Spain

I should like first of all, Mr. President, to convey to you my warmest congratulations. Your election to the presidency of this Assembly is a clear acknowledgement of your personal qualities and diplomatic skills and is a tribute to your country, the Republic of Guyana. We are pleased that you were nominated as a 16 General Assembly - Forty-eighth session candidate by the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States, with which my country has particularly close and cooperative relations. I should also like to pay tribute to and greet warmly Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali. The United Nations needs his proven competence and political experience in order to face the numerous challenges before us at the end of the century. You may rest assured, Mr. Secretary-General, that in carrying out your complex tasks you can count on the firm cooperation of the Spanish authorities. Allow me also to convey at this time to the Government and the people of India our deepest sympathy for and solidarity with the victims of the earthquake that ravaged that country yesterday. Over the last year the universality of the United Nations has once again been enhanced by the admission of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Eritrea, Monaco and Andorra as new Members. I welcome them all, and most particularly Andorra, a neighbour of Spain with which we are linked by special ties of history, culture and deep friendship. A few days ago Belgium’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, speaking on behalf of the European Community and its member States, set forth our common points of view in this general debate. On behalf of the Spanish delegation, I shall mention some issues that I think deserve special attention. A year ago, when I addressed this Assembly for the first time, I referred, as did many other speakers, to the fundamental changes that had taken place in the world since the middle of the last decade. It is the Spanish Government’s firm conviction that those changes have led to the advent of a new era. The United Nations has a great opportunity to play an effective, central role in harmonizing world-wide the efforts of the international community in order to achieve the common purposes embodied in the Charter. Thus, it seems that the time has come to strengthen our Organization by providing it with the necessary human and material resources to enable it to carry out its goals. We must also think about the measures necessary for a possible revision of the Charter. A review of the Security Council is an item on our agenda, and this needs to be approached in a constructive spirit and with the aim of increasing its representativeness and ensuring that its actions be not only fast but also effective. Such a review should be based on the criteria established in Article 23 of the Charter, that is to say, taking into account the contribution of Member States to the maintenance of international peace and security and to the other purposes of the Organization, and also to equitable geographical distribution. We believe that the time has come for a moderate increase in the membership of the Council so as to reflect the increase in the number of Members of the Organization since 1963, when, for the first time, it was decided to expand the Council’s membership. We also deem it appropriate to consider the creation of new categories: one that would enable certain States to become permanent members without the right of veto, and another that would allow more frequent non-permanent membership in the Council to certain States with weight and influence in international relations that have the capacity and political will to contribute significantly to the fulfilment of the purposes and principles of the United Nations. All this would undoubtedly serve to put our Organization in a better position to face the challenges of maintaining peace and international security. In this context, it is also necessary to make reforms in order to deal with the changing nature of the tasks assigned to the peace operations established by the Security Council. The traditional concept of peace-keeping operations, embracing monitoring of cease-fire agreements, interposition between adversarial forces and the establishment of confidence-building measures - all by primarily military means - has been expanded, increasingly encompassing new, non-military aspects. These new tasks range from humanitarian assistance to nation-building, and include the monitoring of elections and of the observance of human rights. Nearly 100,000 men and women from all over the world are currently serving in the framework of these increasingly complex and demanding operations. The United Nations has made a commendable effort to adapt the structure and functioning of peace operations to the new exigencies. We should pursue our efforts in this direction, as we are convinced that it is always preferable to solve a conflict under the aegis of the United Nations than through the unilateral action of a Power or group of Powers outside the framework of the Organization. Here I should like to draw the Assembly’s attention to some relevant questions regarding the proper functioning of peace operations and to offer some ideas and suggestions aimed at enhancing their performance and effectiveness. Forty-eighth session - 30 September l993 17 When establishing a peace operation, the Security Council should pay the utmost attention to defining accurately its mandate. The Council should also receive periodic information on the development of the operation. Consultation mechanisms should be established with those States that have a special interest, because of their involvement in the operation or their troop contributions. Special attention should also be given to questions of safety. Acts of violence against the Blue Helmets have increased alarmingly because of the growing complexity and risks of the operations. The issue of safety should be considered most seriously. In this regard we have examined with the greatest interest the Secretary-General’s report to the Security Council and the recommendations of the Special Committee on Peace-keeping Operations. We believe that the use of force against United Nations personnel must be regarded as unacceptable interference in the exercise of the responsibilities entrusted to the Security Council by the Charter. When such acts occur, the Council should take appropriate measures, the first of which should be to hold responsible the perpetrators of the acts. The Spanish Government considers it imperative that the appropriate financial resources be made available to the United Nations in timely fashion to meet the cost of these operations. We all share the responsibility for ensuring a sound financial and administrative basis for peace operations. Before a new operation is established, an estimate of its financial implications should be presented to the Council. A the same time, the task assigned to the Security Council in terms of peace-keeping and peace enforcement should not lead us to forget the competence of the General Assembly on budgetary questions and in the field of preventive diplomacy, especially peace-building. With the cooperation of United Nations operational activities, the General Assembly must play an important role in this overall approach to international security, as is referred to by the Secretary-General in his "An Agenda for Peace". Neither should the Secretariat be overlooked. Its structure and logistical capacity for managing peace operations need to be reviewed and expanded. We applaud the Secretary-General’s efforts in this respect. Aware of the crucial importance taken on by peace operations, Spain - which has participated and continues to participate through a large number of military and civilian observers in various operations, particularly in Central America and southern Africa - decided a year ago to send a military contingent of about 1,000 soldiers to Bosnia and Herzegovina as part of the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR). Within the framework of the increasingly necessary cooperation between the United Nations and regional organizations, my country sent observers to help in monitoring compliance with the sanctions imposed against Serbia and Montenegro and is maintaining naval units in the Adriatic. Spanish personnel also take part in the observer missions of the European community and the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE). The people and the Government of Spain are proud of the work being done by our forces and observers. I wish to take this opportunity to pay tribute to those who have given their blood and their lives while serving in these peaceful humanitarian missions of the Organization. Since the beginning of the terrible conflict in the former Yugoslavia the Spanish people and Government have done their best to alleviate the suffering of the population and have contributed, within the framework of the Security Council and the International Conference on the Former Yugoslavia, to the development of a political process aimed at achieving a peaceful solution acceptable to all parties. We have all been appalled by the cruelty of that war and frustrated by the endless negotiations. It is only fitting to acknowledge the splendid work accomplished, under extremely difficult circumstances, by the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR). We would also express gratitude for the skill and dedication of the co-Chairmen of the Steering Committee of the International Conference on the Former Yugoslavia. Provided they can rely on the parties’ basic goodwill and capacity for compromise, their efforts should lead to an agreement before this coming winter brings with it a dreadful human catastrophe. If the hoped for agreement is reached, the international community and the Organization will then be faced with a new challenge, that of guaranteeing implementation of the peace agreement through the establishment of a peace-keeping operation under the auspices and authority of the United Nations. Spain would be prepared to contribute to such a force. This year the Security Council decided to establish an International Tribunal to bring to trial those charged with serious violations of international humanitarian law committed in the territory of the former Yugoslavia. We believe that this crucial step will also encourage at this session of the General Assembly the speedy completion of 18 General Assembly - Forty-eighth session work leading to the establishment of a permanent international criminal tribunal with universal jurisdiction. In the past few months important developments have taken place in various other parts of the world. My Government is following with anxiety and hope the recent events in Russia - with anxiety, because at one time it appeared that the internal stability of that country and, therefore, of Europe and the rest of the world, was in jeopardy, but also with hope that the Russian people themselves will become the masters of their own destiny. We are concerned about the worsening conflict in Abkhazia and the continued confrontation in Nagorny- Karabakh between Armenians and Azerbaijanis. We appeal to the wisdom and capacity for dialogue of all the parties involved and reiterate our support for the peace efforts of the United Nations and the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE). In Angola the process of restoring democratic normality and coexistence has been seriously hampered by UNITA’s refusal to accept the outcome of free and fair elections, thus preventing the implementation of the Bicesse Accords. This has compelled the Security Council to impose sanctions on UNITA in the hope that its leadership will reconsider its attitude and begin to cooperate in good faith to put an end to a conflict of catastrophic human proportions. We wish to recall that a number of the problems arising from the war between Iraq and Kuwait are still unresolved, among them the exchange of prisoners and the return of stolen assets by the invader. The fact that Iraq has not yet recognized either the existence of Kuwait as a sovereign State, Member of the United Nations, the demarcation of the border between the two countries, which was recently confirmed by the Security Council, constitutes a serious obstacle to peace. The persistence of those and other conflicts should not make us forget the progress achieved in the solution of many others. Here we would especially mention the success achieved in Cambodia through the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC), with the holding last May of elections for a Constituent Assembly, elections that paved the way to national unity and reconciliation. In the Middle East, the serious obstacles that were threatening to scuttle the peace process launched two years ago in Madrid have been overcome. The mutual recognition between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), along with the signing in Washington on 13 September of an Agreement on the establishment of an autonomous Palestinian regime in Jericho and Gaza, is a development of far-reaching significance. Spain welcomes this fundamental step in the tortured history of the Middle East and is prepared, together with other countries, to maintain its political and economic support in order to ensure that the Agreement between the Palestinians and Israelis becomes effective. We are aware that the process is fraught with difficulties, but we believe that they can be surmounted with the same courage and imagination already displayed in achieving the recent agreements, and with the support of the international community. In Africa, new developments have taken place, although not without some delay and difficulties. In Mozambique we have witnessed the implementation of the General Peace Agreement, with the invaluable cooperation of the United Nations Operation in Mozambique (UNOMOZ). In Somalia, the Security Council has given the United Nations Operation in Somalia (UNOSOM II) one of the broadest mandates ever conferred upon a United Nations operation. It cannot be denied that problems of internal adjustment have been caused by the very novelty and magnitude of the tasks entrusted to UNOSOM II, and they will have to taken into account in future peace-keeping operations. Nevertheless, the Operation’s contribution has been vital in reducing the consequences of a catastrophe caused by natural disasters and armed rivalries that have claimed hundreds of thousands of victims. Turning to the question of Western Sahara, I wish to express Spain’s full support for the efforts being made by the Secretary-General and his Special Representative to find a solution to the outstanding problems that will make possible the holding of a free and fair referendum on self- determination. That referendum will pave the way for the climate of understanding and cooperation that is necessary to deal with the challenges in the region. My country resolutely supports the process of integration in the North of Africa and the development of stronger links between Europe and the Maghreb. We also welcome the progress made in the transitional process in South Africa, although we regret the fact that violence still holds sway in certain areas. The progress made in the drafting of a Constitution and the prompt establishment of the Transitional Executive Council are the Forty-eighth session - 30 September l993 19 best possible foundations for the holding of general elections in 1994 to prepare the way for a truly representative Parliament and a democratic South Africa that will be able to find its true place in the Organization and in the international community. In Latin America, a number of recent events deserve special consideration. I should mention first the process of consolidation of democracy through the free election of civilian Presidents and Parliaments in nearly the whole of the continent. That fact, enhanced by a number of forums such as the Rio Group, the Central American Summits or the Ibero- American Summits, has reversed attempts to violate the legitimacy of the democratic process. Latin America continues to place special emphasis on the use of negotiation, mediation and conciliation in solving its conflicts, in accordance with the provisions of Chapter VI of the Charter. Respect for international law and democracy are the principles that have guided and will continue to guide the activities of the international community aimed at restoring democratic legality in Haiti. Those principles have also inspired the decisive agreements with regard to the peace process in El Salvador, where we hope the recommendations of the Ad Hoc Commission and the Commission on the Truth will be implemented. Finally, those same principles will be the basis for reconciliation and development in Nicaragua and Guatemala. Once again this year I have to mention a matter that, as the Assembly knows, is of fundamental importance to Spain, namely, the decolonization of Gibraltar. I wish to reiterate my Government’s firm decision to continue the process of negotiation with the United Kingdom in a constructive spirit and on the basis of the Brussels Declaration of 27 November 1984. Those negotiations should duly take into account the legitimate interests of the population, but be based on the doctrine established by the General Assembly that the decolonization of Gibraltar is not a case of self- determination but of the restoration of the territorial integrity of Spain. The Spanish Government firmly hopes that those negotiations will finally eliminate this anachronism. In the field of disarmament new challenges have emerged, such as the need to put an end to the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Now, more than ever, we need to redouble our efforts to move beyond a period of confrontation that belongs to the past. There is a pressing need to strengthen the multilateral negotiating forums to enable them to face the new challenges efficiently. In this respect, my country considers that priority should be given to enlarging the Conference on Disarmament, on the basis of a consensus that will enable countries like Spain, which have been participating actively in its work for a long time, to become members. There is a clear link between international peace and security on the one hand and economic and social development on the other. In this new era, when the United Nations is renewing its efforts to maintain international peace and security, we must note the persistence of deep disparities and serious economic and social problems besetting all countries, in particular the developing countries. To confront these challenges, the reform of the United Nations should extend to the Organization’s economic and social machinery. The reforms, which have already begun, should be aimed at achieving more effective functioning and at using available resources more rationally to meet the needs of developing countries. In that context, let me mention the convening of the first session of the Commission on Sustainable Development. We hope its work will maintain and even intensify the great momentum generated by the Rio Summit on environment and development and lead to the speedy implementation of the commitments made there in Agenda 21. But it is not enough to repair and fine-tune the machinery we intend to use to deal with the challenges of development. We need clear guidelines by which to steer it unerringly towards the wide range of current needs, in particular those of the developing countries. Hence, we look forward with great interest to the Secretary-General’s "Agenda for Development"; in conjunction with "An Agenda for Peace", this will supplement the guidelines for action by the international community with respect to the indivisible equation of world peace and economic and social development. In that context, I want to recall that the third Ibero-American Summit, held at Salvador de Bahía, Brazil, last July, considered "An agenda for development", with the emphasis on social development. The conclusions adopted by the Heads of State or Government of the 21 participating countries were submitted to the Secretary-General as a contribution to the preparation of his own "Agenda for Development". The final document of that Summit stressed the growing interrelationship among the concepts of development, democracy and human rights. It drew attention to the priority that should be given to the fight against poverty both on the governmental level and when allocating resources and creating machinery for international cooperation. Our starting-point should be to promote integrated economic and social development, bearing in mind the three priorities the Secretary-General set out at the last session of the Economic and Social Council: redistribution, integration and protection. The structure of and developments in the world population give rise to grave uncertainties about their consequences and about the aspirations of developing countries to attain sustainable development. These and other important issues such as large-scale migration, improving the machinery for cooperation, and managing resources for that purpose will be discussed at the International Conference on Population and Development to be held next year at Cairo. We hope that Conference will mark a significant step towards the solution of these questions by addressing together the issues of population, economic growth and sustainable development. The Spanish Government considers that there is also an urgent need to integrate women into the development process, eliminate discrimination against women and ensure their full participation in the economic, social, cultural, civic and political spheres. We trust that this commitment will be renewed and buttressed by the international community at the Fourth World Conference on Women, to be held in Beijing in 1995. The World Summit for Social Development, the convening of which my country strongly supported from the outset, is to be held at Copenhagen in 1995. It will give a political impetus to improving the living conditions of the most disadvantaged sectors of our populations. It will help promote their social integration and the creation of a concept of social development taking into account the relationship between peace and well-being, while aiming to reduce poverty and increase employment. Year after year from this rostrum we emphasize our firm intention to build a better world in which the protection and promotion of human rights and fundamental freedoms will become real and effective. Unfortunately, year after year we are forced to observe that, despite all our efforts, the practices that endanger human life, freedom and security persist. It is therefore no longer enough to state our readiness to step up our efforts; we must now move, in solidarity, to action. In that respect, the outcome of the Vienna Conference on human rights gives us an excellent opportunity to work steadfastly towards our common goal. We now have a set of universal rules, universally accepted; we must now insist on their obligatory application. There can be no democracy without respect for human rights, and without democracy there cannot be the harmonious, balanced and lasting development to which we all aspire. For that reason, it is of high importance that we proceed expeditiously to implement the Vienna commitments, in particular the programme of action. In the view of the Spanish Government there are two key issues the resolution of which could lead to unprecedented progress in this area. First, we must agree on the establishment of the office of a high commissioner for human rights; and secondly, we must provide the United Nations Centre for Human Rights with the resources it needs to carry out its mandate fully. In my statement today I have tried to address the most pressing challenges facing the Organization, challenges inherent in the increasingly free but increasingly uncertain world in which we live. I have also advanced proposals for the reform of the Organization aimed at adapting it to the new circumstances. It is difficult but necessary that we focus both on the new problems and on the reform of the Organization. Our ability to do this will determine whether the United Nations can increasingly serve as the proper forum for resolving world problems.