Spain

I should like at the outset to make two imperative acknowledgments. The first is to congratulate Ambassador Hennadiy Udovenko on his election to the presidency of the General Assembly — and to congratulate the Assembly on the election of an insightful and experienced politician to preside over this session — which may, for many reasons, prove to be an exceptional one. The second is addressed to the Secretary-General at this first regular session convened under his mandate. Mr. Kofi Annan is a veteran of the United Nations system, which explains how, in the short time since he took up the post of Secretary-General, he has been able to submit an important programme for the comprehensive reform of the Organization. I wish also to state my Government’s full support of the statement made by the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Luxembourg on behalf of the European Union. Spain shares the commitment of the European Union to the reform of the Organization; it is specifically upon this matter that my statement will be focused. When we speak of the reform of the Organization, we frequently link it with the financial crisis which the United Nations is undergoing. Yet I consider it important to differentiate the two questions and to emphasize that the reform process must not be seen solely as a remedy or factor for saving the United Nations from the financial crisis. On the one hand, the current crisis is fundamentally a crisis of payments. I shall return to this matter later on. On the other hand, the Organization’s supposed “failures” reflect the limits of cooperation in the international community as it exists at present. The crisis is, in any case, one of growth. The United Nations has to adapt and do away with the bureaucratic obstacles accumulated by the Organization during the decades of the cold war and to develop new means with which to tackle the complex situations it now faces. The great virtue of the reform programme introduced by the Secretary-General on 16 July is that, building on the better part of the thinking of recent years, it presents a comprehensive plan to adapt all sectors of the Organization. Recent experience has shown the difficulty of implementing partial reforms. The links among the main functions entrusted to the United Nations is becoming increasingly clear: international peace and security can hardly be maintained without genuine cooperation to promote the development of the world’s States and regions, and without respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. I should like straight away to declare Spain’s agreement with this approach and to make clear the backing which my country is willing to give to the Secretary-General’s programme. I will now present the views of the Spanish Government on the main aspects of the overall reform process. I shall begin with the reform of the Security Council. This is undoubtedly one of the most significant questions facing us, and its success will determine if the Organization will be able to enhance its legitimacy and its effectiveness in maintaining international peace and security in the future. The reform of the Security Council is a most sensitive task, involving an amendment to the Charter; it must therefore be undertaken carefully, without haste and on the basis of the broadest possible agreement. It must promote greater cohesion among the Organization’s Members and not create greater tension and suspicion among them. We should not forget: poorly- done reform could bring grave repercussions for the Organization, which could lead to an irreparable crisis of confidence. An increase in the number of members of the Security Council, and particularly of permanent members, is a much more contentious issue than the improvement of the Council’s working procedures. The category of permanent members of the Security Council was created in historical circumstances which no longer apply. Furthermore, the enlargement of that category could create more problems than benefits. Therefore, we consider it wisest in the present situation to limit enlargement to the category of non-permanent members. Current proposals for enlarging the permanent membership of the Security Council introduce formulas which tend to meet the legitimate interests of a few States, but fail to resolve serious problems raised for the vast majority of Members of the Organization, and so they cannot be positive for the United Nations as a whole. As far as the veto is concerned, aware of the difficulty in present circumstances of achieving its elimination, we propose that it be limited to situations involving Chapter VII of the Charter. In any case, proposals for the creation of new permanent seats, with postponement of discussion as to whether those seats would or would not have the veto, are not very realistic. 22 The leading role acquired by the United Nations at the end of the cold war in making, maintaining and consolidating peace is without historical precedent. Spain unreservedly supports United Nations efforts in the maintenance of international peace and security. In the last year, in addition to the Spanish contingents deployed in the International Police Task Force (IPTF) and the Stabilization Force (SFOR), forces from my country have participated in the United Nations Mission for the Verification of Human Rights and of Compliance with the Commitments of the Comprehensive Agreement on Human Rights in Guatemala (MINUGUA) demobilization process and in the multinational protection force for Albania, which, as the Prime Minister stressed just a few minutes ago, has helped to avoid a serious internal conflict. Spain was also ready to participate in the multinational force for Zaire. My Government is also studying ways of enhancing the Organization’s operational readiness, particularly by increasing its rapid deployment capabilities. While dealing with this matter, I must refer briefly to certain situations of special interest to my Government. The deterioration of the situation in the Serb Republic is a cause of special concern. We must continue to give firm backing to those in the Republic who are willing to cooperate with SFOR, the High Representative and the special envoys. Sub-Saharan Africa also deserves special attention. Of particular concern is the serious situation which persists in the Great Lakes region and in the Republic of Congo. Spain supports the efforts under way to restore peace, as well as the holding of an international conference under the auspices of the United Nations and the Organization of African Unity (OAU). Likewise, with reference to the situation in Angola, Spain joins the appeal to UNITA to comply with its international commitments and to finally allow peace to come to this country. My Government welcomes the recent agreements reached in Houston to unblock implementation of the United Nations settlement plan for Western Sahara, and accordingly wishes to congratulate Morocco and the Polisario Front. I equally wish to congratulate the Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General, Mr. James Baker, on the efficient mediation work he has performed. My Government considers that the holding of a referendum, freely and with international guarantees, in which the Sahraqui people will exercise their right to self-determination, continues to be the only acceptable solution to this conflict. Spain, which has always supported the settlement plan, considers therefore that the extension of the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) is indispensable. My Government trusts that the parties will continue to demonstrate flexibility and a constructive spirit until the referendum is held. Spain is also following developments in the Middle East with the greatest concern. The peace process is, without a doubt, going through one of its most difficult phases. However, this dialogue is the only possible alternative. The European Union, in particular through its Special Envoy, the Spanish diplomat Miguel Angel Moratinos, is making major efforts. I should like here to reiterate the Spanish Government’s commitment to this process and to restate our willingness to continue to work actively for peace and understanding among the peoples of the region. With the signing of the Agreement on a Firm and Lasting Peace in Guatemala, a process in which Spain played an active role in the verification of compliance with the accords, the way has been paved to stability, the strengthening of democratic institutions and sustainable development in Guatemala. Spain will continue to support this process, through practical measures such as multilateral and bilateral cooperation. As I have already indicated, peacekeeping has become a multifaceted activity. In addition to military activities, it has become essential to take into account the humanitarian consequences of conflicts. In fact, the humanitarian role of the United Nations is increasingly linked to peacekeeping. Spain accordingly supports the Secretary-General’s initiatives to enhance the coordination and rapid deployment capability of the United Nations humanitarian response through the establishment of the Emergency Relief Coordination Office. Together with my Government’s official humanitarian aid, I must refer here to the commitment of Spanish civil society to such humanitarian operations, and pay tribute to all the international relief workers and missionaries who, generously and at risk to their very lives, are deployed in war-devastated areas. Five Spanish relief workers and four missionaries have been killed in recent months while performing their humanitarian tasks. Spain considers that additional measures must be adopted to protect those participating in these humanitarian missions, and we intend to introduce a proposal to that end during this session. Recent experience of the conflicts in the former Yugoslavia and in Rwanda has highlighted the need to 23 create a judicial body to prevent impunity and to facilitate reconciliation of war-torn societies and consolidate the peace process. The creation of an international criminal court is thus a matter to which the Spanish Government attaches great importance. Concern for the protection and promotion of human rights, which is becoming one of the Organization’s principal functions, underlies all these developments. As of 10 December and throughout 1998 we will be celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This will be an appropriate time to assess the situation and to devise strategies which will allow us to continue to move forward in the advancement of human rights. As pointed out by the Secretary-General in his report, the United Nations human rights programme must be integrated into the whole range of the Organization’s activities. Spain supports the Secretary-General’s proposal to consolidate the Centre for Human Rights and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and stresses the need to increase the human and financial resources devoted to the human rights programme. Spain will maintain an active policy in defence of human rights and will help to ensure general respect for human rights and for democratic principles. Another of the Organization’s major functions is cooperation for development. Spain welcomes the proposals put forward in this area by the Secretary-General. In particular, I should like to stress my support for the Secretary-General’s various initiatives aimed at ensuring the release of more funds for operational programmes. The inclusion in development cooperation activities of other than purely economic factors — such as social and environmental ones — is the expression of a concept to which the United Nations has given primary attention through a number of international conferences held under its auspices. I am referring to the subject of sustainable development. I would like to underline in this respect the importance that the Spanish Government attaches to environmental matters and our special interest in the problem of desertification, which affects Spain so directly. I wish to note in this context that my country is presenting the candidature of Murcia as headquarters of the permanent secretariat of the Convention to Combat Desertification. I am convinced that Murcia would be an excellent headquarters, and I therefore ask Members for their support. The attainment of effective international cooperation in the fight against terrorism is a priority objective for my Government. The phenomenon of terrorism cannot be controlled without complete and active cooperation at all levels. The conceptual advances made in the area of extradition that have taken place within the European Union must be furthered in the United Nations. The Spanish Government participates actively in the negotiations on the International Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings, aimed at creating an effective tool in the fight against terrorism that is acceptable to the largest possible number of countries. Spain also supports the Declaration on Measures to Eliminate International Terrorism and the Supplement to that Declaration adopted by the Assembly at its last session. In this connection, I cannot fail to mention the tragic situation in Algeria, a country which is a neighbour and a friend of Spain and which has the solidarity and support of my Government in its battle against the plague of terrorism. The Algerian Government can count on Spanish backing to continue resolutely the process of political reform, in order to achieve the widest possible base of support among the population, ensure peaceful and lasting coexistence and to eradicate terrorism. The fight against drug trafficking is also a question of the greatest importance to Spain, and it is one that undoubtedly has connections with terrorism and transnational crime. My Government therefore supports the creation in Vienna of an international crime prevention centre designed to reinforce the Organization’s capacity to combat these scourges. Spain is pleased with the decisive role played by the United Nations in disarmament and arms control. Spain welcomes the outcome of the Oslo Conference and will be signing the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction, while promoting discussion of this question in Geneva at the Conference on Disarmament. The preparation of a protocol to strengthen the Biological Weapons Convention — particularly in the field of verification; the negotiation of a convention to ban fissionable material for the manufacture of nuclear weapons; and the improvement of control and 24 transparency in conventional weapons: these are also matters of importance. The process of decolonization has without any doubt been one of the Organization’s greatest successes. It may therefore seem anachronistic to refer to this matter in a statement that deals with the reform of the United Nations and that focuses on the present and the most immediate future, rather than on the past. The reality, however, is that unresolved colonial situations unfortunately continue to exist, and our Organization still has to deal with them. With regard to these situations, Spain is affected directly and painfully by the question of Gibraltar. The existence of this colony on our territory — the colony of a State that, like Spain, belongs, to the Atlantic Alliance and to the European Union — is an anomaly and an anachronism that we are trying to resolve within the context of the doctrine established by the United Nations. In resolution 2353 (XXII), and in accordance with resolution 1514 (XV), the General Assembly acknowledged that the colonial status of Gibraltar violates Spanish territorial integrity and that the principle of self-determination therefore does not apply. The territory of Gibraltar was an integral part of Spain, and the Spaniards who lived there were expelled when a military base was established. Pursuant to the repeated invitations made by the United Nations to Spain and to the United Kingdom to settle this matter by negotiation, my Government is engaged in the search for a solution through the bilateral channel established in the Brussels Declaration of November 1984. The Spanish authorities have given repeated assurances that the legitimate interests of the inhabitants of Gibraltar will be respected. I very recently and publicly formulated a most generous offer whereby, following the reincorporation of Gibraltar into Spain, the current inhabitants of the colony would be allowed to retain the broad outlines of their present economic and legal situation. We believe that this offer should help us advance in the bilateral negotiations with the United Kingdom. We all agree on to the irreplaceable nature of our Organization and on the need to reform it. However, our Organization cannot prosper, nor can the reforms be put in place, if we Member States do not comply in full with our financial commitments. As the Secretary-General himself has pointed out, the Organization’s present financial crisis is a payments crisis. The punctual and full payment of contributions is an international legal obligation that should be recognized by all States that respect the international rule of law. It is unacceptable that any Member State should place conditions on these payments or on the payment of arrears. Such a practice would lead eventually to the bankruptcy of the Organization we defend. As early as 1996, the European Union introduced a proposal designed to encourage States to meet their financial obligations to the Organization and to establish a fairer scale of assessments. Spain hopes that this proposal will be carefully considered at this session. The United Nations is the main international forum entrusted with maintaining international peace and security, with promoting development, human rights and fundamental freedoms and with ensuring cooperation between States. The indispensable nature of its role has become clear in recent years. Finally, I would like to restate the Spanish Government’s firm commitment to the purposes contained in the Charter of the United Nations and to reassert our unshakeable determination to continue to participate in the reform process in the firm belief that, together, we will be able to adapt the United Nations to the requirements of the new millennium.