At a time when mankind is frantically searching
for solutions to the problems of wars, disasters,
hunger, poverty, violence and racism, it is
indeed heartening that this body can meet and,
with collective determination, join the crusade
in the search for a nobler and dignified destiny
for the human race. The task of saving mankind
from wars and destruction is the collective
responsibility of Kt<; world's peoples, but the
role of individuals in the acceleration of this
process must not be over¬looked.
317. In this regard, I should like on behalf
of the Government and people of Liberia to extend
to the new President of the General Assembly my
warmest congratulations on his election to his
high office. We are confident that his long years
of experience in diplomacy will enable him to
discharge, with the utmost sincerity, the
responsibilities entrusted to him.
318. I should also like to take this
opportunity to offer thanks to his able and
dynamic predecessor, Mr. Kittani, who guided the
General Assembly through the thirty-sixth regular
session and the second special session on
disarmament with the utmost dedication and
efficiency.
319. We wish at this time to make special
reference to the remarkable performance of the
Secretary- General, who, after only nine months
in office, has convinced us beyond all reasonable
doubt that our choice was a good one. We ask him
to continue to discharge his duty with the
courage and convictions of his conscience. His
first report on the work of the Organization
outlines effectively the major problems and
weaknesses of the Organization. We endorse the
recommendations in his report and are convinced
that, if implemented, they could strengthen the
Organi¬zation and restore to it the role
envisaged for it in the Charter.
320. We must pay homage, finally, to that
great statesman of tolerance, integrity and
devotion, the former Secretary-General, Kurt
Waldheim. His con¬tribution to the progress of
mankind will forever be stamped upon the minds of
all those who fight for peace, justice and human
decency. He came to us as a son of Europe. He
left as a son of mankind, respected, admired and
trusted—beautiful accolades for a man of peace.
321. The challenge facing humanity is to
refine the negative instincts of man, those which
allow for the domination of others, for the
destruction of other peoples' cultures and values
and for the development of those mental
aberrations such as racial superiority, parochial
and aggressive nationalisms and individual and
national acquisitiveness with the attributes of
exploitation, poverty and stagnation on the one
hand, and affluence and indifference to human
sufferings on the other. The refinement of man's
negative instincts will allow for the common
understanding of human problems and make more
meaningful the search for fraternal relations
between peoples.
322. The task of human refinement must begin
at the national level, for it is at this level
that the con¬sequences of negative instincts are
most profound. Classes and groups which have no
respect for the rights of their own people will
have no regard for the rights of other peoples.
It thus becomes necessary for the national entity
to purge itself of the unsavory attributes of
man's inhumanity to man in order to join the
search for international harmony and morality.
323. My country, in answering the challenge
which history has posed to us as a people, took
the path of revolution to resolve the
contradictions in our society and awakened the
consciousness of our people to begin the frontal
assault on the citadels of privilege, ethnic
arrogance and elitism. We are proud to say to the
world, to all men of conscience and decency, that
through the struggle of our people and with the
blood of our martyrs we destroyed an oligarchy
which was brutal, arrogant and insensitive to the
needs and aspirations of the vast majority of our
people, as all oligarchies are. It is our
God-given right to destroy the shackles of
servitude and allow our people to begin the
process of making their own history.
324. Here in this public forum, we pay homage to
the memory of our martyrs, especially to the
hun¬dreds killed on 14 April 1979, when the
former regime unleashed a reign of terror on our
defenseless people who had raised their voices to
question the right of that oligarchy to increase
the price of the staple food for its own profits.
Eternal glory to our martyrs!
325. When people make revolution and advance
society a step further, they are morally
responsible to show that they are more refined,
more decent and more dignified than those they
overthrew. This is the only way that one can give
credence to the historical movement. In keeping
with our commitment to build a society where men
will live as brothers and be responsible for the
welfare of each and all, we decided to
rehabilitate all those who had in the past
participated in the maltreatment of the people or
condoned with their silence the injustices in
society. In this regard, my Government has
released all political prisoners and thus stands
as one of the few countries in the world without
a single political prisoner. Also, to ease the
burden of adjustment in the new society, we have
returned confiscated properties to former
political prisoners.
326. As a further testimony to my Government's
commitment to respect the aspirations of the
people, our head of State, Commander-in-Chief
Samuel Doe has proclaimed 12 April 1985—the fifth
anniversary of our revolution—as the date for the
return of our country to a democratically elected
civilian Govern¬ment. In keeping with this
commitment, the Consti¬tutional Committee
appointed on the first anniversary of the
revolution is completing the final draft cf a new
Constitution and drawing up the modalities for
elec¬tions. This is the state of affairs in my
country 29 months after our revolution.
327. I shall now make some remarks about the
inter¬national situation. It is indeed a sad
commentary on the state of world affairs that the
opening of the thirty-seventh session of the
General Assembly and the first observance of
International Day of Peace on 21 September 1982
should have taken place amid the ghastly specters
of the Beirut massacre and the con¬tinued war
between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Iraq.
328. Elsewhere, the international situation
remains fraught with tension. There seems to be a
gradual decline in the use and effectiveness of
multilateral institutions and international
organizations. Alliances and intergovernmental
organizations that offered hope for a stable
world order in the period after the Second World
War are being threatened with disin¬tegration at
the very core.
329. The non-aligned movement, which emerged
to dismantle the exploitative colonial system and
did indeed provide an alternative to East-West
con¬frontational politics for the developing
nations of Africa, Asia and Latin America in the
immediate post-war era, has failed to convene the
Conference of Heads of State or Government on
schedule for the first time in its 21-year
history because of the conflict in the Gulf
region.
330. Similarly, the OAU, which has served as
the motivating force in accelerating the African
liberation struggle and the search for African
solutions to African problems, has not been
successful in convening the Assembly of Heads of
State and Government this year because of the
admission of the Sahraoui Arab Democrats Republic
to the OAU. However, we are pleased to note that
efforts are being made to resolve the issue. My
Government has undertaken the responsibility of
consulting with other African Govern¬ments on
ways to end the division within our organi¬zation.
331. Recently, our head of State sent a team
of emissaries to seven West African countries to
deliver messages relating to the current problem
within the OAU. We are certain that in the end
African maturity will prevail and the OAU will
survive, strengthened in its principles and
rededicated to the total liberation and unity of
the African continent.
332. Meanwhile, in the international system,
many States Members of the United Nations are
increasingly resorting to unilateral action, often
bypassing the United Nations without regard to
their obligations under the Charter. Resolutions
of the Security Coun¬cil and the General Assembly
adopted through painstaking efforts and sometimes
by consensus are being ignored by Member States
under the pretext of preserving national identity
and security.
333. With respect to the global economic
situation, indications are that the world economy
is experiencing greater instability than at any
time since the Great Depression. The developed
market economies are characterized by slow
growth, persistent inflation, high unemployment,
prolonged monetary instability, intensified
protectionist pressures, structural
malad-justments and uncertain long-term growth
prospects.
334. For their part, many developing countries
con¬tinue to experience very low or even negative
per capita growth, with severe constraints placed
on their development efforts by maladjustment in
international economic relations, natural
conditions and high energy costs.
335. Also, falling prices for commodities
which are their major sources of income have
impeded their ability to meet interest payments
on loans, let alone repay the loans. Moreover,
higher interest rates for new debts and redded
access to external borrowing have all contributed
to the economic difficulties of the developing
countries, thus augmenting the poverty and
deprivation of their peoples.
336. The optimism generated by the
International Meeting on Co-operation and
Development, held at Cancun in October 1981, has
yet to produce progress towards a movement in the
global round of negotiations on international
economic issues.
337. These trends point to a disquieting
situation in the international system. For the
weakening or collapse of multilateral
institutions and regional organizations and the
vicious cycle of poverty, with its attributes of
dependence and underdevelopment, would serve to
remove heretofore effective platforms upon which
small developing nations exercised moral strength
and courage for collective bargaining and
security.
338. The potential to unleash greater horrors
and sufferings upon mankind must be checked by
the determined and honest efforts of the
international community to reverse the present
drift towards eco¬nomic and political
catastrophe. My Government therefore calls on all
Member States of this world body to rededicate
themselves to the principles and spirit of the
Charter. The desperate lality of the
international situation requires a resolution of
the apparent contradiction between the professed
aspira¬tions of the United Nations and the
unwillingness on the part of Member States to
support those aspirations. A new global
initiative is needed to promote the peaceful
settlement of disputes in order to save the world
from the ravages of war and prevent future
horrors of death and destruction such as those
the world has witnessed recently.
339. I tum now to the subject of southern
Africa. In a world of conflicts and mistrust, it
is reassuring to note the willingness to press
ahead with negotiations on the part of the
parties to the Namibian question. In this
connection, I wish to state emphatically that my
Government continues to view Security Council
resolution 435 (1978) as the basis for a solution
to the Namibian conflict. We welcome the
initiatives of the contact group of five Western
States and the African front-line States, and
Nigeria, to help overcome obstacles in the path
of the implementation of the resolution for the
independence of Namibia. We should add that the
independence of that African Territory cannot be
delayed indefinitely.
340. Also, we should like to caution against
linking a settlement of the Namibian question to
the presence of Cuban troops in Angola. Any
attempt to do that is morally wrong and
dangerous, as the freedom of one people cannot be
held hostage to the alteration of the sovereign
decision of another people.
341. Today, millions of Africans continue to
languish under the despicable system of in South
Africa. My Government considers the perpetuation
of this oppressive system as an intolerable
affront to the dignity of the black race. We
therefore urge the international community and
men of conscience every¬where to lend every
conceivable support to the total elimination of
apartheid in all its inhuman forms. In this
regard, we welcome the launching of 1982 as the
International Year of Mobilization for Sanctions
against South Africa in order to make world
public opinion more aware of the grave situation
in that part of Africa and also to win maximum
international support for comprehensive and
mandatory sanctions against the racist Republic,
as laid down in Chapter VII of the Charter.
342. On the subject of the Middle East, the
horrifying scenes of slaughter in Beirut should
once more serve as a reminder to the
international community never to allow historical
sympathies to render us impotent in confronting
contemporary aggression. The inter¬national
outrage and revulsion generated by the mas¬sacre
should convince those who are determined and
consistent in committing such atrocities to
abandon the notion that brute force is the only
way to achieve peace and security. The
senselessness of the massacre can serve only to
intensify the cycle of violence, suspicion and
bitterness.
343. My Government is convinced that the
dispersal of the Palestinians or the resort to
exterminating them cannot provide a solution to
the problems of the Middle East. Only recognition
of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian
people to a State of their own will lead to a
lasting peace in that region. Additionally, there
must be a return to the pre-1967 borders and all
States in the region must be willing to recognize
the right of each and all to live in peace within
secure boundaries.
344. In this regard, my Government supports
initia¬tives aimed at the restoration of the
sovereignty of Lebanon and calls for the urgent
reconstruction of that war-torn country.
345. Turning to the Kampuchean question, my
Government believes that no effective solution to
the problems in that troubled country can be
achieved without a just and lasting political
settlement. Such a political settlement should
provide for the withdrawal of all foreign troops
from Kampuchea and ensure respect for the
sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity
and the non-aligned status of that country.
346. Some of the problems that cloud the
inter¬national horizon are rooted in the past.
The Korean question, which for many years has
been a focus of the concern of the Organization,
remains unresolved and explosive. The
postponement of its solution could lead to a
renewal of hostilities on the Korean peninsula
and threaten international peace and security. In
accordance with the principles of the Charter of
the United Nations and of the joint communique of
1972/9 issued by the two Korean parties, my
Govern¬ment urges that they both demonstrate
their willingness to settle the Korean question
by peaceful means.
347. The successful conclusion of the
negotiations and the adoption of the United
Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea'
represent a major step forward in our attempts to
establish order in the seas. The Convention is
based on the concept that the resources of the
sea-bed are the common heritage of mankind. One
significant outcome of the negotiations is a set
of treaty provisions for States to co-operate
regionally and globally to protect and preserve
the marine environment. This part of the
Convention is consistent with the Declaration of
the United Nations Conference on the Human
Environment.^" We express our thanks to all of
those who laboured tirelessly to bring these
negotiations to fruition. My Government,
therefore, urges all Member States to sign and
ratify the Con¬vention, which will be opened for
signature as of 6 December 1982, in Jamaica.
348. The post-war period has witnessed an
unabated acceleration of the arms race. This race
has consumed an increasing proportion of the
world resources as well as a greater percentage
of internationally traded goods and services.
This situation has contributed to a significant
diversion of globalresources from pro¬ductive to
non-productive sectors. Statistics show that in a
world where expenditures on armaments amount to
about $700 billion annually there are 870
mil¬lion adults who cannot read and write; 500
million people who have no jobs or are less than
fully employed; 130 million children who are
unable to attend primary school; 450 million
people who suffer from hunger or malnutrition; an
annual infant mortality rate of 12 million babies
who die before their first birthday; 2 billion
people who do not have safe water to drink; and
250 million people who live in urban slums or
shanty towns. Serious efforts and concrete
actions towards disarmament could release vast
resources for the constructive cause of human
devel¬opment and the establishment of a more
equitable international economic order.
349. It is against that background that my
Govern¬ment expresses regret at the disappointing
results of the second special session on
disarmament. We call upon the world community not
to relent in the pursuit of the objectives of
general and complete disarmament, for on this
hinges the survival of mankind.
350. On the subject of international economic
co-operation, reports show that the fundamental
prob¬lem facing the international community is to
restore the growth momentum in the world economy
and achieve the growth targets in the developing
coun¬tries as set forth in the International
Development Strategy for the Third United Nations
Development Decade. The realization of those
objectives requires that urgent and prompt
attention be given to the critical problems
confronting the developing countries, such as
unequal exchange on international commodity mar'
^s, finance, food and energy.
351. There is a need for greater South-South
co-oper¬ation within the framework of the Caracas
Programme of Action^' in order to break the cycle
of dependence, poverty and underdevelopment. The
developing coun¬tries must undertake concerted
efforts within the context of collective
self-reliance to halt the misery of their
peoples, since experience has shown that the
survival of a people must begin with their own
efforts.
352. We are convinced that in a world of
growing expectation and increasing communications
between nations and social groups, a lack of
response to the pressing demand for more
understanding, tolerance and selflessness can
become a real source of conflict at both the
national and the international levels. We are in
an interdependent world and must collec¬tively
face the challenge to remove people from the edge
of survival and ward off catastrophe.
353. The state of the world today calls for
the utmost tolerance and understanding among men.
We have the moral responsibility to save our
world from the misery and destruction which twice
in the past have brought human society to the
brink of extinction. We therefore declare from
this rostrum, before the entire world, that the
children of tomorrow deserve a better world
order, free from the suspicion, violence and
hatred of today. They must be able to live in a
world where men will be responsive to the needs
of other men and where the enlightened
consciousness of the people will usher in the
brotherhood of mankind. This, and only this, can
save humanity from the ravages of war.