Bhutan

At the outset, Sir, I should like to congratulate you run your unanimous election to the high office of the presidency of the thirty-seventh session of the General Assembly. Your wide experience and diplomatic talents make you well-suited to confront the tasks that lie ahead of you. I should like also to congratulate your predecessor, Mr. Kittani of Iraq, for the efficient and dedicated manner in which he handled the affairs of the last session of the General Assembly. We wish him well in his future pursuits and hope that the international community will continue to benefit from his wise and able guidance. A host of critical issues continue to preoccupy the international community. Because of various factors, several of which the Secretary-General dealt with in his report on the work of the Organization, the United Nations system, particularly the Security Council, was not always able to deal effectively with many such issues. For quite some time now many have felt the increasing inadequacy of the United Nations meaningfully to promote and maintain peace and security—the very objectives for which the United Nations itself was established. Hence, there is a very clear necessity to take steps to make the United Nations system more effective in dealing with international peace and security. It is important for the permanent members of the Security Council to take the leading role in bringing about the required changes. They must place on a higher footing the larger interests of mankind as a whole. My delegation hopes that those countries will come forward and bear the responsibilities that they have agreed to shoulder. The news media worldwide, as well as most of the speakers who have preceded me here, have referred in glowing terms to the report of the Secretary- General on the work of the Organization. We appreciate the frank approach taken by the Secretary-General. We are of the view that the proposals put forward by him should be given immediate and priority consideration. We accordingly welcome the proposal made by Sierra Leone for the inclusion in the agenda of an additional item on the issue of collective security. 539 At this juncture, I should like also to take the opportunity warmly to congratulate the Secretary- General for the very admirable manner in which he has exercised his functions regarding the affairs of the Organization despite serious constraints. During the course of the year he has dealt with some very difficult situations in a manner befitting his position and the powers vested in him. In moments of crisis he has displayed rare skill and diplomatic talent. My delegation, which has always had full confidence in him, now wishes him all success during his term at the helm of the Organization. Many issues that confront us at this session have been on the General Assembly agenda since the inception of the Organization. In many such cases solutions continue to evade us. One issue is the crisis in the Middle East. The holocaust that has been visited upon Lebanon in recent months has appalled and shocked the consciences ox all. The massacre of Palestinian refugees in Beirut was indiscriminate and merciless. Those who perpetrated this crime must be counted among the lowest ranks of criminals. We support a thorough investigation to expose the true nature of this ghastly deed. My delegation was equally appalled at the heavy bombing of Beirut by Israel in order to annihilate the Palestine Liberation Organization. This action on the part of Israel caused the loss of countless civilian lives and the destruction of much valuable property. Israel cannot continue to resort to such use of force to settle disputes with its neighbors. Nor will Israel and its neighbors be able to achieve lasting and worthwhile peace in the absence of dialogue and negotiations. It is also the belief of my delegation that the crux of the problem in the Middle East is the question of Palestine. Israel and others cannot afford to ignore the legitimate and genuine cause of the people of Palestine. My delegation therefore Ally supports the plea of the overwhelming majority of the United Nations membership, a plea that has resounded countless times in this Hall, for the self- determination of the people of Palestine. In order to achieve this goal Israel will have to withdraw its forces and its settlers from all territories occupied since the 1967 war. Another war that has levied a heavy toll of life and property over the last two years is the one between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Iraq. The appeals and the diplomatic efforts of the United Nations, the non-aligned movement and the Islamic group of countries have so far failed to bring this war of attrition to an end. This is an absolutely needless conflict, and the countries involved must, in their own interests, bring the war to a quick halt. A/37/PV.29 The Charter very explicitly calls upon all Members not to resort to the use of force in the settlement of disputes. However, during the course of the last few years several nations have attempted to settle their disputes by using force. Whether their cause is right or otherwise, the use of force in the settlement on disputes cannot be justified. The international community should not permit anyone to gain through the use of force. Otherwise the safety and well-being of smaller and weaker nations will be constantly threatened. For instance, in South-West and South-East Asia, military might has been used to intervene in the internal affairs of weaker nations. On grounds of principle, we cannot endorse the presence of foreign troops in the countries of these regions. Such troops must be withdrawn and the sovereign, independent and truly non-aligned status of the countries concerned restored. My delegation had hoped to see a sovereign independent Namibia by now. However, in spite of numerous resolutions of the United Nations, South Africa continues to occupy this international Territory. My delegation now hopes that the Western contact group will soon be able to conclude negotiations and ensure Namibia's independence within the framework of Security Council resolution 435 (1978). In South Africa itself, the despicable practice of apartheid, condemned by every nation in the world, still persists. The rights of the majority have been denied. The authorities in Pretoria must soon realize their folly and right the wrongs being done. IL My delegation joins those who have expressed disappointment with the outcome of the second special session on disarmament. The consistent and high- pitched expression of fear of the dangers of the arms race, the tremendous diversion of resources and the massive rallies that we have witnessed have failed to move the leaders of the major countries of the world, particularly the two super-Powers. Despite the serious obstacles that exist, we cannot and must not lose hope in our attempts to achieve general and complete disarmament. There must be a rethinking on the part of those countries that have held back project in this repaid. A way to maintain peace and security on this planet of ours, instead of threatening its destruction, must be found and established. The outcome of nine years of negotiations on the law of the sea was a laudable achievement of the United Nations. It was also a step towards the setting up of the new international economic order. Many potential disputes will now be prevented because of the provisions contained in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. It is true that not all countries were able to ensure the full coverage of their each and every interest. The landlocked countries, for instance, have had to be satisfied with very little, to put it bluntly. They have withheld many reservations in the larger interest. In view of this, it was disheartening that a few countries which, in fact, had gained substantially, did not see fit to permit the Convention to be approved by consensus. Earlier speakers have all pointed to the dire situation of the international economy. The worst consequences of this state of affairs continue to be shouldered by the non-oil-exporting developing countries. Millions upon millions in the developing countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America live in practically total deprivation. Though efforts have been made to tackle this problem, they have simply been too little or too late, though well intentioned. What is required to deal effectively with such a situation is an increased flow of resources to these underdeveloped areas and a restructuring of the international economic system. We therefore continue to stress that the present economic order is unfair, unjust and incapable of treating the difficulties that confront it. The longer we delay the launching of the global negotiations and the establishment of the new international economic order, the longer it will take to achieve our goals. My delegation urges those developed countries which have so far failed to endorse the launching of the global negotiations to do so without further delay. My delegation attaches considerable importance to every facet of international economic co-operation. The developing countries, and especially the 31 least developed among them, require a steady input of financial and technical resources to enable them to create the necessary basis for sustained social and economic advancement. Without such sustained and predictable resource flows the least developed countries will not be able to overcome the structural imbalances, lack of basic infrastructure and the poverty that presently characterize their economies. The resources given thus far to the least developed countries, through both multilateral and bilateral sources, though inadequate, have had a beneficial impact on their economies. A detailed analysis of the conditions in these countries and their requirements for assistance was taken up at the United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, held in Paris in 1981. Serious efforts are now under way to implement the Substantial New Programme of Action that emerged at the Conference. UNDP, UNCTAD and the World Bank have moved, in close co-operation with the least developed countries, to arrange the aid consultative group meetings between potential donor countries and recipient countries. My delegation would like to urge all donors, and particularly the developed countries, to come forth and increase their assistance in keeping with the decisions of the Paris Conference. In this context, we were heartened by the statements of several countries, including the one delivered on behalf of the European Economic Community by the Foreign Minister of Denmark at the 8th meeting of the Assembly. Those assurances and the actions being taken will keep up the momentum generated in Paris towards implementing the Substantial New Programme of Action. In spite of those developments, my delegation has nevertheless been perturbed by the serious decline in real terms in multilateral assistance in general. As members of the UNDP Governing Council, we have particularly observed the serious lack of resources that will confront UNDP in the Third Indicative Planning Figures Cycle. Many least developed countries have come to rely to a major extent on UNDP, UNICEF and other similar assistance for undertaking projects and programmes crucial to their socioeconomic development. A deterioration in this type of assistance would definitely jeopardize their plans and programmes. We therefore once again call upon the international community, and particularly the developed countries, to reinvigorate their assistance through UNDP and other multilateral agencies. The developing countries are now very aware of the benefits of economic and technical co-operation among themselves. The basis for such co-operation has been clearly laid down in the Caracas Programme of Action which was finalized in 1981, and in the programmes outlined by the non-aligned movement. In our region of South Asia, seven countries —Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and my own, Bhutan—are in the process of gradually but steadily laying the foundations for enhancing socio-economic co-operation. The initial encounters among these countries have revealed that without co-operation many important and crucial problems of the region cannot adequately be dealt with. Co-operation is required urgently to improve the region's transport, communications and other infra- structural facilities. Health, population, the environment and agriculture are other areas in which the region could profit from increased co-operation. The countries of South Asia, which had either been cut off from or which have been averse to each other because of colonial and other historical factors also need to understand each other's cultural and religious heritage. They must also respect and recognize each other's genuine and legitimate aspirations as sovereign members in joint pursuit of furthering the well-being of their peoples. The fact that all the countries that have joined the South Asian forum are members of the United Nations, the non-aligned movement and the Group of 77 creates a common ground among them to come together. Bhutan attaches considerable importance to this emerging venture of co-operation in South Asia and we are confident that the other countries in this venture will do all in their power to make it a success and to put South Asia on a new path of peace, prosperity and progress. In conclusion, I should like to reaffirm the strong commitment of the Kingdom of Bhutan to the principles and purposes of the Charter. We must take all action necessary to strengthen the Organization, which is universal in character and holds the only hope of mankind for peace and prosperity.