in Cambodia and Afghanistan. The establishment of the transitional Government in Afghanistan is a positive development towards peace, national reconciliation and reconstruction in that country. We support the efforts of the Secretary-General to reach an agreement on a set of fundamental principles with a view to reaching an overall agreement on the question of Cyprus. With regard to Latin America and the Caribbean, we are pleased to note that the processes of democratization, harmonization, reconciliation and economic integration are gradually bearing fruit. The agreements between the Government of El Salvador and the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front mark the closing of a decade of fratricidal war. They will undoubtedly contribute to lasting peace and stability, which are imperative for the region's development. We express full support for the struggle of the people of Haiti to restore democracy and respect for human rights in their country, and for the efforts of the Organization of American States towards this end. As we advance in the decade of the '90s, the economic and social problems of developing countries continue to be manifold. Difficult decisions will therefore be needed to address the issue of international economic adjustment and development in order to eliminate the imbalances between the North and the South. The worsening of the economic situation and social conditions in many developing countries has led to a decline in the standard of living and to the persistence and increase of widespread poverty. The elimination of hunger and malnutrition, the improvement of health standards and the eradication of illiteracy should be issues of paramount concern in the coming decades. My delegation therefore holds the view that these aims can best be achieved by putting into motion a people-centered development process. It is in this context that my delegation warmly supports the convening of a Summit for Social Development in order to enable the international community to deal extensively with the complex but most important question of human development. Though no substantive commitment to new funds was made during the recently held Rio Conference on Environment and Development, it should be noted as an important achievement of the international community that a programme of action. Agenda 21, and the Rio Declaration have been adopted. The Rio Conference has clearly established the close link between environment, growth and development, the primary issues for the international community. It is as a consequence of the results of the Rio summit that during the current General Assembly special attention must be paid to institutional follow-up of the Rio Conference. In this regard, we attach great importance to the establishment of the Commission on Sustainable Development. This Commission must of necessity become the primary and most important forum for consultation and must set the trend for measures to implement Agenda 21 at national, regional and global levels. Once again I should like to emphasize that in the new international environment the role and function of the United Nations has become universally accepted. We have witnessed an increased interest in multilateralism and a renewal of the relevance of the United Nations and its main bodies. The peacemaking and peace-keeping activities of this world Organization in many regions have, more than at any time in the past, opened prospects for its greatly enhanced role in the maintenance of world peace and security. These activities have proved to be effective procedures, well-suited to present-day realities. The opportunities offered by the Charter in the fields of preventive diplomacy, fact-finding and good-offices missions should be optimally explored, so as to provide the Secretary-General with a suitable structure for the prevention and timely management of crises and conflicts.