Bahamas

I should like to begin, Sir, by extending to you my congratulations and those of the delegation of the Bahamas on your unanimous election to the presidency of the General Assembly. We are confident that you will carry out the mandate of your high office with the perseverance, ingenuity for which you are well known. My delegation is pleased to offer you its full co-operation in making this session a successful and constructive one. I take this opportunity to express my profound gratitude to your predecessor, Mr. Kittani, who held the office during a difficult period. Yet he spared no effort to find solutions to the problems before us, left a clear imprint of patience and skill and displayed exemplary distinction in the conduct of the affairs of the General Assembly. My delegation wishes to pay a tribute to the new Secretary-General Car the dynamic, courageous and untiring effort and initiative he has already displayed in upholding the principles and objectives of the United Nations. We are particularly pleased that he is a son of our Latin American region and we pledge the support of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas for his continuing efforts in the pursuit of peace and harmony among nations. It is fortuitous that I should be addressing the Assembly today, 12 October 1982, the four hundred and ninetieth anniversary of the landing by the intrepid mariner Christopher Columbus en the island now known as San Salvador in the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. That event, as we all know, marked the beginning of a new era in the history of the world and of the Americas. The Bahamas is proud of the role which fate destined it to play in the early history of our hemisphere, and it is in this spirit that the Bahamas wishes to place on record its intention to bring before the Assembly at the appropriate time a resolution to commemorate the quincentennial anniversary of Columbus's arrival in the New World. The Bahamas has devoted itself to the establishment and development of a peaceful and stable world order. This is essential prerequisite if progress is to continue towards improving the quality of life of our own people and that of other nations of the world. Yet, as one reviews the international situation over the past year, it is evident that peace and security have been frequently shattered, with very serious consequences, in various regions. A number of conflicts have interrupted international tranquility and resulted in heavy losses of human life and considerable material damage, We in the Bahamas are profoundly saddened by the events in Lebanon. We believe in the sanctity of human life in a world seemingly desensitized by violence and murder. We therefore deplore the mass murders, particularly of innocent men, women and children, in the refugee camps of Sabra and Shatsla. Those responsible for such atrocities should be held accountable. Unless the United Nations is able to deal effectively with such situations so as to serve as a deterrent to others, then it will indeed become a useless institution. The wishes of the Government and people of Lebanon must be respected and its sovereignty and territorial integrity restored. Accordingly, we urge the speedy withdrawal of all foreign forces from Lebanon We are also deeply disappointed by the absence of full compliance with the series of Security Council resolutions on this matter. The use of force against any nation must not take the place of reason. The right of all nations, including Israel and Lebanon, to exist in peace and security must be respected. There must also be recognition of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, including their right to self-determination. Recent events in the Middle East give a clear indication that a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East is now more than ever an imperative. It is regrettable that Iraq and the Islamic Republic of Iran could not resolve their problems except by war. The conflict continues to threaten the stability of the region and, given the interdependence of relations among States, contributes to international economic dislocation. We therefore appeal to the parties to put an end to the hostilities and to arrive at a negotiated settlement in accordance with Security Council resolutions 479 (1980) and 514 (1982). We are profoundly appreciative of the Secretary-General's coordinated mediation efforts aimed at preventing a further prolongation of the conflict and at finding a solution to the differences to the two sides. The South Atlantic has not been spared the use of force, costly in both human and material terms. We would encourage the parties to bring about a formal end to the conflict in order that negotiations may commence with a view to a final and lasting settlement. The Bahamas is concerned by the violation of the fundamental principles on which the Organization is founded, especially the principle that the threat or use of force in international relations is prohibited. This principle is particularly significant for small States and territories with limited resources. The dispute between Guyana and Venezuela owing to the latter's revival of the claim to Guyana's territory is another area of concern in our hemisphere. The Bahamas accepts that a judicial solution to this problem has already been found under international law. We urge that Venezuela respect Guyana's territorial integrity and that the two parties arrive at a peaceful solution in the spirit of the purposes and principles of the Charter and of the agreements concluded between them. We continue to hope for an early, peaceful and comprehensive solution to the situation in Cyprus. We are cognizant of the gravity of the situation and of its implications for the well-being of the peoples involved and for the continuance of their national unity, based on their collective will, unhindered by outside forces. However, we must begin seriously to consider measures for improving the effectiveness of the Organization, for in the Cyprus question we see once again a situation where the decisions taken by the Organization have not led to significant progress. Peace is indivisible. Violations of peace are to be deplored. Indeed, recourse to the use of force is apparently becoming a norm in international relations, to the detriment of countries both large and small. The proscription of the threat or use of force, the principles of sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity, non-interference in the internal affairs of States and the peaceful settlement of disputes are indispensable norms of international life which must be respected by all. The world economy continues to be caught in the most severe recession since the great depression of the 1930s. The per capita gross national product for developing countries as a whole has fallen for the first time since the 1950s. The present downward spiral follows two decades of exceptional growth and development in both industrialized and developing countries. But now there are serious doubts with respect to the prospects of growth during the rest of the decade. The concern of Governments with immediate domestic problems has intensified; protectionist tendencies have re-emerged; recession, inflation and high interest rates in the developed countries have had an adverse impact on tourism and financial and technological resources flows, especially foreign direct investment, in the developing countries. It is hoped that agreement can be reached on the framework and early launching of global negotiations. The asymmetrical nature of the interdependence between States has underscored the need for measures to redress the structural imbalances in the world economy, particularly in the areas of trade, raw materials, energy, money and finance. In our view, recovery and global negotiations should not be regarded as incompatible. The participating heads of Government at the Versailles Economic Summit in June agreed that the launching of global negotiations was a major political objective. That was a positive development. But further efforts in good faith are required to resolve the amendments and counter-amendments to the proposal of the Group of 77 regarding the basis for consultations. Interdependence and the consequent necessity for international economic co-operation are basic principles of international economic relations, as amply reflected in the International Development Strategy for the Third United Nations Development Decade. The uncertainty which has clouded international economic co-operation must be removed. International co-operation must again be set on the track towards world economic recovery and economic development of the developing countries. During the three decades that the General Assembly has been considering the question of apartheid the overwhelming majority of mankind has rallied to the cause of eliminating that affront to human dignity. In this International Year of Mobilization for Sanctions against South Africa, the international community should continue to take energetic and concerted action in support of the legitimate struggle of the oppressed peoples of South Africa for human rights. The need for collective action is underscored by the continuing designation by South Africa of so- called independent homelands and by threats and acts of aggression against the front-line States of southern Africa. While the case of the violation of human rights in South Africa is a blatant and obvious one, the existence and persistence of human rights violations throughout the world, in States Members of the United Nations, cannot be denied. The United Nations system has developed an increasingly complex network of international instruments and machinery to address the problems of human rights violations. Yet lack of consensus on human rights issues, double standards and a growing trend towards selectivity have undoubtedly impeded the efficiency of this machinery. Unless the United Nations is prepared constructively to utilize existing human rights machinery in a non- political humanitarian manner, universally applicable solutions to problems of human rights violations will not be found. The direct responsibility of the United Nations for Namibia cannot end until genuine self-determination and independence are achieved in a united Namibia. My delegation is aware of reports of continuing mediation efforts by the Western contact group and of guarded progress in resolving the outstanding issues. Nevertheless, we call upon South Africa to desist from defying resolutions adopted by the United Nations for the early independence of Namibia. South Africa should not continue to use extraneous issues as an excuse for delaying or refusing to cooperate in the emancipation of Namibia. At the recently concluded second special session of the General Assembly devoted to disarmament, the Bahamas stated that the challenge facing us all was how to move from awareness, statements of intent, machinery and procedures to genuine and concrete disarmament measures. The Bahamas also elaborated briefly on how that challenge could be squarely and honestly met. Yet it seemed that we could not resolve the contradictions that existed between motivation, words and action, and that special session ended in failure. Increased militarization, far beyond legitimate security needs, only serves to increase international tension and exacerbate international conflict. Thus, it behaves us all —nuclear-weapon States, militarily significant States, non-militarily significant States—to work collectively towards significant disarmament measures which will restore the confidence of our peoples in the worth and effectiveness of the United Nations. Mankind can no longer justify the enormous resources spent on armaments. The poverty, hunger and underdevelopment that face so many States demand a redirection of those valuable resources. In addition, the potential destructiveness of those modem weapon systems is reason enough to bring mankind to its senses and to the realization of man's true purpose in this universe. My delegation realizes that some progress has been made towards disarmament, but we must register our strong concern at the slow pace of that progress. The problem of drug abuse has come to be regarded, rightfully, as a universal one. It affects every region of the world. Over the past several years, the Latin American region has seemingly become a new focal point for international drug traffickers, as production and trafficking, primarily in cannabis, hashish, cocaine and methaqualone have significantly increased. The Bahamas, once uninvolved in such matters, has become increasingly alarmed by the realization that it has become a major conduit for the illicit traffic moving from sources and supply centers in South America to large and profitable consumption centers in North America and Europe. In this connection the Bahamas was pleased to be elected to the Commission on Narcotic Drugs. It had its first opportunity, at the seventh special session, held at Vienna in February of this year, to voice its concern with regard to the illicit traffic in the Latin American region and, in particular, in the Caribbean sub-region. The dilemma of transit States cannot be overstated. They can exercise no control over the illicit production of or the illicit demand for narcotic drugs. As victims of international drug traffickers, they are forced to sacrifice much to control a problem that is not of their making. The Bahamas is therefore grateful for United Nations intervention in the form of a study of the problems of transit States. The strengthening of international response to the problem of drug abuse is vital. The Bahamas therefore views the adoption at the thirty-sixth session of the General Assembly of the International Drug Abuse Control Strategy, and the five-year programme of action to implement the Strategy as a significant step. Drug trafficking can affect any State, whether producer, consumer or transit. In this regard it is the hope of the Bahamas that initiatives undertaken to focus, within the context of the Strategy, on the actual movement of illicit drugs will be supported. Only consistency of purpose at the bilateral, regional and international levels will retard illicit production of, traffic in and demand for narcotic drugs. Despite its limited resources the Bahamas will continue, in conjunction with Member States and the United Nations, to play an active role in the struggle against drug abuse. The Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea has succeeded, after many years of lengthy negotiations, in producing a Convention which is unprecedented in scope and size—a major milestone in international co-operation and a fundamental contribution to international order and stability. A comprehensive document which is in many respects innovative has been negotiated. Compromises have been made to arrive at a generally acceptable convention which constitutes a delicate balance between conflicting interests. Within the United Nations system, the work of the Conference is an example for the international community of what can be achieved by multilateral negotiations. The Bahamas is an archipelagic nation. We are therefore particularly gratified that the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea contains provisions for the delimitation of the national frontiers of archipelagic States. This Convention corrects a serious omission in the law of the sea, as the two previous texts did not address the circumstances peculiar to archipelagic States. We had hoped the Convention would receive the unanimous support of the international community, and we continue to hope that it will. It is none the less our sincere desire that those governments that have so far indicated their non-participation will, in the final analysis, come to the conclusion that their national interests would be best secured by participation in the new form of true international co-operation represented by the Convention. The report of the Secretary-General on the work of the Organization raised the central issue of the capacity of the United Nations to keep the peace and to serve as a forum for negotiations. The Bahamas congratulates the Secretary-General on the approach taken in his first report and concurs with his analysis of the factors and circumstances which appear to have contributed to the impaired effectiveness of the Organization. We subscribe also to the view that the present tendency of bypassing the Organization in situations where it should and could play a vital, constructive role is damaging and dangerous for the future of the United Nations. The Bahamas is of the view that a major role should be played by the United Nations in dealing with issues of universal concern and in taking the initiative in the promotion of international peace, justice and co-operation. We reaffirm our commitment to making this body a more effective instrument in bringing about positive changes in the world.