MR. PRESIDENT,
I WOULD LIKE TO JOIN OTHER DELEGATES IN PRESENTING MY WARM CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU, YOUR EXELLENCY, ON YOUR UNANIMOUS ELECTION AS PRESIDENT OF THIS 45TH SESSION OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY.
I ALSO WISH TO EXPRESS OUR APPRECIATION TO THE OUTGOING PRESIDENT, H. E. JOSEPH N. GARBA, AND TO THE SECRETARY-GENERAL FOR PROVIDING US WITH LEADERSHIP WHICH HAS INSPIRED CONFIDENCE THROUGHOUT THE PAST YEAR.
AT THE SAME TIME, BRUNEI DARUSSALAM WOULD LIKE TO WELCOME AS MEMBERS OF THIS ORGANISATION AT THIS PRINCIPALITY OF LIECHTENSTEIN AND THE REPUBLIC OF NAMIBIA.
MR. PRESIDENT,
TODAY IS S SPECIAL DAY FOR THE WORLD COMMUNITY. BRUNEI DARUSSALAM WOULD THEREFORE LIKE TO TAKE THIS EARLY OPPORTUNITY TO EXTEND OUR HEARTFELT CONGRATULATIONS TO THE GERMAN PEOPLE ON THE MOMENTOUS OCCASION OF THE UNIFICATION OF THEIR HOMELAND.
WE SIMILARLY CONGRATULATE THE REPUBLIC OF YEMEN AND THE YEMENI PEOPLE ON THEIR PEACEFUL UNIFICATION EARLIER THIS YEAR. THESE EVENTS ARE THE HIGHPOINTS OF A YEAR IN WHICH A NUMBER OF ENCOURAGING PROSPECTS HAVE SEEMED TO INDICATE THAT THE POLITICAL SITUATION IN THE WORLD IS IMPROVING.
AT THIS ASSEMBLY LAST YEAR, WE NOTED SEVERAL OF THESE POSITIVE SIGNS. SINCE THEN WE HAVE SEEN THAT RELATIONS BETWEEN THE SUPERPOWERS ARE MUCH LESS TENSE. THIS, IN TURN, HAS LED TO A NUMBER OF CONSTRUCTIVE MEETINGS BETWEEN PREVIOUSLY HOSTILE PARTIES. AT THESE MEETINGS, THE BROAD PRINCIPLE OF NEGOTIATION RATHER THAN CONFRONTATION HAS BEEN IN ACTION.
AS A RESULT, WE HAVE OBSERVED SEVERAL PLEASING INITIATIVES.
IN OUR OWN REGION, WE COMMEND THE CONTINUING EFFORTS OF THE PERMANENT FIVE AND OTHER CONCERNED COUNTRIES IN SEEKING A SOLUTION TO THE CAMBODIAN PROBLEM. THE LEVEL OF ACCORD SO FAR REACHED AMONG THE CAMBODIAN PARTIES OVER THE FRAMEWORK DOCUMENT HAS BEEN ENCOURAGING. FINAL AGREEMENT WILL BE A CONSIDERABLE ACHIEVEMENT AND WE URGE ALL CONCERNED TO BRING THIS ABOUT.
IN THE KOREAN PENINSULA, WE HAVE WITNESSED SIGNS OF RECONCILIATION TAKING PLACE BETWEEN TWO ADVERSARIES. THIS COULD LAY THE FOUNDATION FOR LASTING PEACE BETWEEN NORTH AND SOUTH. FOLLOWING THIS, WE HOPE THAT THE APPLICATION OF EITHER OR BOTH OF THEM FOR MEMBERSHIP OF THE UNITED NATIONS WILL RECEIVE FAVOURABLE CONSIDERATION.
WE HAVE NOTED MOVES TOWARDS THE RESOLUTION OF THE AFGAN CONFLICT. THESE MAY ENCOURAGE THE AFGANS TO SETTLE THEIR DISPUTES AND DISPUTES AND START REBUILDING THEIR HOMELAND.
FINALLY, THE INDEPENDENCE OF NAMBIA WAS AN OCCASION OF GREAT JOY TO US ALL. IT CAME ABOUT AS A RESULT OF MUCH HARD WORK BY THE UNITED NATIONS AND SHOWED THAT THIS ORGANISATION CAN BE A POWERFUL, ACTIVE FORCE FOR PEACE.
THESE ARE POSITIVE EXAMPLES OF PROGRESS. THEY SERVE TO CONVINCE US THAT THE TREND TOWARDS RECONCILIATION AND COOPERATION AMONG THE MAJOR POWERS CAN ASSIST US ALL. ABOVE ALL, IT CAN HELP BRING ABOUT CONTROL OVER THE FLOW OF ARMS, A REDUCTION IN THE LEVEL OF EXCESSIVE WEAPONARY AND REGULATION OF THE TRANSFER OF ARMS TECHNOLOGY. IT MAY THUS PERMIT US TO LOOK FORWARD REALISTICALLY TO A TIME WHEN THE ARMS RACE IS HALTED THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. NEVERTHELESS, AT PRESENT, THERE APPEARS TO BE ONLY MORAL FORCE TO PROJECT US AGAINST VIOLATIONS OF THE UN CHARTERS. THEREFORE, OUR HOPES FOR THE FUTURE ARE LINKED TO BE ENHANCED IN THE RESOLUTION OF INTERNATIONAL DISPUTES.
IN THAT WAY, BRUNEI DARUSSALAM BELIEVES THAT MEMBERS OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY CAN CONTRIBUTE TO A DÉTENTE WHICH IS WORLD-WIDE BY ENCOURAGING REGIONAL ORGANISATIONS TO COOPERATE WITH ONE ANOTHER IN SUPPORTS AND REGIONAL CHARTERS. REGIONAL ORGANISATIONS MAY THUS BEGIN TO EMERGE AS SIGNIFICANT FORCES SUPPORTING GLOBAL PEACE AND SECURITY. IT IS BY ENGAGING IN SUCH NEW ROLES THAT THE MAJOR POWERS MAY PLACE THEIR OWN HARD-WON DÉTENTE AT THE SERVICE OF WORLD-WIDE PEACE.
MR. PRESIDENT,
IT IS IMPORTANT, HOWEVER, TO RECOGNISE THAT DÉTENTE IS NOT TO BE JUDGED SOLELY FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF EUROPE. PEACE AND STABILITY IS THE CONCERN OF ALL REGIONS. THEREFORE, WHILST ACKNOWLEDGING A NUMBER OF POSITIVE MOVES TOWARDS CREATING A SAFER WORLD, WE ALSO DETECT GRAVE TENDENCIES WHICH THREATEN WORLD-WIDE PEACE.
IN PARTICULAR, WE OBSERVE OPPOSING TRENDS. THESE REVEL THAT, WHILST TRADITIONAL SECURITY IN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES MAY BEGIN TO ASSUME A LESS DOMINANT CHARACTER, IT IS STILL A MATTER OF CONSIDERABLE CONCERN TO THE REST OF THE WORLD. AT A TIME WHEN DEVELOPED NATIONS ARE NOW MORE FREE TO CONCENTRATE ON WELFARE AND EVEN MORE DEVELOPED COUNTRIES ARE ENGAGED IN AN ARMS RACE OF THEIR OWN.
THE IRAQI INVASION OF KUWAIT IS A DEMONSTRATION OF HOW VULNERABLE SMALL NATIONS CAN BE IN THE FACE OF CONTRADICTION. IT ALSO REMINDS US OF HOW FRAGILE THE NEWLY EMERGING GLOBAL ORDER IS. THUS, IN URGING THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO REJECT AND CONDEMN SUCH VIOLATIONS OF UN CHARTERS, BRUNEI DARUSSALAM NOTES NOT ONLY THE IMMEDIATE ACTION BUT ALSO RECOGNISES ITS DEEP-SEATED CAUSES.
HENCE, MR. PRESIDENT, WE DRAW THE ATTENTION OF THE DISTINGUISHED MEMBERS OF THIS ORGANISATION ONCE MORE OFTEN DEEP-SEATED CAUSE OF WIDER CONFLICT.
IN THE RESPECT, WE REFER TO THE CORE PROBLEM OF PALESTINE. BRUNEI DARUSSALAM REITERATES ITS TOTAL CONDEMNATION OF ISREALI POLICY IN THAT COUNTRY WITH REGARD TO BOTH THE ISRAELI ARMY AND POLICY. RELATING TO THE IMMIGRATION OF SOVIET JEWS. WE THEREFORE WISH TO RECORD AGAIN OUR SUPPORT FOR THE CONVENING OF AN INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE MIDDLE EAST, INVOLVING THE PERMANENT MEMBERS OF THE SECURITY COUNCIL AND ALL CONCERNED PARTIES, INCLUDING THE PALESTINIAN LIBERATION ORGANISATION AS THE SOLE AND LEGITIMATE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE.
WE REFER ALSO TO THE WAR IN LEBANON TO WHICH AN END MUST CONTINUE TO BE SOUGHT. WE URGE ALL PARTIES TO CONTINUE TO WORK TOWARDS PEACE WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE TAIF AGREEMENT.
WE REFER TO SOUTH AFRICA WHERE A COMPLETE AND IRREVERSIBLE DISMANTLING OF APARTHEID HAS STILL TO BE BROUGHT ABOUT.
WE SIMILARLY REFER TO MATTERS OF GREAT GLOBAL IMPORTANCE SUCH AS DAMAGE TO THE ENVIRONMENT, THE PROBLEM OF DEBT, INTERNATIONAL DRUG TRAFFICKING AND UNDERDEVELOPMENT. THESE ARE NO LESS THREATENING TO PEACE THAN ACTS OF OPEN HOSTILITY. ALTHOUGH INITIATIVES TAKEN IN THESE AREAS HAVE AFFORDED US CAUTIOUS OPTIMISM, OTHERS REMAIN UNSOLVED TO DATE AND MUST BE ADDRESSED WITH EVEN GREATER URGENCY THAN BEFORE. ONLY THEN CAN WE HOPE TO SEE A PROSPEROUS AND STABLE WORLD EMERGING FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF ALL NATIONS REGARDLESS OF THEIR SIZE, GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION OR LEVEL OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
MR. PRESIDENT,
TODAY I HAVE STRESSED THAT AN ERA OF PEACE, STABILITY AND PROSPERITY CANNOT BE CREATED IF IT IS FASHIONED SOLELY FROM THE VIEWPOINT OF ONE REGION OF THE WORLD, NO MATTER HOW POWERFUL THAT REGION MAY BE. THIS MEANS THAT WE CANNOT BE COMPLACENT. THE GLOBAL PEACE AND STABILITY WHICH WE ALL ASK IS CERTAINLY ASSISTED BY THE CLIMATE OF EAST-WEST DÉTENTE WHICH HAS DEVELOPED DURING THE PAST YEAR. HOWEVER, IT WILL NOT EMERGE FOR THE BENEFIT OF ALL UNLESS WE STRIVE TOGETHER TO PREVENT NEW PROBLEMS AND TO SOLVE THOSE MANY LONG-STANDING ONES WHICH HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO THREATEN THE VERY EXISTENCE OF MANY NATIONS AND THEIR PEOPLE.