Angola

Allow me to begin by congratulating Mr. Didier Opertti, on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Angola, on his election to the presidency of the fifty-third session of the General Assembly. We are convinced that his experience, wisdom and diplomatic skills will help us to achieve the goals we set for this new session. Angola is especially pleased by the election of a representative from Uruguay, a country that has greatly contributed to the preservation of peace and security in the world, as was recently demonstrated by its participation in the United Nations peacekeeping operation in Angola. I should like to pay tribute to the outgoing President for the manner in which he conducted the work of this important body during his mandate. And a word of appreciation goes also to the Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, for his dynamism and for the wisdom he has demonstrated at the helm of our Organization. Almost 10 years have passed since the end of the East-West confrontation. We had hoped that by this time there would have been a greater positive impact on the international scene, especially regarding peace and security, and economic development. Unfortunately, in spite of the progress we have made — particularly in the promotion of democratic values and in the greater respect for human rights, among others — we are still witnessing the proliferation of internal armed conflicts, violent border disputes among nations, military aggression against independent and sovereign States, continued degradation of the environment, and economic decline with the consequent social and economic deterioration, especially in developing countries. We are also witnessing an increase 10 in transnational organized crime and terrorism, which poses a serious threat to the stability of all nations. This scenario casts a shadow over the prospects for the rapid implementation of the new political world order that emerged as a result of the end of the cold war, which would bring peace, stability, development and democracy. We still have a long way to go. It is incumbent on the United Nations, given its universal character and singular role in international relations, to shoulder the main responsibility in the search for solutions to all the problems that have become obstacles to achieving peaceful development and the well-being of our peoples, and in devising fair and effective formulas that meet the collective interests of its Members. The question of conflict resolution and prevention should be given high priority, for this will ensure the alleviation of tension in the world. The urgent creation of early-warning mechanisms will certainly enable the international community to act in a timely manner to prevent the triggering of potential conflicts, thus avoiding the repetition of past mistakes, such as those we have seen recently in Africa. In this connection, Angola shares the views of the Secretary-General as expressed in the recommendations in his report (A/52/871) on the prevention of conflict and the promotion of sustainable development in Africa, and hopes that the members of the Security Council will turn them into practical action. United Nations international arms control efforts should not be restricted to weapons of mass destruction. We must urgently focus on the issue of small arms and other war matériel sold to terrorist groups by some producer countries. These supplies have led to an increase in armed actions by subversive groups and are an incentive to all those who wish to take power by force. We believe that the creation of special mechanisms for the control of small- arms exports to armed groups, as well as the imposition of restrictive measures against those States that violate them, could help to stop the proliferation of weapons around the world. The United Nations, in cooperation with regional and subregional organizations, should promote the creation of collective defence and security mechanisms as a means to prevent the threat of conflict and guarantee the territorial integrity, independence and sovereignty of States. The United Nations will not be able to face many of its challenges unless it can count on the commitment and engagement of its Member States. This is especially true with respect to the resolution of its financial crisis and the reform of its structures to conform to the new international reality. We feel encouraged by the reforms undertaken by the Secretary-General aimed at turning the Organization into a more dynamic and effective body. The reform process must be thorough and include the United Nations main bodies, especially the Security Council. The Council’s current structure is outdated. Angola supports eliminating the current geographical imbalance in the composition of the Security Council by increasing the number of both permanent and non- permanent members to ensure that the main regions of the world are fairly represented. The claim of the African continent to at least two permanent seats should be adequately addressed, not only because the region is not currently represented at all, but also because it is the largest regional group in the United Nations. Angola also supports the Brazilian claim to a permanent seat given the exceptional role the country has played in United Nations activities in all areas, and especially because it belongs to a region that has no permanent members in the Security Council. The Republic of Angola is facing a difficult and critical phase in its history. We cannot yet announce the end of the war and the beginning of a new era of consolidation of democracy in Angola. The peace process and all related efforts made by both the Angolan Government and the international community are blocked due to UNITA’s deliberate, systematic non-compliance with the provisions of the Lusaka Protocol, the pertinent Security Council resolutions and Angolan law. Mr. Jonas Savimbi has demonstrated his unwillingness to transform UNITA into a civilian political party. As Members are aware, the Lusaka Protocol, signed by the Government and UNITA in 1994, should have led to the end of the internal conflict, which was resumed by UNITA after its defeat in the 1992 general elections. But, four years since the agreement came into force the peace process has yet to be concluded, and, what is even more dangerous, it has suffered serious setbacks due to the successive obstacles raised by UNITA’s militarist wing, led by Mr. Savimbi. UNITA deliberately deceived the United Nations and the international community when it declared that it was totally demilitarized. As the Security Council itself could determine, UNITA continues to 11 maintain active military units with sophisticated weaponry. UNITA has also hindered the process of normalization of State administration by refusing to abandon the areas it illegally occupies. At the same time, it has initiated a new escalation of hostilities throughout the country, unleashing armed attacks against local government authorities, the national police and the national armed forces, while also engaging in massacres of the civilian population. Hundreds of people have been killed, mostly civilians; about a million have been displaced; and UNITA has reoccupied areas where State administration had already been normalized. The United Nations Blue Helmet units and humanitarian convoys have also been targets of UNITA’s military actions, which constitute crimes against humanity, given their nature and characteristics as well as the coldness and cruelty with which they are committed. They are terrorist crimes as defined by international human rights and humanitarian law instruments. The international community cannot passively watch these systematic abuses, which flout international legal and moral values. During the recent summit in Durban, South Africa, the heads of State or Government of the Non-Aligned Movement condemned Jonas Savimbi for these systematic human rights abuses. Similarly, the heads of State or Government of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) — well aware of the seriousness of the Angolan situation, which has had terrible repercussions for the whole region — held Mr. Savimbi solely responsible for the current stalemate in the application of the Lusaka Protocol. Due to Mr. Savimbi’s staunch pursuit of war as the only means to attain political power, he is continuing to reinforce his military wing’s capabilities. This behaviour was declared by SADC to be that of a war criminal. As has been done in some other regions of the world, Mr. Savimbi and perhaps his closest collaborators — who together are responsible for all the war crimes committed in Angola — should be made to respond in court for the heinous crimes they have committed over many years. Throughout the peace process, Jonas Savimbi’s stance has revealed a personal strategy aimed at creating generalized chaos in the country in order to take power by force. The facts are clear: it does not make sense for UNITA to resort to armed struggle against a State where political activity is not restricted and where UNITA participates in its main political institutions — namely, the Government and Parliament. Furthermore, Angola’s armed forces include hundreds of UNITA members, including generals. It is unacceptable to have a political organization such as UNITA, which is not even subject to international law, challenging each and everyone, including the Security Council by blatantly and systematically violating its resolutions. UNITA itself is being penalized because of one man, Mr. Savimbi, who abuses the good faith of his countrymen who believed in UNITA as a credible political alternative in the emerging political system of the fledgling Angolan democracy. For all those reasons, the Security Council in resolution 1127 (1997) tried to separate the wheat from the chaff. In the course of imposing new sanctions against UNITA, the Council issued a list of UNITA members universally considered dangerous elements. This list is headed by Mr. Savimbi, who is thereby forbidden to freely circulate in the world. Only a criminal would receive such a sanction from the international community. Along those lines, the Angolan Government has suspended UNITA members from participation in the Government. The Government demanded a clarification of their position vis-à-vis the peace process in Angola: either they are in favour of peace and democracy, or, like their leader, they choose war as a means to take political power. All those who chose peace have since resumed the activities for which they had been appointed within the framework of the Government of Unity and National Reconciliation. Recently, political leaders and party cadres, together with officers from UNITA, made it clear that they did not support war as does Mr. Jonas Savimbi. On 2 August, they issued a political manifesto denouncing Mr. Savimbi’s behaviour and, in an effort to revitalize UNITA, they created a Renovation Committee which removed Mr. Savimbi from the leadership of the party. The goals defended by the UNITA Renovation Committee in its political manifesto are those of peace and the consolidation of democracy. This renovation movement supports the peace accords, national reconciliation and the effective transformation of UNITA into a civilian political party, and it has given a new breath of hope for the conclusion of the peace process. For that reason, the Angolan Government has decided to recognize UNITA’s Renovation Committee as its only interlocutor and partner in the implementation of outstanding tasks in the Lusaka Protocol. The SADC countries have already recognized the Renovation Committee, and we are convinced that the international community at large will not hesitate to support and promote the efforts of the new UNITA leadership as it 12 assumes its role in the young, multi-party democracy in Angola. The Government of Angola does not believe it is either prudent or realistic, but rather, dangerous, to yet again give Mr. Savimbi the benefit of the doubt. This would only lead to more false expectations, and we would be wasting much valuable time to take appropriate measures in this respect. In the light of the new situation in UNITA, the Angolan Government feels optimistic and therefore is still committed to the successful conclusion of the Lusaka Protocol. It will, however, continue to take all necessary measures against those who pursue attempts to disrupt the political order, so as to guarantee the territorial integrity of the country and the protection of its citizens. From this rostrum we want to draw the attention of countries, such as the Togolese Republic and Burkina Faso to the fact that the Government of Angola will not continue to tolerate the support they are providing to UNITA’s militarist wing led by Mr. Savimbi. This includes facilities for military training for these groups to commit terrorist acts in Angola. This is a clear violation of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) Charter, the United Nations charter and Security Council resolutions 864 (1993), 1127 (1997) and 1173 (1998). I would like to take this opportunity to reiterate my Government’s heartfelt tribute to the efforts and role of the United Nations in the peace process in Angola, and especially the contribution of the late Matre Blondin Beye, former Special Representative of the Secretary-General, in support of peace in Angola. I would also like to reiterate my Government’s appeal to the international community to continue to render humanitarian assistance to the displaced people in Angola and to assist in the rehabilitation of social and economic infrastructures. Angola is also concerned about events in other areas around the world. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the military invasion by foreign forces is a serious threat to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of that country. This could also destabilize the central and southern regions of the continent. This led some countries, including Angola, to consent to the request for military aid by the Congolese authorities within the framework of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security. The recent summit in Victoria Falls of the leaders of the countries involved in the problem is a step in the right direction for the resolution of the crisis. Angola supports the withdrawal of the invading troops and the drafting of an agreement that ensures respect by all countries in the region of the independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This would enable that country’s authorities to begin the task of establishing a broad internal dialogue that should lead to general elections in 1999, in accordance with the democratization programme established by President Kabila. Angola welcomes the reinstatement of the legitimately elected authorities in Sierra Leone and the initiation of the process of the return of the refugees. Angola hopes this is the beginning of the normalization of the situation in that country. In Guinea-Bissau, the signing of a ceasefire agreement between the Government and the junta opens broad opportunities for a negotiated end to the conflict. We salute and encourage the efforts being developed by the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP), where Angola, along with the countries of the region, will continue to contribute to their efforts to foster reconciliation between brothers and sisters in Guinea- Bissau. In Western Sahara, the obstacles placed in the path of a peaceful solution have been progressively removed. Angola continues to believe that a referendum held on the basis of fairness and justice is the best means for the people in the territory to choose their own destiny. We support the continuation of United Nations and OAU joint efforts. We would also like to call the attention of the international community to the problem of Somalia. Although we recognize that the parties to the conflict have the primary responsibility for finding a peaceful solution, we believe this will be possible only with the support of the United Nations. We regret the lack of significant progress in the Middle East peace process. Angola encourages the parties to comply with the commitments made under the Oslo agreement. We continue to defend the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, and we advocate a rapid and fair resolution of the issues of the occupied Arab territories, including Palestine, which should take into account the interests of all the peoples in the region. 13 We believe that this will ease the tensions in Arab-Israeli relations. The situation in East Timor, a territory with which Angola shares linguistic links and a common anti-colonial struggle, has recently seen positive developments as a result of the understanding reached between Indonesia and Portugal, under the auspices of the United Nations on the reduction of the Indonesian military presence in the territory, will contribute to the achievement of a peaceful solution. Angola reaffirms its support for the struggle of the people of East Timor for their right to self-determination. The current world economic situation raises serious concerns, since it contributes directly to the deterioration of the standards of living of millions of human beings, especially those in developing countries. We are concerned by the imposition of unilateral restrictions to free trade and financial and economic cooperation, such as the embargo imposed against Cuba. Its victims are the most vulnerable groups in society: women and children. The extraterritorial nature of these measures runs counter to international law and does not contribute to forging links of friendship among peoples. We believe that we urgently need to promote international economic cooperation based on a partnership that will allow all those that participate in the process to share equitably in its gains. In spite of the implementation of endless reforms and structural adjustment programmes, as recommended by the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, the economies of developing countries continue to make such modest advances that we must question the real objectives of such reforms. We join with those who have spoken before us in reiterating our need to consider establishing a new international economic order that is more real, more fair and more equitable, capable of strengthening the international financial system and supporting national efforts to promote economic development throughout the world. It is not enough to appeal to the understanding of the developed countries. We need to be more strongly involved in the transformation of the international economic picture. The application of measures that would have an immediate impact, accompanied by well-structured programmes, such as the United Nations System-wide Special Initiative for Africa, deserve special attention if they are to attain the success we expect of them. The Final Declaration of the twelfth summit of non- aligned countries, recently held in Durban, South Africa, also defines some steps that can be taken to solve the crisis, among which it underscores an increase in South- South cooperation. This year, we celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This occasion should be an incentive to develop effective instruments to promote and protect all human rights and fundamental freedoms, since non-respect of these rights is the main cause of conflict and instability. The establishment of the International Criminal Court will be a significant step in this direction. The Angolan Government is sparing no effort to promote, protect and defend all human rights. Were it not for the bellicose behaviour of Mr. Savimbi, Angola would have hosted, late this year, the first ministerial conference of the Organization of African Unity on human and peoples’ rights in Africa. That initiative was my Government’s contribution to the jubilee of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In conclusion, let me emphasize the role the United Nations is playing to promote and protect human rights throughout the world.