Spain

Allow me first, Mr. President, to offer you my sincerest congratulations on your appointment, and to express my satisfaction that the work of the General Assembly at its fifty-third session will be led by such a distinguished representative of a country with which Spain has excellent relations. I should also like to thank Minister Udovenko for the efficiency with which he presided over the General Assembly during the previous session. The Foreign Minister of Austria has already set out the main elements of the European Union?s position in the United Nations. For my part, I should like to highlight certain issues of particular interest to Spain. It can generally be said that our Organization is today in a stronger position than in previous years, which were characterized by a predominant feeling of crisis. The major reforms undertaken will enable the United Nations to continue to be the main forum for international cooperation. Dialogue, the promotion of respect for human rights and the development of international life will continue under the auspices of the United Nations. Furthermore, the Organization has consolidated its primary function of maintaining international peace and security. An essential element of the strengthening process that the United Nations is currently undergoing is greater recognition of the limits that restrict its action. The process of reforming the Organization, which the Secretary-General has set in motion with decisiveness and determination, has contributed significantly to a sense of getting the Organization under control and of renewed confidence in its possibilities. Spain will follow this process very closely so as to support it and ensure that it is brought to a successful conclusion. The debate on enlarging the membership of the Security Council deserves separate consideration. The difficulties posed by enlarging the permanent membership have been confirmed as negotiations have proceeded. We must not attempt to force decisions that might create divisions within certain regional groups. Reform must reflect, as far as possible, general agreement between the Members of the Organization, and in any case it must respect the provisions of Article 108 of the Charter. We must therefore acknowledge that at present there is no realistic alternative to increasing only the number of non- permanent members. In order for our Organization to be able to perform satisfactorily its indispensable work, it must be endowed with sufficient funds. The Secretary-General is carrying out a major reform designed to ensure, among other aims, better use of the financial means made available to it by States. However, the current financial situation is very worrying, largely owing to the accumulation of arrears. No State should forget that full and timely payment of its contributions is a legally binding international obligation. In 1999, my country will become the eighth largest contributor to the Organization?s budget. We are fully aware of the responsibility this entails and are ready to assume it. With the International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism about to end, I believe it is important to recall that the historic work carried out by the Organization in this field cannot be considered complete as long as there remain colonial situations such as the one which so painfully affects my country. I am referring, of course, to the question of Gibraltar. Every year the General Assembly renews its appeals to Spain and the United Kingdom to continue their negotiations with a view to putting an end to the colonial situation of Gibraltar. The current negotiation process stems from the so-called Brussels declaration of 1984, in which the Governments of our two States undertook to establish a negotiation process, to include sovereignty issues, in order to settle all their differences. During the 1997 negotiating round I submitted a proposal that would allow Spain to regain sovereignty over Gibraltar, while maintaining for the inhabitants of the Territory all their current benefits, granting them, in the framework of the Spanish State, a greater degree of political autonomy than they enjoy today, and agreeing, as an additional guarantee 26 of Spain?s good faith, to share sovereignty with the United Kingdom for a long transition period. I believe that that proposal should be able to form the basis of an agreement that would, once and for all, put an end to an anachronistic situation originating from the dynastic wars of the early eighteenth century. Respect for human rights is essential in guaranteeing the maintenance of international peace and security. Our Organization also plays a prominent role in this field. The commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights should provide a powerful incentive to continue to develop international instruments for protecting human rights. The adoption of the statute of the International Criminal Court during the recent Rome Conference marked a very significant step in that direction. Spain firmly supported the adoption of the statute, signed it on the first day, and is prepared to carry out any actions needed to ensure its prompt entry into force. Likewise, I wish to back the important work performed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and to underline the importance that my country attaches to the work of the Commission on Human Rights, to which it has presented its candidature for the period 2000 to 2002. Terrorism constitutes a serious threat to domestic and international security, to the development and functioning of democratic institutions throughout the world and to the exercise of human rights. Spain firmly believes in strengthening the machinery of international cooperation, for which the United Nations is a key forum. Spain, which has ratified all conventions adopted on this issue, has already signed the International Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings and hopes that, as the next step, a convention for the suppression of acts of nuclear terrorism can be adopted. Similarly, Spain gives high priority to the international fight against drugs. This was evidenced by the Spanish Prime Minister?s attendance at the special session of the General Assembly in June, which was devoted to this universal problem and which contributed substantially to reaffirming our conviction that it is critical to consolidate international coordination in seeking global solutions based on the principles of shared responsibility, attention to sustainable development and boosting regional and interregional cooperation. Multilateral development cooperation and poverty eradication are crucial to the establishment of peaceful international coexistence based on respect for human rights. Spain is following with attention the implementation of the reform measures proposed by the Secretary-General. My Government praises the momentum the Secretary-General is giving to the reform of the environmental and human settlement sectors directly linked to development. My country is participating in studying new financing formulas to provide sufficient resources for development cooperation. In this regard, without losing sight of the unavoidable debate on budgetary matters, Spain will consider a possible gradual increase in its voluntary contributions over the next few years. On the subject of disarmament, Spain will shortly ratify the Ottawa Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti- Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction; it is pleased with the swift pace of ratification of the Convention. It is likewise of the utmost importance that next year we should succeed in concluding negotiations on a protocol on verification of biological weapons. As regards nuclear weapons, I cannot but express once again my concern at the nuclear tests conducted by India and Pakistan, which go against the international community?s efforts to prevent nuclear proliferation. Nevertheless, we are optimistic about the forthcoming commencement of negotiations on a treaty banning the production of fissile materials for the manufacture of nuclear weapons. Finally, we are confident that this progress can be further enhanced by India?s and Pakistan?s accession to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test- Ban Treaty. The chief aim of our Organization continues to be the maintenance of international peace and security. Here the United Nations increasingly uses the means that regional organizations or groups of States place at its disposal. As a result, its response to various crises is becoming more flexible and the legitimizing role of the United Nations now carries more weight. Some good examples, in addition to the Stabilization Force (SFOR) and Operation Alba — to cite two cases in which Spain respectively continues to play and played a particularly prominent role — are initiatives such as the Stand-by Forces High-Readiness Brigade (SHIRBRIG), which can 27 speed up United Nations intervention considerably, and in which Spain is also beginning to participate. Moreover, the mediation capacity of the Secretary-General and his representatives has been enhanced even further over the past year. In this connection, I wish to reaffirm my country?s commitment to the maintenance of international peace and security, in the service of which 2,000 Spaniards are currently serving. Indeed, in addition to participating in SFOR, the International Police Task Force (IPTF) and the United Nations Verification Mission in Guatemala (MINUGUA), Spain this year sent a police contingent to the United Nations Observer Mission in Angola (MONUA). Furthermore, Spain intends to sign soon a memorandum of understanding with the Secretariat to define the modalities for making stand-by forces available to the Organization. Humanitarian assistance operations have come to play an increasingly important role. Aid workers from many countries, including Spain, have lost their lives in these missions. For this reason, my country will continue to promote all measures that can help improve the security and safety of personnel providing humanitarian assistance. The ongoing process of globalization does not mean the disappearance of the diversity of civilizations and cultures, which coexist with increasing closeness. To the contrary, this diversity itself constitutes a value which must be used to promote solidarity and cooperation among nations. Indeed, serious crises — some of which I shall mention in this statement — continue to afflict the international community; unfortunately too, our ability to take action is still often limited. The situation in Africa is cause for serious concern, and justifies the special consideration our Organization is giving to African crises. Suffice it to mention the armed conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the tragic humanitarian crisis in Sudan — in the solution of which Spain is making a special effort to cooperate, the precarious situation of Sierra Leone and Guinea-Bissau, and the extremely serious exacerbation of tension in Angola, where UNITA must respect the Lusaka agreements and where the United Nations must continue to give its most valuable support to the peace process. In Western Sahara, the parties must continue to demonstrate their good will so that the referendum on self- determination envisaged in the Secretary-General?s settlement plan can be held. The coming months will undoubtedly be crucial. Spain will continue to back the Secretary-General, his representatives and the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO). The situation in Kosovo is also extremely serious. Spain backs the territorial integrity of Yugoslavia, but President Milosevic´ and his Government must understand that the international community will not remain impassive in the face of an indiscriminate use of force that is creating a very serious humanitarian problem. A sincere negotiation process should be established as soon as possible to enable Kosovo to regain the necessary political autonomy in Yugoslavia. In Latin America, the reconciliation process in Guatemala continues to make good headway, despite some tragic incidents, and is an inspiring example. We are confident that the ongoing talks in Colombia will lead to a process of national reconciliation, an objective to which Spain has been giving its fullest support. As regards the peace process in the Middle East, Spain is deeply concerned about the current standstill and actively backs the different initiatives presented, particularly the European Union proposals, to safeguard this process and implement the commitments already made by the parties. There is an urgent need to put an end to this conflict, which has already lasted too long; it implies a threat to stability, fundamentally in the Mediterranean, but with global repercussions. We must find a solution to achieve a long-lasting reconciliation of the Jewish, Christian and Islamic cultures. Spain is, to a great extent, an example of such reconciliation, and we stand ready to make all necessary efforts to achieve this goal. Lastly, in Asia, Spain is following with great concern the situation in Afghanistan. In another context, it is confident that the parties will succeed in reaching an agreement to form a Government in Cambodia after the recent elections. I firmly believe that, after a period of excessive and unjustified hopes and consequent disappointments, now is the time for the United Nations to forge determinedly ahead in fostering an international coexistence based on respect for human rights, justice and solidarity. Nonetheless, this will only be possible if it has the full support of all of us. Spain hereby reiterates its fullest commitment to the United Nations. 28