May I, on behalf of the delegation of the
Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, congratulate
Mr. Hollai of Hungary on his election to the high
office of the presidency of the thirty-seventh
session of the General Assembly. His election to
that important post is not only precognition of
his professional and human qualities, but also a
well-deserved tribute to his country, with which
we enjoy the best of relations. These relations
were further consolidated by the signing 10 days
ago of the Treaty of Friendship and Co-operation
between our two countries during the visit of
Babrak Karmal, General Secretary of the Central
Committee of the People's Democratic Party of
Afghanistan and President of the Revolutionary
Council, to his fraternal country. I hope that
under his presidency the current session of the
General Assembly will make a notable contribution
to the cause of strengthening international peace
and security. I should like to assure him that
the Afghan delegation will fully co-operate with
him and help him in every way to discharge his
duties. May I also express my appreciation to his
predecessor, the prominent Iraqi statesman and
diplomat, Mr. Kittani, for his skilful conduct of
the deliberations of the last few sessions of the
General Assembly. I should further like to pay a
tribute to the Secretary-General for his tireless
efforts to make the United Nations more efficient
in maintaining peace and security.
At the thirty-sixth session, during the general
debate, we spoke at length about two trends in
the world arena. Since then the confrontation of
these two trends has acquired a still more acute
and tense character.
Numerous facts in international affairs clearly
testify to a growth in the tendencies of the
foreign policy of the imperialist forces, the
United States of America in the first place. The
imperialists are engaged in all-round
psychological and material preparations for war,
carrying on the arms race on an unprecedented
scale and building up their military strength
both qualitatively and quantitatively. Their
interference in the affairs of sovereign States
is being expanded, special forces are being set
up for armed intervention, their military
presence in various parts of the world is being
increased old bases are being modernized and new
ones are being established. One of the negative
consequences of that policy is the fact that the
non-aligned developing countries are becoming
more and more involved in the ruinous arms race,
which undermines their struggle to achieve
economic independence and social progress. The
imperialist policy of the use of force has
dragged the whole world closer to the edge of
nuclear catastrophe. That is an alarming reality
of the present- day situation, which poses a
serious threat to the very existence of all
countries and peoples, large or small, developed
or developing. This threat urgently demands the
collective efforts of all peoples of the entire
globe to put an end to the arms race,
particularly the nuclear one, to prevent the
imperialist, adventurist and militarist circles
from carrying on their mad drive towards a new
war, to improve the international climate, to
find solutions to the crucial problems at the
negotiation table and to secure peace all over
the world. The concern of millions of people over
the destiny of mankind was vividly expressed in
the statements by most of the delegations during
the second special session of the General
Assembly on disarmament and in the mass
manifestations throughout the world.
To avert the threat of an outbreak of a
thermonuclear war is the main and primary task of
the United Nations, which was created for the
very purpose of preserving peace and preventing
the destruction of man's civilization. In a world
where attempts are made in some quarters to
convince the public of the admissibility of
"limited" or "protracted" nuclear war, will the
Organization be able to prevent the world from
slipping into such a war? We hold the strong
opinion that it is within our ability to avert
the danger of a nuclear holocaust. The policies
and the tireless efforts of the peace-loving
forces, represented by socialist States and the
non-aligned countries, are aimed at that very
purpose. It is only natural that we have given
our support to all initiatives and proposals for
curbing the arms race and, first of all, the
prevention of the use or threat of use of nuclear
weapons. We regard the unilateral declaration by
the Soviet Union on non-first-use of nuclear
weapons as a gigantic step towards reducing the
danger of the outbreak of a nuclear
confrontation. If complemented by similar
declarations by the other nuclear-weapon States,
the possibility of such an outbreak would be
reduced to naught.
We also warmly welcome the two new proposals by
the Soviet Union which were advanced in the
statement of the Foreign Minister of the Soviet
Union, Mr. Andrei Gromyko, aimed at warding off
the threat of nuclear war and achieving the
cessation of the nuclear arms race.
We earnestly hope that the thirty-seventh session
of the General Assembly will give a strong
impetus to the negotiations on the most urgent
concrete problems—halting the arms race and
achieving real disarmament—and thus help to
consolidate international detente.
Countries in different parts of the world are
raising more and more insistently the question of
adopting and carrying out regional measures aimed
at creating more harmonious relations among the
countries of their regions and promoting
stability, which in turn would strengthen
international peace and security.
In this connection I should like to say that the
armed incursions with the use of sophisticated
weaponry into the Democratic Republic of
Afghanistan still continue unabated, which
aggravates the situation around Afghanistan.
The hypocritical and demagogic approach of the
imperialist countries, particularly the United
States, the Chinese hegemonists and other
reactionary quarters is yet another obstacle to
the steady and natural improvement of the
situation in the region of South-West Asia. In
addition to the previous United States
Administration's covert and overt actions, the
United States Senate took another provocative
decision in recent days on the supply of arms to
the bands of terrorists attacking Afghanistan
from abroad. This is an of clear and outright
interference in the internal affairs of a State
Member of the United Nations and is a blatant
violation of international law and all norms
governing international relations. It is
tantamount to instigating terrorism against a
small country and exporting terrorism into that
country. It must be firmly condemned, and we
believe that the international community will
take note of it.
We emphatically state to the aforementioned
quarters and to all others who still cherish the
illusion of turning back the wheels of history in
Afghanistan that our heroic nation has determined
its destiny once and for all and is resolved to
construct an independent, democratic and just
system. With or without the obstructionist
designs adopted by the enemies of our revolution,
the glorious march towards those goals will
continue unhindered.
As for the present-day situation inside my
country, the corrective actions and principled
line of the Revolutionary Government have yielded
the fruits which were expected. A greater degree
of stability and normalcy has made possible the
speedy recovery of economic and social
activities. As a result of the recent call made
by Babrak Karmal, large numbers of Afghan
nationals who had gone to the neighbouring
countries for various reasons have returned to
their homes. Had certain quarters not created
obstacles, the number of returnees would have
been much higher. More and more sectors of the
society are how rallying behind their Government
and taking an active part in the defence of the
revolution and its achievements.
The mercenaries and hirelings of imperialism and
international reactionary forces are suffering
severe blows; most of their hideouts have been
wiped out and their arms captured. Needless to
say, banditry and terrorism would have long since
vanished were they not supported, financed and
equipped from external quarters. These
interventions and incursions constitute the cause
of instability and differences in our region
which can and must be tackled by peaceful means,
through negotiations. Time has demonstrated the
validity of our approach to the problem and has
clearly shown that our initiatives put forward on
15 May 1980 and 24 August 1981 are flexible and
realistic enough to be a sound basis for a
comprehensive settlement of the situation and
normalization of relations among neighbouring
countries.
We shall continuously and sincerely pursue our
efforts for the resolution of the situation
around Afghanistan. As was stated by Babrak
Karmal at the ninth plenum of the Central
Committee of the People's Democratic Party of
Afghanistan:
"We have declared many a time and once again
proclaim that it is our desire to make our
relations with our eastern and western
neighbours, that is, Pakistan and Iran, normal
and even friendly on the basis of good will and
reason through constructive talks. ... the Geneva
talks showed that foundations existed for the
achievement of agreements acceptable to both
sides on all of the issues concerning an
all-sided critical solution and that only good
will and understanding were needed to solve the
existing differences. We are ready, as far as the
Democratic Republic of Afghanistan is concerned,
to meet them half-way in order to improve
conditions in the region and to normalize our
relations with them."
We express our appreciation to the Secretary-
General and his personal representative, Mr.
Diego Cordovez, for their efforts to bring the
parties concerned closer in order to achieve a
negotiated settlement, and assure them of our
continued co-operation.
The question of strengthening security and easing
tension in the Indian Ocean has acquired great
urgency in the past few years. The right of the
nations of that region to peaceful life and their
desire to concentrate their efforts on their
economic and social development have been
jeopardized by the increased military activity of
the United States, by its constant blocking of
the efforts to convene the Conference on the
Indian Ocean. We have invariably supported the
desire of the coastal States of the Indian Ocean
to turn that region into a zone of peace where
all foreign military bases would be dismantled
and no one would threaten the security,
independence and sovereignty of the States in the
region. The Democratic Republic of Afghanistan
resolutely supports the holding of the Conference
in Colombo on 9 May 1983 as proposed by
non-aligned countries that are members of the
/If? Committee on the Indian Ocean We reaffirm
our support for the proposal by the President of
the Democratic Republic of Madagascar, Mr.
Ratsiraka, for the convening of a summit
conference of hinterland and littoral States of
the Indian Ocean region, to be held in
Antananarivo.
In the context of regional security my delegation
speaks out in favour of the initiative of the
Mongolian People's Republic on the signing of a
convention on mutual non-aggression and non-use
of force in the Asian and Pacific region. The
decision and proposals of the Conference of
Foreign Ministers of the three Indo-Chinese
countries held in Ho Chi Minh City on 6 and 7
July 1982 constitutes a concrete and realistic
programme for the normalization of the situation
in that region of South-east Asia. These steps,
if accepted, will undoubtedly contribute to a
substantial improvement in the political climate
in the region in favour of peace, stability and
co-operation between the Indo-Chinese countries
and the countries members of the Association of
South-east Asian Nations.
The recent setting up of the so-called Coalition
Government is but a scheme of China in collusion
with United States imperialism and other
reactionary forces to cover up the abominable
face of the genocidal Pol Pot clique and to be
used as an instrument against the rebirth of the
Kampuchean people and for interference in the
internal affairs of the People's Republic of
Kampuchea, to create tension and to haltthe
tendency towards reconciliation and co-operation
in the region.
The Democratic Republic of Afghanistan also
supports the proposals of the Democratic People's
Republic of Korea for the reunification of Korea
in a peaceful and democratic way as a
constructive step towards peace and stability in
the region.
After over three decades of wars and
confrontations the situation in the Middle East
has acquired still further explosive dimensions
due to the aggressive, expansionist and racist
nature of the Zionist entity supported by United
States imperialism. During the recent Israeli
aggression against Lebanon the world was outraged
to witness how far Washington's support of Tel
Aviv's aggressive plans spreads and how
disproportionately great are the ambitions of the
Israeli leaders, who are ready to use every means
available to achieve their delirious
over-ambitious aims regarding the creation of
Greater Israel.
The hideous Israeli crimes of genocide and
massacre of the Palestinian civilians in the
refugee camps of Sabra and Shatila in west Beirut
will forever remain unsurpassed in the history of
mankind. But the Israeli aggressors and their
American patrons must remember that the popular
movement based on the legitimate aspirations of
the Palestinians cannot be suppressed by brute
force. The Palestinian people will never be
crushed by an aggressor. Their just cause will
eventually triumph. It is evident that the
aggressor would not be able to behave so brazenly
if its partner in strategic co-operation were not
the biggest imperialist Power. That is why the
United States shares responsibility for the
horrendous crimes that have been and are being
committed in Lebanon.
Israel's designs to win an easy victory by
forcing the Palestinians to surrender proved to
be miscalculations. The aggressors met with
valiant resistance from the Palestinians, the
patriotic Lebanese forces and the Syrian armed
forces, whose courage has won them admiration.
The Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, as a
staunch supporter of the Palestinian and Arab
cause, once again expresses its all-round
solidarity with our Palestinian brothers in their
heroic struggle. We demand the immediate and
complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from all
occupied Arab territories and restoration of the
inalienable rights of the Palestinian people,
including their right to establish their national
State in Palestine.
Afghanistan believes that it is now imperative to
start a collective search for an all-embracing,
just and realistic settlement in the Middle East
within the framework of a specially convened
international conference as set out in the
Brezhnev six-point plan. We have also noted with
interest the relevant outcome of the Twelfth Arab
Summit Conference, held at Fez.
At its thirty-seventh session the General
Assembly is expected to bring pressure to bear on
the Zionists and their imperialist supporters,
particularly United States imperialism, with a
view to ensuring full compliance with the
repeated calls of the international community.
Since the beginning of the unfortunate armed
conflict between Iraq and the Islamic Republic of
Iran, the continuation of which will seriously
affect not only those two neighbouring Islamic
countries but the entire region, we have
sincerely hoped that the Governments of Iran and
Iraq will desist from actions that may cause the
situation to worsen still further and that they
will find peaceful ways and means of resolving
their disputes.
We express our appreciation for the work done by
the Secretary-General and his mission in this
regard. We urge him to continue his efforts aimed
at finding a just and peaceful solution to this
tragic conflict.
As in the past, Afghanistan expresses its full
support for the independence, sovereignty,
territorial integrity, unity and non-aligned
status of the Republic of Cyprus.
We stand side by side with our African brothers
in their struggle against imperialism,
colonialism, neo colonialism and for
independence, social justice and development.
The Democratic Republic of Afghanistan strongly supports the
people of Namibia, which, under the leadership of
their sole legitimate representative, SWAPO, are
struggling against the apartheid regime's
occupation,
We reaffirm our solidarity with the heroic
peoples of South Africa in their struggle to free
themselves from the abhorrent system of
apartheid. We resolutely condemn the South
African racist regime's continued aggression
against Angola and other front-line States and
its attempts to topple the Governments of some
independent African countries, particularly that
of Seychelles.
In our view the Assembly should take action to
increase assistance to the national liberation
movements with a view to accelerating exercise of
the right of self-determination and the
independence of peoples still under alien and
colonial domination.
It is in this context that we express support for
the struggle of the Sahraoui Arab Democratic
Republic for full sovereignty over its territory.
We are in solidarity with the people of Puerto
Rico trying to exercise their right to
self-determination and full independence.
My delegation reaffirms the fU.t support of the
Democratic Republic of Afghanistan for
Mauritius's sovereignty over Diego Garcia Island.
We also strongly demand the return of the
Malagasy Islands of Glorieuses, Juan de Nova,
Europa and Bassas da India to the Democratic
Republic of Madagascar.
It is our belief that the Malvinas Islands are an
integral part of the Argentine Republic.
The situation in Central and Latin America and in
the Caribbean has been further aggravated as a
result of the interventionist, aggressive
policies of the United States.
While strongly condemning the sinister plots of
the United States Administration in the region,
the Government of the Democratic Republic of
Afghanistan expresses full solidarity with the
revolutionary peoples of Cuba, Nicaragua,
Grenada, El Salvador and other peoples of Latin
America in their struggle against United States
imperialism.
The present state of the international economic
situation constitutes a source of deep concern
for the developing countries. The reluctance of
certain capitalist countries regarding the
launching of a genuine dialogue with the
developing countries within the framework of the
United Nations has so far prevented the
achievement of agreements on structural changes
in the mechanism of international economic
relations. The prevailing uncertainty about the
world economy clearly shows the essential need
for a new and just international economic order
that would benefit all. Therefore no effort
should be spared within the framework of the
United Nations and within the regional
organizations to overcome the disparities of the
present situation. That situation, coupled with
the economic policies adopted by many Western
countries, places serious constraint for the
developing countries, attempts to attain the
growth rates established in the International
Development Strategy for the Third United Nations
Development Decade. This adverse impact has been
particularly grave for the least developed
landlocked countries. Their growth rate has been
retarded, and they have witnessed an actual
decline in their per capita gross domestic
product in recent years. While in 1970 the
average per capita gross national product of the
least developed countries was 36.3 per cent of
that of all developing countries, it declined
further, at the end of 1979, to 29.1 per cent.
Compared with the average annual growth of 3.1
per cent in the gross domestic product of all
developing countries in past decade, the
achievement of the least developer countries was
even less than one per cent during the same
period. We thus emphasize the need for special
measures, large-scale assistance and continued
support by the international community for the
development of the least developed countries and
we stress the need for full and timely
implementation of the Substantial New Programme
of Action for the 1980s for the Least Developed
Countries adopted in Paris.
The distinctive and disadvantageous position of
land-locked countries and their need for adequatetransport
and transit facilities in the promotion of their
trade and economic development has been
recognized by various United Nations agencies and
international conferences, and numerous
resolutions have been adopted specifically to
overcome those problems. However, it is
regrettable that effective and full
implementation of those decisions, including the
establishment of a Special Fund for Land-locked
Developing Countries, has not materialized.
We stress the importance of economic cooperation
among developing countries as a means of
promoting the rational and efficient use of
human, material and financial resources available
for the progress of developing countries. I
should also like to stress that the international
community should generate the necessary pressure
to put an end to the arms race, in order to
release the enormous resources badly needed for
development programmes for the developing
countries. Realistically, it would be impossible
to analyse in one statement all the economic,
social, political and security problems facing
our world. It is even less possible to suggest
the solutions required for those problems.
Nevertheless, due attention must be paid to those
which are outstanding and remain global in
character.
To underline the approach taken by the Democratic
Republic of Afghanistan to those problems, allow
me to quote briefly from a statement by Babrak
Karmal:
"The Government of the Democratic Republic of
Afghanistan, in full harmony with its decisive
revolutionary domestic policy, follows a
principled, peaceful path in its relations with
all countries of the world. Afghanistan is and
will remain a non- aligned nation. We will
profoundly and actively support the principles of
positive and active non- alignment, peaceful
coexistence, the policy of detente and general
disarmament. And we will fight against
warmongers, against old and neocolonialism,
against imperialism and Zionism, against fascism
and racism, against racial discrimination and
together with the peace-loving forces in a vast
global front."