It is with genuine pleasure that we speak from this United Nations rostrum and join previous speakers in sincerely congratulating you, Sir. I do so on behalf of the people and the Government of Burundi and on our own behalf. It is in recognition of your distinguished qualities that the Assembly has chosen you to preside over its work at this session. We are convinced that your wisdom and your political and diplomatic experience will enable you to guide the work of the forty-eighth session of the General Assembly in a masterly, successful way. We also congratulate the other members of the Bureau of the General Assembly. We wish also to pay a well-deserved tribute to your predecessor, His Excellency Mr. Stoyan Ganev, for the skill and vision with which he guided the work of the Assembly at its forty-seventh session. Further, we express our gratitude to the Secretary-General, His Excellency Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, for the vision with which he has guided the Organization and for his tireless efforts to ensure the maintenance of international peace and security. The Republic of Burundi warmly welcomes the countries that have recently joined the United Nations family; we welcome the representatives of the Czech Republic, the Slovak Republic, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Eritrea, the Principality of Monaco and the Principality of Andorra. The people and the Government of Burundi join the rest of the international community in conveying sincere condolences to the Government and the people of India on the earthquake that has struck their country and that has caused the death of some 20,000 people. We assure the people and the Government of India of my country’s sympathy and moral support in this harsh ordeal inflicted by Nature. The people of Burundi, through me, is honoured and pleased to send a message to the international community represented here in the General Assembly. That message, which is being delivered on the morrow of the victory of democracy in our land, is one of peace, friendship, fraternity and solidarity. The beginning of this century was marked by devastating wars that led to the crystallization and bipolarization of international relations. The ensuing cold war, with the two major ideological and military blocs in confrontation, was reflected in many countries by the establishment of totalitarian power. Africa, which was at the same time emerging from the long night of colonialism, found itself unwillingly involved in the dynamics of that rationale. Peoples who had theoretically been freed from the colonial yoke nevertheless found themselves, to their great consternation, confronted with authorities that had been imposed upon them or established by force, and that were devoid of any legitimacy, just like the colonial order that had theoretically been brought to an end. In that context the rights and freedoms of the human person were openly flouted. The State based on law became a mirage, the right to life and the growth of the human spirit a utopian ideal. In their concern to consolidate their power, which lacked any popular base, some leaders inflamed and exploited inherent differences based on ethnicity and regionalism, which they imbued with political significance. Our country did not escape that state of affairs. The past 30 years have been marked by ethnic upheavals that have traumatized our people. In truth, the history of the people of Burundi is replete with tragedies. Political forces have exploited ethnic differences with impunity and have fought to control the State for their own interests. Outright crimes against humanity have been committed by individuals and by organized groups, some of which have enjoyed the protection and blessing of the State, which lent itself to the perpetration of such base actions. That sowed mistrust and suspicion among the ethnic groups in our country, thus traumatizing the people and creating unease about the future. So violent did the tragedy become that there were those who wondered how Burundi would ever manage to emerge from the toils of the violence in which it had become enmeshed. Burundi’s recent political development demonstrates its people’s ability to shake off those toils and to rid themselves from their fears. The ideology of human rights and its corollary, democracy in the management of public affairs, have taken the place of violent, repressive and exclusionary measures to such a degree that the people of Burundi have gradually come to realize that in order to solve their problems they must turn to a democracy that transcends differences, divisions and hatreds. We made a choice. Today, we are more than ever convinced that that choice was a good one. The people of Burundi embarked upon this process, at first hesitant but confident, with of course the inevitable ups and downs, and they succeeded in holding free, just and open elections. Today, the people of Burundi are proud, proud of having managed to overcome the many difficulties and obstacles strewn on their path towards democracy and proud too of being able to take full control over their history in an open, just and equitable way. The date of 1 June 1993 will remain a memorable one in our country’s history. On that day, for the first time in Burundi’s history, free, pluralist and open elections were held, designed to give the country truly democratic institutions. The positive manner in which the various protagonists have accepted the people’s verdict demonstrates that the people of Burundi are henceforth convinced that the path of democracy - and especially in its electoral aspect, in which the people’s will is expressed and legitimacy conferred - is the only proper way to resolve the problems entailed in the access to and exercise of power. Further, the legislative elections of 29 June 1993 were to confirm the will of a people desirous of living henceforth in peace. We should like to take this opportunity to extend heartfelt thanks to all who, from near or far, supported our country in its march towards democracy. We have greatly appreciated the material, technological and financial support provided by friendly countries and international and intergovernmental organizations that have enabled us to organize in a suitable manner Burundi’s first free, pluralist elections. The democratic administration of a society we are now in the process of undertaking cannot be viewed as an end in itself. Rather, it is a means to consolidate peace, to strengthen confidence among the various components of our nation and to accelerate the economic, social and cultural development to which all men aspire. Today, therefore, the Government of Burundi is bending every effort to achieve the gradual elimination of all the obstacles that have paralysed or retarded the Burundi people’s drive towards growth and overall development. We are working towards this end, and we are convinced that with the support of the international community we can meet the challenge. Forty-eighth session - 4 October 1993 3 It is at present our most heartfelt hope that the people of Burundi will henceforth be safe from ethnic confrontations. We want no more blood shed in ethnic confrontations anywhere in the land, in the homes, in the hills, in towns and provinces, in schools and barracks. Never again! That is the watchword of the whole of the people of Burundi. We also want the people of Burundi to accept their history as it is. Mistakes have naturally been made, and there are other serious problems that continue to weigh on our democratic process. Nevertheless, they must not obstruct or paralyse us. Setbacks and problems exist to be overcome. Mistakes must be recognized as such and corrected. That is one of the basic tenets for a new Burundi. Yes, we must accept our history the better to face the future. We want that future to be a safer and securer one for all. Thus, the Government we formed following the elections last June is an open Government. In it, we have brought together people from every ethnic group, from every region of the country and of different political persuasions. All those people from every social background and differing political persuasions are working together with might and main to ensure that the process of democratization in Burundi will be irreversible. We consider that to be the best way to reach our goal, namely, to reconcile the people of Burundi with themselves and with their State the better to commit themselves to the battle for their economic, social and cultural development. Guided by that will, the Government has just proposed, and the National Assembly has ratified, an amnesty law under which more than 5,000 of our compatriots - 70 per cent of our country’s prison population - are to regain their freedom and thereby take part in building a democratic Burundi, confident and more integral. We wish to tell the world that through that amnesty law the people of Burundi mean to make a new start towards a better development of their destiny and the installation of peace in the subregion. While granting amnesty to those who, at home or abroad, have derogated from the fundamental rights of the people of Burundi as a whole and of individual members of that people in particular, we want to accept our history without thereby becoming its prisoners. Through a national pardon, we want to establish a context of security for all those in Burundi who, in their hearts or in the eyes of the nation, are responsible for acts committed in the course of past tragedies. Indeed, given the tragic acts our people have known, sometimes the result of shared responsibilities but often arising out of imprecise causes, we must wipe the slate clean. We must view the future with greater clarity, confidence and serenity. That is a solid basis for domestic peace, but it can also contribute to the restoration and optimum consolidation of security and peace in our subregion. The happy outcome of democracy in our country has thus become an unprecedentedly powerful catalyst in the settlement of another thorny problem affecting our subregion. I refer to the question of refugees, of whom there are some 200,000. These compatriots who are victims of tragedies of the past three decades and who have been forced to stay in exile, seeking refuge in neighbouring countries here and there throughout the world, have had their hopes rekindled. For them - and they are perfectly right - the triumph of democracy has removed the essential reason for their leaving their country. Today they have chosen to return to their homeland, which welcomes them with open arms. Before talking about the conditions that will have to be met before these compatriots can be assured of a safe return, I should like first to discharge the duty of thanking all countries, particularly our neighbours Tanzania, Rwanda and Zaire, and all the international organizations, especially those in the United Nations system, and in particular the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), that for some 20 years have enabled them to continue to feel like human beings. The Government of Burundi must now continue this process by ensuring the happy return and the effective and dignified reintegration of these citizens into the country’s economic, social and cultural life. To succeed, we shall have to mobilize many material and financial resources to meet emergency needs and satisfy long-term requirements. We make an earnest appeal to the international community to provide such support as we engage in this highly humanitarian process. We are faced with a massive and spontaneous return of Burundi refugees from neighbouring and distant countries. We are honoured and filled with joy at the confidence and spontaneity of our compatriots. At the same time, lack of the means and the infrastructure that we need to cater for them causes us deep concern. We are now identifying in detail all the steps that will have to be taken if we are to organize, before next December, a conference to inform sponsors to help finance this large-scale operation. 4 General Assembly - Forty-eighth session In the meantime, we are using the modest means at our disposal, while relying on national solidarity and, especially, on the laudable intervention of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, to whom we again express our deep gratitude. Pending the establishment, in the receiving areas, of a medium-term plan for the gradual repatriation and reabsorption of these returnees into a global, integrated development programme, we have just published an emergency plan to deal with the arrival of 50,000 people between now and February 1994. The latter, because of the precariousness of their conditions, are returning right away. This will enable us, having secured the necessary means, to alleviate their suffering and to accord them the dignity to which they are entitled. In the economic field, our major concern is to ensure a just and appropriate link between human, natural and financial resources so that we may provide the goods and services to satisfy the constantly increasing needs of our population. Development of the rural sector will require special attention from the public authorities, given the fact that more than 90 per cent of our population live in the countryside. We want to modernize the rural economy, and the spirit of enterprise, self-improvement, research and creativity will play a very important part in the economic approach of the new era. A conference of donors to help finance Burundi’s sixth five-year economic and social development plan will be organized in the near future. We believe that the international community will give us its usual support and that the resources necessary for implementation of the plan will be forthcoming. Moreover, the Government of Burundi will pursue the structural adjustment programme, with the support of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Development of the private sector will be encouraged, and non-strategic public enterprises will be progressively privatized, either in terms of property or in terms of management. Within the framework of liberalization of the Burundi economy, the Government will reinforce the free-trade zone for the purpose of diversifying exports. We invite investors who are so inclined to come and operate in Burundi, where the current political and social environment, the free-trade zone and the investment code are very favourable to business. In the social and cultural field, we shall promote the work ethic and ingenuity and, thereby, commit ourselves to positive values, in keeping with our traditions and culture. As we have already pointed out, democracy in Burundi is a living reality that has to be consolidated. This new political situation will change relations between Burundi and its foreign partners. That is why, henceforth, my country’s foreign policy will be based on the following guiding principles: good-neighbourliness and effective cooperation; non-interference in the affairs of other States; the consolidation of peace through respect for and the promotion of the rights and freedoms of the human person; mutually advantageous international cooperation based on interdependence and solidarity between peoples and nations; regional integration against the background of the emergence of free-trade zones in which there is no place for selfish national purposes; and, finally, integration of the Burundi economy into the world economy. We believe that respect for these principles will not only strengthen the determination of the Government of our country to implement a foreign policy in keeping with the demands of its domestic policy but also foster harmonious relations with our foreign partners. We realize that, without development, there can be no healthy democracy. Democratization is therefore a continuing process, a process that never ends - to the extent that it is not enough to create or reform political institutions; that it is especially necessary to resolve substantial problems, particularly those related to health, nutrition, education, housing and people’s general well-being. Solutions must be found for these problems, but at the same time we must confront challenges linked to them - for example, population growth, the steady drop in the prices of raw materials, the poor performance of our economies, the weight of external debt, natural disasters and endemic disease, especially malaria and AIDS, which have become a real scourge, principally in Africa. The survival of democracy on our continent will depend on our achieving a just balance in international economic relations. The security and stability that are indispensable if sound democracy is to be guaranteed will remain under threat so long as the problems of debt and hunger - in a word: development - are not attacked head on. The international community would therefore be failing in its duty were it to permit the gap between the prosperous countries of the North and the poor countries of the South to Forty-eighth session - 4 October 1993 5 remain indefinitely. Thus, we appreciate the various initiatives to reduce the burden of foreign debt on the developing countries. We believe that economic recovery in Africa will be achieved, in particular, when external debt is substantially cancelled and additional financial resources provided. Is it right that financial flows from the South to the North should be greater than those from the North to the South, as is the case today? This is a bitter reality, which requires of us profound changes. Thus, the United Nations must do all in its power to rethink cooperation machinery, with a view to coming up with a solution that will reverse the tendency towards the impoverishment of Africa in particular. Despite the problems we have just mentioned, we must not allow ourselves to be discouraged. Our efforts at democracy and development go hand in hand with a sincere search for regional solidarity, in the first place, and then for international solidarity. We know full well that, while imposed choices are intolerable, it would be an aberration if we were to fail to act together. It is by combining and harmonizing their forces that States can make the best of their advantages. Burundi must not stand aside from this movement towards solidarity. In our subregion, Burundi will commit itself to the promotion of various types of cooperation with its neighbours. We intend to strengthen existing instruments in the context of that cooperation, such as the Economic Community of the Great Lakes Countries, the Kagera River Basin Organization and the Preferential Trade Area, with a view to the gradual establishment of a free-trade zone. The Government of Burundi will spare no effort to spark subregional cooperation aimed at increased well-being for our peoples. It is high time that we in the third world engaged in some self-examination. It is high time that we grew out of looking only outwards. We must explore our own capacity for self-development: development directed at ourselves and maintained by ourselves. We must learn to plan and manage better. Above all, we must learn to work better, to work profitably: all of us, from the humblest peasant to the loftiest dignitary. Africa is overflowing with wasted or unexploited potential. We must contemplate a development for ourselves, a development adapted to our needs and making use of our assets. International solidarity can be effective only in the radically new context where we take responsibility for ourselves and where exchanges are mutually advantageous. The world is radically changing. Peoples aspire to greater freedom and dignity. Mankind needs to make enormous efforts to overcome the obstacles on its path: poverty, war, famine, sickness, the destruction of the environment, overpopulation. These are all challenges facing our planet. The detente and the will for peace that characterize relations between the major Powers following the cold war can make it possible to achieve global security, understanding and cooperation; they affect the need for political settlements of the conflicts that have broken out in many parts of the world. Burundi advocates dialogue and joint efforts to end disputes, and we can only welcome these positive developments in international relations. But internationally speaking we are at the turning point between two eras. The era of the cold war and a bipolar world has ended. But today the world is newly assailed, and the inevitable seismic shock waves are shaking the global village. Peoples and nations everywhere are seeking new guidelines for building the new world order that has been so late in coming. Ancient rivalries we thought had been overcome are again rising to the surface and are disturbing balances achieved at great cost. On the threshold of the twenty-first century, Europe has been jolted by separatist nationalism. The plan to build a communal supranational political entity is not exempt from the harsh test posed by the eruptions taking place in the multinational States of the long-standing democracies. The situation in the former Yugoslavia speaks unfortunate volumes in this regard. Africa is being undermined by areas of disturbing destruction. It has been all the more marginalized since the end of the division of the world into two blocs because it is no longer a bargaining chip. Where else in the world are there so many countries without State authority, without social organization? Where else are there so many fratricidal wars with no solution in view? Somalia, Liberia, Angola, Mozambique and Rwanda are all loci of tension where instability threatens Africa as a whole, as well as world peace. Burundi firmly supports the resolution of conflicts in the framework of regional and subregional organizations. Hence, we praise the efforts of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) and subregional organizations in Africa to arbitrate conflicts and help the parties to find negotiated solutions to their disputes. 6 General Assembly - Forty-eighth session In connection with the prevention of conflicts and with confidence- and security-building among the States of our subregion, we have established a permanent consultative committee on security questions in Central Africa, with the cooperation of the United Nations. In the committee meetings already held, a common determination has emerged to establish a confidence-building machinery, and to limit weapons in order to benefit the development and well-being of the peoples of the subregion. Moreover, Burundi welcomes United Nations action, which despite many difficulties continues to play a role and to achieve success. A recent example is that of Cambodia, where a Government of National Unity has just been formed after a long process carried out under United Nations supervision. The United Nations is doing all it can to restore order in Angola, Somalia and the former Yugoslavia. We urge the United Nations to proceed on this path. We hail the historic agreement recently signed at Washington between the State of Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization. This development is an important milestone in the settlement of the Palestinian problem. Burundi attaches great significance to this event, which without question will set its stamp on the end of the century. Closer to home, in Rwanda, Burundi hails and supports action taken by the United Nations in cooperation with the Organization of African Unity to guarantee our Rwandese brethren a climate favouring genuine national reconciliation. The deployment of a neutral international force, as requested by the two parties, should be arranged as quickly as possible. Such a force is among the prerequisites for the consolidation of peace in Rwanda, and hence throughout the subregion - especially in Burundi, where similarities in ethnic, linguistic and cultural matters place us in a delicate position with respect to the Rwandese political conflict. Burundi also welcomes the positive developments in the situation in southern Africa. Negotiations under way among the various political players in South Africa have already produced encouraging results that are strengthening mutual trust. The Government of Burundi was pleased by the decision of the Conference for a Democratic South Africa (CODESA) recognizing that Walvis Bay and the surrounding area belong to Namibia. That decision marks the total independence of Namibia and is in keeping with the consolidation of peace in the region. That is true also of the decision in South Africa to set up a Transitional Executive Council open to all political groups; this will lead to elections next year. Burundi enthusiastically welcomes the recent events in South Africa that enabled the historic leader of the African National Congress of South Africa (ANC), Mr. Nelson Mandela, to call for the lifting of economic sanctions against his country. Burundi considers that those events are the culmination of the first phase of a process that will lead to the emergence in South Africa of a democratic regime free of racial discrimination. Burundi hopes that the Transitional Executive Council will be able to complete negotiations on the transition to democracy. That would open new prospects not only for southern Africa but also for the entire continent, which in recent years has followed with special attention the obstacles preventing all the daughters and sons of Africa from enjoying their national rights, thus compromising the entire network of mutually advantageous relations that could be developed between South Africa and the rest of the continent. Concerning the difficulties facing our Organization, it is an open secret that we are facing financial adjustment problems. The number of peace-keeping operations, the frequency of special missions, the diversity and the complexity of prevailing situations all call for greater responsibility in the payment of assessments due the Organization. Burundi also encourages the current restructuring of the United Nations system, which will allow it to measure up to the numerous new tasks awaiting it and enable it to have an image which is a true mirror of the present world. Our country praises the exceptional courage and selfdenial demonstrated by the staff of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. It goes without saying that refugees and displaced persons endure the most painful sufferings because of conflicts. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees constantly gives them hope by providing them with the basic necessities. Burundi, as a country that has been sheltering refugees but that also has citizens of its own living in exile, can testify today to its convictions and achievements on the question of refugees. We are convinced that only the repatriation and reinstallation of refugees and displaced persons can remedy the problem, which has become worldwide in scope and difficult to overcome. We would be remiss not to congratulate the non-governmental organizations of the world, which, through Forty-eighth session - 4 October 1993 7 their actions, have lessened the suffering of millions of men, women and children in distress. In order to be lasting and irreversible, the democratic reforms chosen by our populations must have international support, because, indeed, democracy against a backdrop of social unrest, unemployment and poverty runs the risk of being just a caricature. From this rostrum, in the same way that we called on the international community to witness our democratic institutions, we would like to ask it to support our efforts through international cooperation based on interdependence and solidarity among peoples and nations. The economic situation in the world today constitutes for us a subject of deep concern. The developed countries have been hit by a recession, and it is not easy to overcome it. After years of more or less favourable economic conditions, growth in their economies is now slowing down. Short-term projections are not very encouraging either. Unemployment has reached disturbing proportions, thereby causing a resurgence here and there of xenophobia and micronationalism, victims of which are for the most part foreigners who have become true scapegoats for the ills that are distressing the societies in the developed countries. The developing world is the most severely affected in terms of the well-being of its population. While South-East Asia and Latin America have positive economic indicators, we must note that Africa is going through a difficult period and that the stakes are high. The drop in export earnings, linked to the undervaluing of raw materials, weighs heavily upon the external debt that today so hinders the freedom of action of most African countries. The outlook for recovery and growth in the short term will likely remain bleak for the African continent. We would like to recall, however, that there have been delays in the implementation of the New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s, adopted by the General Assembly two years ago. Similarly, progress achieved in implementing the New Agenda for the 1990s in favour of the least-developed countries is still not up to the expectations of our populations. The International Conference on African Development is currently being held in Tokyo. We sincerely thank the organizers of that meeting, especially the Government of Japan. We wish that Conference success, and we also hope that it will lead to concrete commitments on the part of the donors to help us recover and to develop on the basis of our own needs and priorities. Burundi is represented in Tokyo at a high level, and it will make its contribution to achieving the goals of that Conference. Obstacles to healthy international economic cooperation are still numerous and of many kinds. The external debt crisis remains a major hindrance to the recovery of our economies. The main creditors must make greater efforts to ease the weight of this debt, the servicing of which is a heavy burden on the meagre export earnings of our developing countries. At this time, we would like to express our deep gratitude to friendly countries which have already undertaken measures - or are in the process of so doing - to reduce or cancel the debt which we owe them. We ask them to take relevant measures to give a strong boost to development financing, the drying up of which concerns us. In this regard, Burundi places great hope in traditional sources of financing, the funds for which have been increased. But we also place great hopes in the Global Environment Facility. Our delegation would like from this rostrum to repeat the need for rapid conclusion to the negotiations on the restructuring of that fund so that it may reflect its true world calling with regard to its composition and to transparent management and democratic management in its functioning. Similarly, it is also important for the Commission on Sustainable Development to move from rhetoric to an operational phase. The series of General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) negotiations ought to have been concluded in 1991, but they continue to run up against a number of disagreements which are causing major concern in the world economy, in particular with respect to the future of the multilateral trading system. We urgently appeal to the principal protagonists to show political will sufficient to bring about a favourable ending to the Uruguay Round. The international community would in no way benefit from a trade war. There would be no winner and no loser in that war. Each year the United Nations enjoys greater participation at the level of Heads of State and Government. This is due to the fact that they firmly believe in the irreplaceable role of this Organization in respect of the balance and functioning of the world. We firmly believe in this Organization, and therefore we permit ourselves the liberty of hoping for the promotion of international cooperation which takes account of the diversity of each country and which is committed to complementary actions with shared and fully assumed responsibility. 8 General Assembly - Forty-eighth session The United Nations indeed is an Organization of powerful countries and weaker countries. Here, therefore, we find the principles of justice, transparency and solidarity in international affairs as something which must be respected, so that no State need feel excluded or bullied because of its size. Rather, each State should feel protected against insecurity and arbitrariness, against hunger, against poverty, against epidemics of all kinds. It is true, and we strongly emphasize this, that the weaker countries must not always put forward their weakness as a pretext to demand or to call for protection or assistance from the international community. They too must take charge of their own destinies. They must organize themselves in such a way that the United Nations or other organizations would intervene only to give them support for a self-centred and self-supported development programme. It is our deepest wish that this world Organization that we share would continue to pursue its ideals and to achieve its goals. We would wish that international solidarity might be a genuine reality and that the relations among States might henceforth be based on a more just and more equitable economic and political order. It is our hope to see our Organization help the poorest populations on our planet avoid hunger, poverty and wars. Long live the United Nations! Long live international solidarity!