FIFTY-FIFTH SESSION OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
OF THE UNITED NATIONS
 
STATEMENT BY
HE. MR. JUAN FRANCISCO REYES LÓPEZ
VICEPRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC
OF GUATEMALA
 
NEW YORK, 12 SEPTEMBER 2000.
 
 
 

STATEMENT BY H. E. JUAN FRANCISCO REYES LOPEZ,
VICE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF GUATEMALA, BEFORE THE UNITED
NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY AT ITS FIFTY-FIFTH REGULAR SESSION
 

Mr. President, Mr. Secretary-General, Distinguished delegates:
 
 
 
      Less than a week ago, in this hall, the President of the Republic of Guatemala, Alfonso Portillo Cabrera, addressed the plenary of the Millennium Summit. On that occasion, the President underscored our
commitment to the objectives, principles and values of the United Nations Charter, and also presented a very brief synthesis of our viewpoint concerning the role of this universal organization in the twenty-first
century. In closing he stated that, and I quote, "we shall elaborate further on this vision and how it is reflected in the efforts we are undertaking domestically."
I am pleased and honoured to be the bearer of what was offered by our President.
 
      I shall address two issues, namely (1) our government programme and the implementation of the peace agreements, and (2) our position vis-a-vis some of the items on the agenda of this session. But before
doing so I wish to pay tribute to the Foreign Minister of Namibia, H. E. Mr. Theo Ben-Gurirab, for his arduous efforts in conducting the last session and, particularly, for his dedication to the preparatory activities
for the Millennium Summit. We are pleased that Guatemala had an opportunity to cooperate in this undertaking. Moreover I wish to congratulate you very warmly, Mr. President, on your election to preside over our
debates. I have no doubt that your recognized diplomatic and political experience will enable us to obtain good results.
 
      I begin accordingly with a few words on the peace process in my country, to which the United Nations has made such a significant contribution. As you are all aware, in December 1996, following a protracted period of arduous negotiations, the signatures were put on a set of Agreements that brought to an end four decades of a fratricidal war that has left behind tragic and lasting consequences. Our political party was not a signatory to those Agreements; during the electoral campaign it affirmed , however, that it accepts them as an undertaking of the State. President Portillo ratified this in the speech he delivered on assuming
his post. In the same way, our Government is fully committed to complying with the provisions of those Agreements, and indeed to extend their ambit to incorporate new obligations, as, for example, that of democratizing access to credit. We value highly the presence in our country of the United Nations Verification Mission in Guatemala and wish already to request the cooperation of the General Assembly in order that, in due course, its mandate be extended to the
end of 2003.
 
      I deem it important to observe that the purpose of the Peace Agreements coincides with our own government programme in many areas, including unrestricted respect for human rights, the consolidation
of a full, participatory democracy, subordination of the armed forces to civilian authority, the development of a pluriethnic, multicultural and multilingual society, the strengthening and modernization of the justice
system, reform of the State and, above all, the provision of an adequate response to the unsatisfied demands of the majority of Guatemalans for more and better social services, adequate incomes, better paid jobs and
equality of opportunities. In other words, the Peace Agreements constitute an adequate frame of reference for our own government programme, which aims not only to fulfil but to improve on them.
 
      Within that frame of reference fall our economic and social programmes for the period 2000-2004. They seek to conciliate the difficult economic situation we face with our commitment to carry forward
a vigorous process of economic expansion for the benefit of all Guatemalans, but above all the neediest. We are, in other words, grappling with the classic dilemma of having to meet the requirements of a
macroeconomic adjustment and also cope with the imperative of reactivating the economy.
 
      At the centre of the national debate that seeks to overcome this dilemma we find a process of intersectoral accommodation that we call "Fiscal Covenant." Its aim is to fulfil one of the commitments laid
down in the Peace Agreements, namely raising the tax burden in Guatemala by 50% between 1995 and 2000. The arduous and lengthy negotiations that have been conducted in this connection are about to come to
fruition with the adoption of a set of measures that, upon the fulfilment of that commitment - admittedly with a delay of two years - will provide financial support to the accomplishment of the other undertakings
laid down in the Peace Agreements.
 
      We intend to establish the bases necessary in order that in the period 2001-2004 we may push forward a dynamic growth of the economy, with the resulting generation of productive and adequate
employment and with rising levels of savings and investment.
 
      •       We shall invest in the future by according priority to our human resources, particularly in the areas of health and multilingual education.
 
      •       We shall carry out new productive activities, in the areas where we feel that we have comparative advantages at the international level.

       •      We shall stimulate the institutional environment necessary to facilitate the efficient functioning of the market, through competition without privileges and the competitiveness of enterprises, all
         within the framework of absolute respect for labour law.
 
      •     We shall devote special attention to the fight against poverty, by decentralizing public administration and working closely with those who are to be the object of our policies.
 
      •     Within this framework, we shall provide special support for microenterprises, as well as small and  medium-sized ones.
 
      Turning now to our international relations, and having regard to the issues dealt with at the Millennium Summit, I wish to mention the significant advance that has been achieved in the process that seeks to
resolve our historic dispute with Belize. With full regard for the principles of peaceful settlement of disputes between States, we have reached a new phase that selects dialogue as the means for resolving differences.
On 31 August last, within the framework of the regional body to which both States belong, namely the Organization of American States, a commission of facilitators, appointed by each party, has been installed. The
facilitators will enjoy full autonomy in the performance of their functions. Their chief aim is to work out and propose courses of action to advance the juridical resolution of the dispute. These are significant steps
towards the creation of a peaceful environment, the taking of confidence-building measures and a future-oriented outlook.
 
      We ratify, likewise, our deep vocation in support of Central American integration, as well as our commitment to the rest of Latin America and the Caribbean. Our Government has taken important
initiatives in the area of regional and subregional integration, as witness the tripartite declaration adopted last May by Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua in order to give a renewed impulse to Central American
integration.
 
      The question of migrations is also an important branch of our international relations, one where Guatemala bases its policy on the principle that whatever the legal status of migrants may be, they are
persons fully entitled to rights and as such capable of invoking the full range of human rights. Evidence of this is the fact that during his visit to the United Nations in connection with the Millennium Summit, the
President of Guatemala signed the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families: The best way to discourage migration is by creating sources of
employment. For this reason industrialized countries should dismantle all types of barriers, in order that developing countries may export commodities, not persons.
 
      I would like now to give a brief account of our thinning with respect to the principal items that will be discussed by this Assembly during its fifty-fifth regular session.
 
      In the first place, I reiterate our full backing for the United Nations, as expressed by President Portillo tact week, as the maximum embodiment of multilateratism. We are persuaded that the Organization
will have a crucial rote to play in the twenty-first century. I attest to the tangible contribution that the Organization has recently made in my country, as regards both the consolidation of peace and cooperation for
development, through UNDP and the agencies of the United Nations.
 
      In the second place, we also wish to observe that it is necessary to adapt the Organization to the exigencies of globalization and this post-cold war era. It is for us, the member governments, to promote this
adaptation, in various fields, such as the intergovernmental bodies, the efficiency and effectiveness of the Secretariat, the setting of priorities in the programme of activities, and the financial strengthening of the
Organization.
 
      Of the reforms that are pending, the one which has received the most attention is that of the Security Council. Can there be any doubt that neither its composition nor the modalities of its work reflect the
realities and circumstances of the contemporary world- This is why one can hardly not be frustrated by the lack of progress in prior sessions of the General Assembly in connection with the reform of the Security
Council. We appreciate that the existence of conflicting viewpoints in this regard tends to paralyze action; but this should not prevent us from redoubling our efforts in order to make this extremely vital organ of the
United Nations more effective, more representative of the Members of the Organization and more transparent in the way it functions. To achieve these ends we advocate, among other things, an expansion of the
membership of the Council as well as exercise of the veto in strict conformity with the United Nations Charter. We feel that at any rate the regularity of its use should be subject to review by the General Assembly
and in extreme cases by the International Court of Justice, in the interest of an authentic rule of law of an international character, thus avoiding abuses that will undoubtedly occur.
 
      In the third place, we are convinced of the need to strengthen our collective capacity to prevent and resolve conflicts, both across borders and at the domestic level. We believe that the recently submitted
report by the Group of Experts on United Nations Peace Keeping Operations offers an excellent point of departure for this purpose. Our only preliminary observation on the matter is that the strengthening of the
capacity of the United Nations in this area should not be at the expense of our activities in the economic and social field. Rather, should we decide to implement the recommendations of the Group of Experts, the
time will have come to end the ill conceived policy in favour of "zero growth" of the budget of the United Nations. As was said by President Portillo, and here I once again quote him, "if we want the United Nations
to be a first class institution, we must learn to provide it with the necessary financial support."
 
      This brings me to a fourth point, one that has gained considerable prominence in the agenda of the current session. I refer to the controversial question of the revision of the scale of assessments, for both
the regular budget and its peace-keeping counterpart. Our position is a very simple one: We agree that the evolution of the relative situation of many countries over the years warrants a revision of the manner in
which we distribute the burden of financially maintaining the United Nations. But, at the same time, we feel that the most important criterion for fixing the scale of assessments is capacity to pay. The relative
participation of countries in the gross domestic product of the world continues to provide a basic yardstick. There is also justification for weighting this yardstick on the basis of certain special considerations, such as
recognition, on the one hand, of the special situation of the least developed countries, and, on the other, of the special responsibility that should be assumed by the permanent members of the Security Council in the
maintenance of peace.
 
      In the fifth place, as regards general disarmament, we insist on the need to advance towards the total elimination of (1) nuclear, chemical and bacteriological weapons, (2) illicit trafficking in small arms,
and (3) the use of antipersonnel mines and explosive devices. In respect of these matters we strongly support all the concrete actions that the United Nations are undertaking to achieve these aims as well as those
that tend to establish nuclear-weapon-free zones in all regions of the world.
 
      Sixth, we offer our full backing and active participation for the main events scheduled in the years immediately ahead, among which I wish to single out the high level intergovernmental event on financing
for development, as well as the World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and related Intolerance.
 
      Seventh, in an increasingly interdependent world, multilateral diplomacy plays a crucial role in the struggle against environmental degradation. Inasmuch as Guatemala is a party to the principal global
environmental treaties, we reiterate our commitment to the maintenance of ecological equilibrium.
 
      Finally, we feel that the United Nations should continue to concern itself with what we have called the great unfinished task of the twentieth century, namely the eradication of world poverty. Together
with the multilateral financial institutions, our Organization should play a crucial role in the task of ensuring that the benefits of globalization are widely shared by all countries, which requires actions at the level of
each country, but also at the international level.
 
      Likewise, and as an observation of a general nature, we wish to reiterate before this Assembly that as a result of a most bitter experience Guatemala knows how cruel confrontation between brothers can be.
This is why Guatemala has the moral authority to insist, before God and before all human beings, on the importance that peace should reign among the peoples of the world, particularly between the separated
brothers of China and Taiwan, for which reason we appeal for a continuation of the talks that have been going on with a view to the attainment of a result that will fulfil the aspirations of the Chinese people.
 
      Similarly, we trust that a prompt solution will be found to the conflict in the Middle East; that the conflictive situations in the African continent and certain regions of Europe will be overcome, and that
the same will be the case with the conflicts afflicting other brother peoples of the world that are the victims of violence and discord.
 
Mr. President, Mr. Secretary-General:
 
      I wish to close this statement by expressing a personal conviction. I am convinced that all human beings are equal, in the eyes of the Almighty, without distinction by race, language or the creed they
profess. I trust that in this same spirit we shall be able to begin, at this same session, to implement the guidelines that are reflected in the Millennium Declaration of last week.
 
            Thank you.