MR. PRESIDENT,
IT IS A PLEASURE FOR ME TO CONGRATULATE YOU ON YOUR UNANIMOUS ELECTION AS PRESIDENT OF THE FORTY SECOND OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY. I NOTE AND APPRECIATE THAT YOUR COUNTRY WAS ONE OF THE MANY COUNTRIES WHO SPOKE WELCOMING BRUNEI DARUSSALAM DURING OUR ADMISSION TO THIS AUGUST BODY IN 1984. I AM CONFIDENT THAT WITH YOUR WISDOM AND EXPERIENCE YOU WILL BE ABLE TO GUIDE THIS SESSION TO A SUCCESSFUL CONCLUSION.
OUR CONGRATULATIONS ALSO GO TO YOUR DISTINGUISHED PREDESSOR, THE FOREIGN MINISTER OF BANGLADESH FOR HIS EXCELLENT WORK AS PRESIDENT OF THE 41ST SESSION OF HE GENERAL ASSEMBLY.
TO THE SECRETARY-GENERAL, MY DELEGATION WOULD LIKE T EXPRESS ITS APPRECIATION FOR HIS UNCEASING EFFORTS, PATIENCE AND DEVOTION, QUALITIES WHICH ARE AN EXAMPLE TO US ALL.
MR. PRESIDENT,
TWELVE MONTHS HAVE PASSED SINCE THE LAST GENERAL ASSEMBLY. THERE HAS BEEN NO IMPROVEMENT IN THE WORLD SITUATION ALTHOUGH A FEW EVENTS IN THE PAST YEAR HAVE GIVEN US SOME RAYS OF HOPE FOR THE FUTURE HOPE FOR A BETTER WORLD, A MORE PEACEFUL WORLD.
MR. PRESIDENT,
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY DECLARES 1986 THE INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF PEACE. THAT YEAR HAS ENDED WITH NO SIGN OF THE CONFLICT OF THE 80’S DIMINISHING. FOR EXAMPLE, THE SENSELESSLY BLOODY WAR BETWEEN IRAN-IRAQ CONTINUES UNABATED. IT IS A SOURCE OF GREAT CONCERN TO THEIR NEIGHBOURS AND THE ESCALATING ATTACKS BY BOTH SIDES ON SHIPPING IN THE GULF HAVE VEERY GRAVE POLITICAL CONSEQUENCES. IT MUST NOW BE APPARENT TO BOTH PARTIES THAT THIS CONFLICT CAN ONLY BE RESOLVED BY NEGOTIATION. BRUNEI DARUSSALAM, THEREFORE, WELCOMES THE SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION 598 OF 1987. WE ALSO CALL UPON BOTH SIDES TO COOPERATE WITH THE SECRETARY-GENERAL AND ASSIST HIM IN COMPLYING WITH HIS CALL FOR AN IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE
MR. PRESIDENT,
WHEN DISCUSSING THE POLITICAL SITUATION IN THE MIDDLE-EAST, WE NED TO CONSIDER THE WIDER ISSUE OF THE ARAB-ISRAEL CONFLICT. THE MAIN PROBLEM OF THIS CONFLICT REMAINS THE PALESTINE QUESTION.
MY DELEGATION FEELS THAT AN INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, WHICH HAS BEEN PROPOSED, WOULD BE USEFUL IN BRINGING ALL PARTIES CONCERNED TO THE NEGOTIATING TABLE. HOWEVER, THE STAND TAKEN BY SOME PARTIES, NOTABLY ISRAEL, HAS PREVENTED ANY PROGRESS TOWARDS THE CONVENING OF SUCH A CONFERENCE. IN OUR VIEW, THE PLO IS THE LEGITIMATE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE AND THEY SHOULD THEREFORE BE AT THE CONFERENCE TO NEGOTIATE ON THEIR BEHALF.
MR. PRESIDENT,
IN THE AFRICAN CONTINENT, THE IMMEDIATE PROBLEM IS STILL THE APARTHEID POLICY OF SOUTH AFRICA. NUMEROUS DEBATES AND RESOLUTIONS PASSED BY THIS ASSEMBLY, CONDEMNING THIS UNJUST AND EVIL POLICY, HAVE BEEN IGNORED BY SOUTH AFRICA. MY DELEGATION IS CONVINCED THAT MORE CONCRETE AND EXERTED ON THE PRETORIA REGIME TO CHANGE ITS POLICY, AND IT IS THE MORAL OBLIGATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO SEE THAT THIS POLICY IS DISMANTLED.
BRUNEI DARUSSALAM ALSO DENOUNCED SOUTH AFRICA’S CONTINUED OCCUPATION OF NAMIBIA. WE CALL ON SOUTH AFRICA TO WITHDRAW ITS TROOPS FROM NAMIBIA SO THAT FREE ELECTION CAN BE CONDUCTED TO DETERMINE ITS FUTURE.
IN AFGHANISTAN, THE AFGHAN PEOPLE AE STILL DENIED THEIR INALIENABLE RIGHTS. FOREIGN FORCES ARE STILL OCCUPYING THEIR LAND DRIVING THEM FROM THEIR HOMES TO LIVE AS REFUGEES IN IRAN AND PAKISTAN. WE URGE THE IMMEDIATE IMPLEMENTATION OF RELEVANT RESOLUTION OF THE UNITED NATIONS AND FOR THE WITHDRAWAL OF FOREIGN TROOPS. WE FULLY SUPPORT THE SECRETARY-GENERAL’S EFFORT TO RESOLVE THIS CONFLICT.
MR. PRESIDENT,
IN OUR REGION OF THE SOUTHEAST ASIA, THE PROBLEM OF KAMPUCHEA IS STILL WITH US. THE VIETNAMESE FORCES OF OCCUPATION ARE NOW IN THEIR NINTH YEAR IN KAMPUCHEA. MEANWHILE, THE RESISTANCE FIGHTERS OF THE COALITION GOVERNMENT OF DEMOCRATIC KAMPUCHEA UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS PRINCE NORODOM SIHANOUK CONTINUE THEIR FIGHT TO FREE THEIR LAND OF FOREIGN OCCUPATION. THE OVERWHELMING SUPPORT GIVEN BY THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY HAS STRENGTHENED THEIR DETERMINATION TO CONTINUE THEIR STRUGGLE, AND ALREADY THEY HAVE MADE SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS NOT ONLY IN REGAINING THEIR TERRITORY BUT ALSO IN WINNING THE HEARTS AND MINDS OF THE PEOPLE. PEACE IN SOUTHEAST ASIA CAN ONLY BE ACHIEVED IF THE KAMPUCHEAN PROBLEM IS RESOLVED. ASEAN HAVE PUT FORWARD MANY PROPOSALS AND THE LATEST IS THE CONVENING COCKTAIL PARTY. IT IS OUR HOPE THAT THIS WILL ENCOURAGE THE PROCESS OF A DIALOGUE WHICH CAN OPEN THE WAY TOWARDS NEGOTIATIONS, FOR A SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM OF KAMPUCHEA. HOWEVER, VIETNAM HAD CHOSEN TO REJECT IT.
SHOULD REALISE THAT THIS PROBLEM CAN BE RESOLVED ONLY BY PEACEFUL MEANS. WE URGE VIETNAM TO WITHDRAW ITS FORCES FROM KAMPUCHEA AND WORK OUT A SETTLEMENT FOR PEACE WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE 8-POINT PROPOSAL PUT FORWARD BY THE COALITION GOVERNMENT OF DEMOCRATIC KAMPUCHEA.
MR. PRESIDENT,
TURNING TO THE SITUATION IN THE KOREAN PENINSULA, MY DELEGATION WELCOMES THE RECENT STATEMENT AND INITIATIVES OF THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA PROPOSING A MEETING OF THE FOREIGN MINISTERS OF BOTH REPUBLIC OF KOREA AND DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF KOREA. WE BELIEVE THAT THIS WILL LEAD TO A LESSENING OF TENSION AND WILL FURTHER ENHANCE THE PROSPECT OF PEACE AND STABILITY IN SOUTHEAST ASIA. WE ALSO WISH TO RENEW OUR SUPPORT FOR THE ADMISSION OF THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA AS A MEMBER OF THE UNITED NATIONS IF SHE SO DESIRES, IN CONFORMITY WITH THE PRINCIPLES OF UNIVERSALITY OF THE UNITED NATIONS.
HAVE HIGHLIGHTED ONLY SOME OF THE PROBLEMS THAT CONFRONT US. THERE ARE MANY OTHERS. THE MOST IMPORTANT OF THEM, WHICH CONTINUES TO DOMINATE THE INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL SCENE. IS THE QUESTION OF THE ELIMINATION OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS. THE WORLD WILL BE A BETTER AND SAFER PLACE TO LIVE IN, IF THOSE IN POSSESSION OF THESE HIGHLY DANGEROUS WEAPONS CAN AGREE TO THEIR ELIMINATION. THERE ARE ALREADY ENOUGH DESTRUCTIVE WEAPONS IN THIS WORLD WITHOUT NUCLEAR WEAPONS. BRUNEI DARUSSALAM, THEREFORE, WELCOMES THE AGREEMENT IN PRINCIPLE FOR THE ELIMINATION OF MEDIUM RANGE NUCLEAR WEAPONS BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND THE SOVIET UNION.
MR. PRESIDENT,
IT IS THE ROLE OF THE UNITED NATIONS TO PROMOTE INTERNATIONAL PEACE AND SECURITY. LET US GIVE THE UNITED NATIONS THE POLITICAL COMMITMENT, BY CONTINUING TO GIVE FINANCIAL SUPPORT IT NEEDS TO MAINTAIN ITS OPERATIONS AND, BY HONOURING THE RESOLUTION PASSED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY. IF WE ALL HAVE THE WILL, AND THE DETERMINATION TO CREATE A PEACEFUL WORLD, I AM SURE WE WILL BE SUCCESSFUL. THE PRICE OF FAILURE IS TOO GREAT FOR ALL OF US.
THANK YOU.