Angola

Please allow me to begin by congratulating Mr. Amara-Essy, on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Angola, on my own behalf and on behalf of my delegation, on his election to the presidency of this forty-ninth session of the United Nations General Assembly. We are fully convinced that his diplomatic experience and dedication to the noble ideals of our Organization will ensure the success of the Assembly’s proceedings at this session. I wish to assure him of my delegation’s full cooperation. I should also like to express our appreciation to your predecessor, His Excellency Ambassador Samuel Insanally, for his proven dedication and skill in conducting the activities of the Assembly at its forty-eighth session. I also wish to express the profound gratitude of the people and Government of the Republic of Angola to the Secretary-General for his skill, energy and tenacity, and for all his efforts in the search for solutions to the innumerable and serious problems afflicting the peoples of our planet. The history we are witnessing today clearly shows a flagrant betrayal of many peoples’ expectations of a better world following the end of the cold war. We had all hoped for, and anticipated, life in a better world of peace and prosperity. Instead, we are witnessing the proliferation of internal conflicts, with such tragic consequences, and we see no visible signs of any immediate satisfactory and lasting solutions, despite the efforts of this Organization. With the end of the cold war and ideological confrontation, the African continent has witnessed during the past five years a vast expansion of democracy, which has contributed to the revival of hope for the prosperity and well-being of the African peoples, still suffering the economic backwardness bequeathed by colonialism. However, Africa continues to be the continent most affected by the proliferation of war and political instability. It is sufficient to mention as examples the conflicts in Rwanda, Somalia, Liberia, Burundi and my own country. Similar problems are occurring in many other parts of the world, which indicates the need for an immediate intensification of efforts by the international community, and in particular for increased participation by the United Nations, to find a negotiated, just and acceptable formula to protect the legitimate interests of peoples. The United Nations must define universal guidelines to prevent the application of differing criteria to the solution of various conflicts. In other words, in order to maintain the credibility of our Organization, all crises and conflicts must be given fair and equal treatment. This underlines the urgent need to restructure United Nations procedures in order to make the existing mechanisms for the prevention and management of conflicts compatible with the realities of our time. With respect to human rights, the United Nations should continue to play an active role in order to prevent their continuing to be jeopardized. The recent establishment of the post of High Commissioner for human rights by the General Assembly was an important step forward in this sense. The Republic of Angola reaffirms that human rights and fundamental freedoms are universal, and that their promotion and protection should be ensured on the basis of equality, impartiality, objectivity and non-selectivity. The human rights issue cannot and should not be used as a political weapon or a pretext for interference in the internal affairs of States. Angola follows with interest and satisfaction the positive developments taking place in some regions of the world, where solutions are being found to conflicts that had seemed endless. In the Middle East, for example, the determination of the Palestinian people and the political courage of the present Government of Israel have contributed to the climate of reduced tension that led to the historic agreement, signed in Washington, for the autonomy of Gaza and Jericho - territories illegally occupied in the past. We appeal to the international community to make every effort to ensure strict compliance with the agreement, and success for it, by providing all possible help to the Palestinian people for the reconstruction and socio-economic development of the embryonic Palestinian State. 42 It would not be immoderate to once again hail the courage and determination demonstrated by President Yasser Arafat and by Mr. Shimon Peres. We encourage the Government of Israel to continue the contacts already initiated with the countries of the region with a view to achieving peace and harmony in the area. In southern Africa, we laud the courage and determination of the people of South Africa, which led to the fall of the inhuman and anachronistic apartheid regime. Today we rejoice to see the people of South Africa free at last. We again greet the new South Africa, led by President Mandela, this different South Africa, which emerged from a democratic election, whose results were accepted by all the political forces in the country. We warmly congratulate the new South African authorities and welcome them to our Organization. We also pay tribute to the peoples of southern Africa, who made so many sacrifices before toppling the dreadful apartheid regime. Angola, which was the main victim of innumerable attacks, suffering enormous loss of human life and destruction of social and economic infrastructures, because of the support we gave to the brotherly people of South Africa, has reason to ask here and now whether the resolutions of this Assembly and of the Security Council regarding compensation to my country will now be implemented. In Mozambique, we welcome and encourage the Government’s commitment to organize democratic elections, and we urge RENAMO and other political forces to respond with an equal commitment to the success of the process, leading to lasting peace in that country. However, the United Nations, in particular, and the international community, in general, have an important role to play in ensuring the attainment of the main objectives: peace, democracy and prosperity. In Liberia, we are encouraged by the positive developments and by the dialogue that is taking place between the parties involved. Angola encourages the continuation of such dialogue and urges the parties to truly commit themselves to the search for a lasting peace. With regard to Western Sahara, Angola urges the parties involved to apply the United Nations peace plan strictly and to adhere scrupulously to the mechanisms established for that purpose, which have the full support of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), and we encourage the parties to enter into direct dialogue to facilitate progress. In Rwanda, the easing of political and military upheavals notwithstanding, a precarious socio- humanitarian situation prevails. Angola expresses its solidarity with the brotherly people of Rwanda. We consider that the international community should continue to play an important role in solving the crisis in Rwanda and in maintaining the peace and tranquillity of its peoples. In Somalia, in spite of the commitment demonstrated by the international community, we do not foresee an end to the armed conflict in the near future, because of the lack of consensus between the parties involved. Angola considers that our Organization should continue to assume its responsibility in the maintenance of world peace and security, which are threatened in that part of Africa, and we appeal to the common sense of the parties to cooperate with the United Nations in the efforts to re-establish peace in that country. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, in spite of the enormous efforts by the international community to restore peace, profound differences still remain, and this contributes to the continuation of the conflict. We therefore urge the parties and the international community to continue their efforts to find a lasting solution that is acceptable to the parties involved. Finally, we salute the Government of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia for its efforts to that end. With regard to the Korean peninsula, Angola encourages the efforts towards reunification and salutes the positive signs registered in the dialogue between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the United States of America. Angola is following with concern the situation in East Timor. The international community has witnessed the serious and persistent violations of human-rights to which the suffering people of East Timor have been subjected. Angola considers that there is a fundamental problem to be resolved first. Here, I refer to decolonization and to respect for the rights of the peoples of this territory - mainly, their right to self-determination. We therefore urge the Government of Indonesia to recognize the legitimate right of the people of East Timor to self-determination and independence and to cooperate 43 with Portugal, as the administering Power, and with the United Nations towards fulfilment of the wishes of the Maubere people. The current situation in Cuba, following the tightening of the economic embargo, should be one of the main concerns at this session of the General Assembly, as its direct victims are the populations of island. The General Assembly’s adoption of resolutions 47/19 and 48/16 clearly demonstrates that the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed against Cuba is contrary to the principles of international law and the Charter of the United Nations. For this reason, and in particular because of the extraterritorial application of that unilateral measure, Angola condemns it. As we add our voice to those of all who seek an end to the embargo imposed against Cuba we are convinced that only through dialogue - never by adopting drastic and inhuman measures such as I have mentioned - can disputes be resolved. We therefore encourage the continuance of dialogue between the two countries towards the resolution of their differences within the framework of the Charter of the United Nations. The international strategy for development for the years 1991-2000, which was adopted in December 1991, brought hope to the international community, which has regarded the effective implementation of this new strategy as the solution to the socio-economic problems of our planet. Today, three years having elapsed, a certain scepticism is shaking our initial convictions. The Republic of Angola considers that the role played by the international economic institutions - bodies such as the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the World Trade Organization and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade - is of vital importance. In the fight against trade barriers, these bodies create enormous opportunities for developing countries to participate in the development of the world market. The heavy and painful burden of external debt dating back to 1982 leads us to believe that the efforts of all are necessary if we are to find medium- and long-term solutions. Equally, special attention must be given to the issues of sustainable development. This necessarily implies implementation of the objectives of the Rio summit and the honouring of commitments assumed thereafter by the industrialized countries. The data included in the reports presented to the Cairo Conference on Population and Development demonstrate that the social situation throughout the world is assuming almost alarming proportions. The fact that the world’s population is now 5.5 billion and that the majority of these people live in absolute poverty convinces us of the urgent need to adopt, during the forthcoming World Summit for Social Development, a concerted plan of action calling for measures to counter the increasing deterioration in their social condition. We therefore reiterate our firm belief in the legitimacy of the goals set out in the document entitled "African Common Position on Human and Social Development in Africa". Having made a few comments on the main problems that affect all of us in one way or another, I should like to make a brief reference to the situation in my country. Representatives will probably recall that, following UNITA’s rejection of the results of the democratic elections in 1992, which the international community monitored and judged to have been free and fair, UNITA resorted to war, with the objective of taking power by force of arms, contrary to the spirit of the Bicesse Accord, of which this Organization is a signatory and which served as the basis for the electoral process. The situation created by the resumption of war rapidly degenerated into a real catastrophe, jeopardizing the country’s territorial integrity and forcing the legitimate government to take defensive measures to prevent the realization of UNITA’s intentions. In spite all the efforts of the Angolan Government and of the international community, and as a result of this war, imposed on the people of Angola by the militaristic wing of Mr. Savimbi’s UNITA, Angola faces a rather sombre future - one dangerously similar to those of the countries that I have already mentioned. The present situation in my country is characterized by the extreme poverty of the people, who, having fled the war zones in order to save their lives, have become refugees in their own land. In Angola there are currently 3.75 million displaced persons, more than 500,000 mutilated people and thousands of orphaned children and abandoned elderly folk. In addition, almost of the country’s all economic infrastructures have been destroyed. In some areas controlled by the Government, people and goods cannot always circulate freely, owing to mines and to the acts of 44 terrorism and banditry perpetrated by UNITA’s military wing. The difficult situation that I have just described must continue to command the attention of the international community if the people and the legitimate Government are to be helped to re-establish peace throughout the country. As those present in this Hall know, on 15 November last, following the failure of our attempts to establish a dialogue, from Namibia to Addis Ababa and Abidjan, the Government of Angola initiated the negotiations of Lusaka. These were mediated by the United Nations and were observed by Portugal, Russia and the United States of America, whose endeavour has contributed to the consensus in the negotiators’ position. It is important that we should once again express our sincere gratitude to the Government of His Excellency President Chiluba for his generosity and patience in receiving the Angolan people in his country and for his positive action, albeit discreet and unofficial. We also reiterate our appreciation of the important role played by the troika of observers - Portugal, Russia and the United States of America - and for the committed way in which the Secretary-General’s special representative, Mr. Allioune Beye, has conducted the negotiations in Lusaka. Mr. Beye’s knowledge of the Angolan situation is our guarantee of a rapid conclusion to the talks. The people of Angola and the international community expressed their satisfaction at the fact that UNITA has finally accepted the mediators’ package of proposals, for this constitutes an important step towards peace and national reconciliation. It is none the less true that UNITA accepted this package of proposals by the mediators only because of pressure from the international community and, first and foremost, from the Security Council through its numerous resolutions, in particular resolutions 864 (1993) and 932 (1994), which advocated the imposition of sanctions against UNITA if its leadership did not demonstrate good faith about the conclusion of an agreement; and, also because on the military front there had been a clear reversal of the situation. Today the Government already controls more than 75 per cent of the territory and 90 per cent of the population. We are convinced that if this pressure is maintained UNITA, which knows only the language of the force of weapons, might engage in a constructive and honest dialogue. In this context we once again urge the international community to continue exercising its various forms of pressure on UNITA’s militaristic wing so that an agreement is reached in Lusaka to put a definitive end to the war and to restore peace and harmony among the Angolan people. We are not aiming at a military victory. We want an agreement that can bring lasting peace and pave the way to national reconciliation. Our insistence on pressure is based on our desire that the relative progress made in Lusaka be irreversible, as it is only a step along the difficult path to peace and its consolidation, to the promotion of the country’s unity and national reconciliation, and to the defence of legality and democracy. Therefore, the international community, and the Security Council in particular, must be prepared to act immediately as soon as an agreement is reached in Lusaka in order to avoid any pretexts for non-compliance. There must not be a substantial interval between the signing of the agreement in Lusaka and the re-establishment of the cease-fire, on the one hand, and the beginning of the implementation of the Lusaka agreement, or understandings on the other; this will avoid violations. In this context it is necessary to anticipate the sending of the component of the United Nations Angola Verification Mission (UNAVEM III) immediately after the signing of the agreement. Please allow me to reiterate before this Assembly that it is the firm commitment of the Government of the Republic of Angola not to spare any effort in the search for a negotiated solution to the crisis in Angola and that it is not our intention to destroy UNITA militarily. Contrary to information which has been circulated recently accusing the Government of launching a military offensive against UNITA, we have to say that the truth is completely different. The Government is engaged in stopping the UNITA military offensive, with the aim of halting the kind of events that occurred before the signing of the Bicesse Accords, in order to ensure that a military advantage not be obtained while the Lusaka Accord was being signed. We should not enable UNITA to obstruct the full implementation of the Accord. We want UNITA to become a political party, to be prepared to live in democracy and to respect the existing constitution, which is the result of a difficult national consensus which UNITA itself joined in and which it amended before it was approved by the Parliament. 45 Finally, we would like to send a strong appeal to the international community to increase humanitarian assistance to the needy people. The Government’s scarce resources are insufficient to meet the dramatic socio-humanitarian situation of the people being rescued from the captivity of UNITA. Members have had the opportunity to see on television the real situation in Kuito and elsewhere. The Government of Angola has always been committed to delivering humanitarian assistance to all the needy regardless of where they may be, and requests that pressure be exerted on UNITA not to hamper the efforts to distribute relief supplies to the population and the work of non-governmental organizations and United Nations agencies which with great sacrifice are involved in humanitarian assistance to Angola. I reiterate our best wishes for the success of this forty-ninth session of the General Assembly.