Statement by His Excellency U Win Aung, Minister for
Foreign Affairs of the Union of Myanmar, at the General Debate of the 55th
session of the United Nations General Assembly
(20 September 2000)
Mr. President,
At the outset, I would like to warmly congratulate you
on your well-deserved election to the presidency of this historic
Millennium Assembly. We firmly believe that under your able stewardship,
the first session of the General Assembly in the new century will be a
resounding success. This session provides us with the opportune moment to
take stock of the track record of the Organization, its achievements and
also areas where it needs to be strengthened so that it will be equal to
the challenges of the new century.
I also wish to express our gratitude to your predecessor His Excellency
Mr. Theo-Ben Gurirab of Namibia for the leadership he provided to us in
our preparations for this Millennium Assembly and for his tireless
efforts, dedication, skill and intelligent management with which he
presided over the last General Assembly of the twentieth century to a
successful conclusion.
Mr. President,
My delegation is most delighted to see in our midst
Tuvalu as a new member of this World Organization. With admission of
Tuvalu as the 189th member of this Organization, our objective of
universal membership is closer to reality. On behalf of the Delegation of
the Union of Myanmar, I would like to extend our warmest congratulations
to the Delegation of Tuvalu.
Mr. President,
After the Second World War, under the Charter of the
United Nations, we established the present system of collective security.
Since then we have witnessed substantive changes in the geopolitical map
of the world leading to new realities in international relations. There
has been a strong consensus that our Organization must be reformed and
adapted to the new realities to enable it to effectively respond to the
new challenges. This consensus has resulted in various measures and
proposals to reform the Organization, including a process to make the
Security Council more effective, democratic, transparent and accountable.
When this process started in 1993 we had hoped that we would have
completed the reform of the Council by the beginning of the new
Millennium. But after seven years of discussions on the reform of the
Council, reality reveals that the issue we took on was so complex that it
could not be resolved quickly. While there has been convergence of ideas
on some areas, in others we have met with an impasse. This does not mean
that we should give up. To the contrary, we should explore new possible
avenues to enhance the momentum we have gained.
We must make use of this historic opportunity to give
added impetus to reform the Council so that it meets the needs of our
time. We believe that at this stage of deliberation we should identify
areas of possible agreement and build on them. For instance, it appears to
be generally agreed that the Council should be expanded in both categories
of permanent and non-permanent members. Similarly, a majority of countries
tend to agree that the new members should come from both developed and
developing countries. While we continue our discussion on other aspects of
the issue, it would be conducive to the reform process if we could
establish general agreement on such possible areas where our views
converge. I trust the future discussions among us would give serious
thoughts to these possibilities. We must redouble the efforts to reform
our Organization so that it would truly serve us in our endeavour to build
a better world.
Mr. President,
As we enter the new Millennium, we find to our dismay
and, to our alarm too, that some major international issues persist to
defy our collective creativity and attempts to solve them. We must not let
these setbacks cast a shadow over the credibility and effectiveness of
this Organization. We consider it our primary duty to focus our attention
on these questions-questions dealing with development as well as questions
dealing with peace and security.
Despite the efforts of the international community
peace throughout the Middle East still remains elusive. We hope that the
important progress made so far would pave the way for achieving a just and
lasting peace in the region. We would like to see an enduring peace in the
Middle East which guarantees the restoration of the inalienable rights of
the Palestinian people and the right of Israel to exist within secure and
recognized borders.
There are many other questions that merit our
attention. One such question, I wish to bring to the attention of the
Assembly is that of Cyprus. This question has been on the Assembly's
agenda for the last twenty-six years. We are heartened to note that the
United Nations is now engaged in another effort to solve the problem.
Myanmar has consistently supported the negotiations between the Greek and
Turkish Cypriot communities under the auspices of the United Nations
Secretary-General and we would like to take this opportunity to pledge our
continued full support for the task.
Mr. President,
Let me touch upon an important question which is not
only of serious concern to the international community but also an issue
on which we in Myanmar place special emphasis. I refer to the problem of
narcotic drugs. Nationally it is a problem that we inherited from the
colonial administration. The poppy plant, from which opium is harvested,
is a plant that is not native to Myanmar. It was introduced into our
country by the colonial administration which relied on licensed opium dens
as a source of revenue. Since then, this evil scourge has bedeviled the
country. Successive governments have been relentless in their effort to
eradicate the problem of narcotic drugs. Thus, eradication of poppy
cultivation remains one of the topmost priorities for Myanmar.
Notwithstanding undue and harsh criticism leveled against Myanmar for a
problem with wide international dimension, our sustained efforts to combat
the problem of narcotic drugs have resulted in a noticeable drop in opium
cultivation and production. This is a fact acknowledged by the
International Narcotics Control Board (INCB). Here, it bears reiteration
that narcotic drugs are a global problem to be solved in a concerted
manner and through global efforts. It must be tackled in a holistic
manner. It is to be tackled both from the production side as well as from
demand reduction side. National efforts must be supported by international
assistance and cooperation. Myanmar has been trying to combat this global
problem mainly with its own resources. Except for the assistance provided
by the United Nations International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP) no
substantial assistance was provided to Myanmar in our current efforts to
combat this global menace. This is tantamount to making a travesty of the
much avowed principle of shared responsibility.
Despite our efforts, Myanmar has been a target of
unfair criticisms and censures. An objective assessment will identify
which countries are making real efforts to effectively tackle this global
problem. An objective assessment will show which other countries are
paying mere lip service. The fact of the matter is that the scourge of
narcotic drugs is not the sole responsibility of any one country. No
country acting on its own can successfully overcome this menace. To tackle
this global problem, we must join hands and cooperate with each other.
Myanmar stands ready to do so.
Mr. President,
The principles enshrined in the Charter have served the
world community well for more than five decades. Sovereignty, sovereign
equality, respect for territorial integrity and non-intervention in
internal affairs are cardinal principles which remain vital for the peace
and security of all nations. These are irreplaceable bedrock principles
underpinning the current international system. These are the principles
that enabled the international community to successfully deter world
conflagrations. Therefore, we are greatly dismayed by the recent tendency
in some quarters, casting doubt on the continued soundness of these basic
principles.
There are some who are bent on compromising these
cardinal principles of international relations, voicing support for
interference in countries' internal affairs on various grounds. This is
indeed a dangerous trend with dangerous implications for the peace and
stability of our international system. At a time when the powerful
increasingly make use of various international fora to fulfil their hidden
political agenda a very valid question must be posed. Who determines the
existence of a situation that warrants interference in internal affairs?
Justifying interference in internal affairs under certain conditions is a
concept easily vulnerable to abuse by the powerful for their narrow
national interests. Interference even for such worthy cause as
humanitarian assistance can undermine the principle of neutrality and
impartiality thus endangering the entire system of humanitarian
assistance. A well-intentioned mistake can unravel the fabric of the
present international system which has stood us in good stead.
Mr. President,
No nations are entirely free of problems or
difficulties. While some have been successful in solving their problems,
others are less successful. There are some situations where the assistance
of the international community is necessary to resolve these issues and
difficulties. There are others where national measures would best suit the
situation. In trying to resolve these problems a proper understanding and
a correct perspective of the issue, both historical and current, are
necessary. A solution obtained without such understanding and perspective
is tantamount to treating the symptoms rather than the disease.
A careful look at countries with ongoing conflicts
demonstrates that some issues are not susceptible to easy and quick
solution. They are deeply rooted in intra-state tensions and mistrust
lingering for hundreds of years. There are instances when seemingly
successful solutions causing fleeting euphoria have turned out to be
Pyrrhic victories. This is principally because the root causes were never
thoroughly understood and addressed. Furthermore, appropriate and
pragmatic national attempts at finding a lasting solution should be
encouraged and supported. There are many cases where the role of the
international community is indispensable. There are also many others where
its proper role should be limited to assisting the state concerned in its
efforts, complementing only where necessary.
Mr. President,
The situation in Myanmar has been under unfair scrutiny
and the subject of political pressure by a number of powerful countries
for quite some time. Therefore, I find it appropriate to take this
opportunity to apprise the members of the Organization of the situation in
my country. The Government of Myanmar is in the process of establishing a
democratic society. In this endeavour, it has chosen a path that is most
suitable to the country, its people and its historical peculiarities.
Contemporary history has shown that transition to
democracy from a totally different and centralized political and economic
system is not always smooth. It requires ingenuity, patience and
understanding to make the process peaceful.
Here, I wish to underscore that the present Myanmar
government is making all-out efforts to solve the most fundamental problem
of the country –– the consolidation of national unity. Without
satisfactorily resolving this basic question, the objectives of democracy,
peace, prosperity and stability will not be realized. National unity will
not be consolidated if we could not address issues such as the eradication
of poverty, equitable distribution of national wealth and maintenance of
peace and security. The people of Myanmar share the view that these issues
must be adequately addressed first and foremost in order to achieve the
emergence of a developed, peaceful and prosperous state.
Mr. President,
It is at this important and delicate juncture that all
sorts of superficial and unsubstantiated charges are being made against
us, placing every obstacle in our chosen path to democracy. This line of
approach will only perpetuate the existing problems in the country. It
will give rise to unnecessary delays in our current democratization
process. Here, I wish to stress that it was a situation of chaos and
anarchy which had threatened the country's survival as a state that led
the Tatmadaw, the Armed Forces, to assume State power. Although the
present government is military government, the country is not governed by
Martial Law. The entire body of legislation remains in place and the
country is governed according to these legal provisions. The country also
retains an independent judicial system.
Mr. President,
Despite all obstacles placed on our path to
development, against all odds, we have made considerable achievement both
economically and politically. On the political front because of the
government's endeavour to build national unity, 17 armed groups have
returned to the legal fold. We have been able to establish unprecedented
peace and tranquility. We have also made considerable strides in the
country's economy. The country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) continues to
grow year after year. The economy registered 10.9 per cent growth last
year. This growth pattern is expected to continue this year. The effective
control of the inflation also resulted in an appreciable increase in the
living standard of the people of Myanmar. The people of the country are
fully conscious of all these remarkable achievements. They are fully aware
that they themselves are the direct beneficiaries of these positive
results. The government is determined to redouble its efforts to bring
about peace and stability and a better standard of life for the people of
Myanmar.
Mr. President,
The peace and stability that we have today do not come
easily. It is only in the recent years that peace and stability returned
to virtually all corners of the country. What we are doing is laying down
a firm foundation necessary to build a modern, prosperous and peaceful
country. Far from recognizing the unprecedented achievements made by the
government, some western countries imposed on us political pressure and
unilateral sanctions. International Financial Institutions are being used
to deny us our rightful loans and assistance. These are hampering all our
sincere and vigorous efforts to address the pressing problems of the
nation and to uplift the country to a prosperous stage. However, we will
continue on our chosen path of building a democratic society best suited
to our traditions thus fulfilling the aspirations of our people. We are
resolute in our determination to develop the country in the shortest
possible time.
Mr. President,
In accordance with Myanmar's foreign policy, Myanmar
makes every effort to forge friendly relations with all countries. In
conformity with this time-tested policy, we have successfully established
friendly and close relations with all neighboring countries. It is a
policy that we pursue in our relations with fellow members of ASEAN,
countries of the region and all other countries of the world. I wish to
take this opportunity to urge those countries, which now have a negative
views on Myanmar, to look at our situation in a more objective manner. We
are building a democratic society, a society in which peace and stability
prevails, a society where our people can enjoy a better life in larger
freedom.
Mr. President,
What we urgently need in the new century is the
realization of a just and equitable international order. We need an
international order where "right", and not "might", prevails. In
establishing such an international order, the United Nations is the only
organization that can provide the necessary leadership. The envisaged
international order must also respect the right of every nation to adopt
the political, economic and social systems which best suit its domestic
context. It must be an international order where the legitimate desire of
every nation for justice and equality is accepted by powerful states with
understanding and sympathy. In this, the role of the United Nations as the
principal intergovernmental institution of universal nature, is
irreplaceable. Hegemonic tendencies and power politics will certainly
undermine the basis of international relations and thereby jeopardize our
system of collective security.
Mr. President,
It is my fervent hope that every Member State will play
its part and make this Organization equal to the challenges of the new
century. At this Millennium Assembly let us all resolve to translate the
ideals of the Organization into a concrete reality through cooperation and
goodwill, and firm commitments.
Thank you.