US Department of State Dispatch,
Vol 2, No 51, December 23, 1991
Title: US Commitment to Strengthening Euro-Atlantic Cooperation
Baker
Source: Secretary Baker
Description: Intervention before the North Atlantic Cooperation
Council (NACC), NATO Headquarters, Brussels, Belgium
Date: Dec 20, 199112/20/91
Category: Speeches, Testimony, Statements
Region: Europe, E/C Europe
Subject: Democratization, NATO, CSCE
[TEXT]
This is a historic day for the alliance and for all of Europe. Not long
ago, our meetings focused on a very different business: the nations
now assembled around this table were on opposing sides in a cold
war.
..........Indeed, my very first trip as Secretary of State, early in
1989, was to consult with our 15 allies about the challenges of this
old era.
..........But then the peaceful revolutions of 1989, and the birth of
new democracies, revealed possibilities for a totally new era: an
era in which we can strive--working together--to create the Euro-
Atlantic community of shared democratic values envisaged in the
Helsinki Final Act.
..........In 1990, in London, NATO contributed to the extraordinary
changes taking place in Europe by creating a new liaison
relationship with the nations to the east.
..........In June 1991, in Copenhagen, we proposed a partnership "to
promote security and stability in a free and undivided Europe."
..........And only last month in Rome, NATO stated its intention "to
develop a more institutional relationship of consultation and
cooperation on political and security issues" with our new partners.
..........This meeting demonstrates how far we've come. But it also
demonstrates how far we can go together: This first session of the
North Atlantic Cooperation Council is a commitment to strengthen
and expand the Euro-Atlantic community--to deepen it, to widen it.
For while the old dangers have been overcome, we all know that in
this new era there are new, historic opportunities--and new
dangers.
..........I saw the opportunities and the dangers on my recent trip to
five republics of the former Soviet Union. We see them in the
Balkans. Old structures are breaking up; new nations are struggling
with the political, economic, and security necessities of statehood.
..........I spoke in Berlin earlier this year about the simultaneous
devolution and evolution of the nation-state. I observed that in
Western Europe, governments were successfully balancing these
two trends; they were maintaining a constructive equilibrium. In
Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, however, devolution--
and the danger of disintegration--has become far more prominent.
..........Therefore, I suggested that we develop ways to extend our
experience in developing integrating structures to the east. We
need to demonstrate how these structures--founded on the
democratic values of the Euro-Atlantic community--can help cope
with political, economic, and security problems.
..........This North Atlantic Cooperation Council is an example of the
type of integrating structure we must forge and then build on.
Through this forum and others, we will not only overcome Europe's
ideological division peacefully, but we can join forces to establish
democratic values, respect for human rights, and economic liberty
across the whole of Europe and North America. This council can
play a significant role in the achievement of our shared goals.
..........This approach is both principled and practical. It's principled
because a primary purpose of our policies should be to help others
as they struggle to establish democracies and market economies.
It's practical because our security is inseparably linked--if the
dangers overwhelm the opportunities, all of us will be worse off.
..........I believe our logic is also apparent in our approach toward the
recognition of new states arising out of defunct structures. As we
bring new members into the Euro-Atlantic community, we want to
be sure they share the responsibilities the rest of us have accepted
regarding democratic processes, the inviolability of borders,
respect for human rights including equal treatment of minorities,
the peaceful resolution of disputes, and responsible security
policies.
..........Of course, this council relates to a much broader effort. As
alliance leaders noted in Rome, "the challenges we will face in this
new Europe cannot be comprehensively addressed by one institution
alone, but only in a framework of interlocking institutions tying
together the countries of Europe and North America."
..........NATO, and with it this council, will continue to be one of the
primary institutions in this new structure, along with CSCE
[Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe] , the European
Community, the WEU [Western European Union], and the Council of
Europe. Each institution has a special and distinct role to play. But
all contribute to our common goal of enhancing security and
promoting political and economic liberty in Europe.
..........CSCE is particularly important because it can continue to
serve as the "conscience of the continent." Indeed, CSCE can point
the way toward creation of democratic, civil societies that operate
on the basis of its principles. To do so, CSCE must remain a
dynamic political process that engages the participation and
imagination of publics as well as governments.
..........I believe that NATO, and this council, can contribute to CSCE's
work and to the security of Europe more generally.
..........First, this council could serve as the primary consultative
body between NATO and liaison states on security and related
issues. The continuing rapid pace of events in Europe makes this
consultation essential.
..........Second, the NACC should assume oversight of the liaison
program, giving it direction and recommending programs of action.
This will ensure that our mutual activities are tailored to fit the
real needs of our partners.
..........Third, the NACC could play a role in controlling crises in
Europe. It might, for example, serve as a forum for communicating
NATO crisis responses to liaison states, as well as give liaison
states access to NATO when necessary. I have in mind the special
NAC [North Atlantic Council] last August, which we convened during
the coup attempt in Moscow. Even as my colleagues and I were
meeting here, Boris Yeltsin's phone calls to [NATO Secretary
General] Manfred Woerner kept us in close contact with the critical
events.
..........In order to fulfill these plans, the council should develop a
plan of action. I have written each of you to suggest several areas
for such concrete action. Defense conversion is important not only
for our common security but also is important politically,
economically, and socially as well. NATO can help.
..........So I have suggested that the alliance establish a defense
conversion working group to coordinate our efforts and draw on the
skills of others, for example, the OECD [Organization for Economic
Cooperation and Development].
..........Existing NATO committees and groups can also contribute.
The Atlantic Policy Advisory Group offers an excellent forum for
focusing on such issues as civil-military relations and foreign
policy-making in democratic societies. I suggest this group
convene a special conference this spring in a liaison nation. The
Senior Civil Emergency Planning Committee could discuss
coordination of disaster relief, including military-to-military
planning. Discussions in other committees could be useful, as well.
..........In my letter, I also suggested several concrete initiatives for
the NACC which could be implemented without delay. I believe the
most useful next step is to agree on a robust and specific work plan
at the first ambassadorial-level meeting of the NACC early next
year. But committing ourselves today to such a concrete work plan,
momentum from this meeting can be assured.
..........In closing, let me say this: For 40 years, we stood apart from
one another as two opposing blocs. Now, history has given us the
opportunity to erase those blocs, to join together in a common
circle built on shared universal and democratic values. Let us use
this opportunity to turn the goodwill shared here into new and
enduring realities for our peoples. (###)
US Department of State Dispatch,
Vol 2, No 51, December 23, 1991
Title: NAC Meeting Overview
Baker
Source: Secretary Baker
Description: Excerpt from a press conference at NATO Headquarters
following the North Atlantic Council (NAC) meeting, Brussels,
Belgium
Date: Dec 19, 199112/19/91
Category: Speeches, Testimony, Statements
Region: Europe, E/C Europe
Subject: Democratization, NATO, CSCE
[TEXT]
Secretary Baker: Ladies and gentlemen, I heard [NATO] Secretary
General [Manfred Woerner] tell you that we have had a very
successful meeting. I, too, think we've had a productive meeting
and let me give you a brief overview before I take your questions.
..........First of all, I reported on my recent trip to Moscow, to
Bishkek, Alma-Ata, Minsk, and Kiev, and we talked at some length
about the remarkable transformation of the Soviet Union and the
great rapidity with which events continue to move there.
..........I told my colleagues that this trip has served only to reinforce
and make more urgent the views that I outlined a week ago at
Princeton University in the United States. That is that we must
divide our labors and collectively engage the Soviet peoples in this
season of need to bring them hope. Hope that life can get better,
hope that their experiments with democracy and free markets can
work. Hope that they, too, can join the democratic commonwealth
of nations.
..........In this effort, the alliance--along with the other pillars of
the Euro-Atlantic community, the EC [European Community], and
CSCE [Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe]--should
play a major role.
..........The need for a coordinated Western effort is clear. Since the
coup, the economic situation has deteriorated drastically. In
Moscow, the lines in the street for food are very long, and with
winter's onset, the public is extremely anxious. Virtually everyone
I met was concerned with the danger of a social explosion,
especially in Russia, and especially in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and
the industrial cities of the Urals.
..........The problems they face are very large. They are asking for our
help. They need our help. And we should give it.
..........From Yeltsin to Kravchuk, I was told that only a major
humanitarian assistance effort could stave off a social explosion.
..........In short, we think we can offer solutions to their problems
and concrete ways to implement those solutions.
..........And that's why last week at Princeton we called for a Western
policy of collective engagement, catalyzed by a coordinating
conference to help the democrats through this winter and through
next year.
..........The conference was the second major issue that we discussed.
We do not intend the coordinating conference to become a pledging
conference or to become the only mechanism by which the world
coordinates its assistance.
..........How NATO can fit into this effort was the third issue that we
discussed. In our view, there's no better political signal that we
could send to the peoples of Russia and the other republics than to
have NATO play a role in coordinating Western humanitarian
assistance. It would show these people in a concrete way that what
we have said all along is true. And that is, that NATO is a defensive
alliance that can support peace just as effectively as it has
deterred aggression. NATO-- drawing upon organizations, expertise,
and resources already in existence--can help coordinate the
logistical support for humanitarian missions. NATO's Senior Civil
Emergency Planning Committee, in conjunction with NATO's military
logistic structures, contains the core capability necessary to
support a successful relief operation.
..........In these organizations and their subordinate bodies, there
exists a combination of government and private sector expertise
that can be brought to bear and brought to bear quickly. NATO's
joint civil-military medical community can do the same to
determine the best ways to meet medical needs.
..........Through these efforts, what many people call just a military
alliance could show that it truly is a political alliance and one that
can provide hope in times of peace--indeed, one that can provide
hope that might preserve peace.
..........Fourth, we discussed the request for recognition by various
Soviet republics. I mentioned how all of the republic leaders
seemed to be trying to run our five principles into not just
standards of responsibility but political pillars on which they hope
to build new states.
..........I think it is fair to say that the members of the alliance agree
on the relevance of the five principles in any discussion of
recognition. In addition, we expect any new political entity
desiring our acceptance to pursue responsible security policies,
including ensuring safe, secure, and reliable control over nuclear
weapons and non-proliferation, and to commit to free market
economies.
..........The fifth major issue we discussed was tomorrow's inaugural
meeting of the North Atlantic Cooperation Council (NACC). Having
proposed the liaison program with [German] Foreign Minister [Hans-
Dietrich] Genscher, we are pleased to see this idea being turned into
a concrete reality with tomorrow's NACC meeting.
..........We are looking forward to a productive meeting tomorrow and
feel that the more we can bring the states of the East into the Euro-
Atlantic community, the more we can give them hope for the future.
..........Finally, we, of course, discussed the question of Soviet
nuclear weapons, particularly command and control. I shared with
the allies the assurance I received from the republic leaders and
Soviet authorities. We agreed that these were very encouraging and
that we should continue our dialogue with the republic leaders and
Soviet authorities to see these assurances turned into concrete
commitments.
..........Q: Based on your talks there, can you give us your impression
of how the political situation in the Soviet Union will crystalize
and what form this new commonwealth will take? And on the
nuclear issue, did you ask or were you assured in any way that in
the period before weapons are dismantled and destroyed, that
somehow they would no longer be directed at the United States?
..........Secretary Baker: . . . I wouldn't want to try and pre-judge
what's going to happen [at] Alma-Ata on December the 21st, the day
after tomorrow. That is a very, very important meeting in terms of
whether or not their efforts to create this commonwealth will or
will not succeed. It is quite clear that there are extraordinary
changes taking place even as we speak. All of these republics have,
as you know, declared independence. Some have held free elections.
I'm just not going to sit up here today and predict how that meeting
is going to turn out day after tomorrow.
..........With respect to the assurances that we sought and received on
nuclear safety, and that's a term that I would use to embrace a lot
of different things, let me say as I did during the course of the trip
that we received very satisfactory assurances from everyone.
..........We asked for assurances in a number of areas, and maybe I'll
give you a little bit more specificity than I was able to do when we
were in the various republics and in the Soviet Union. First of all,
we've asked that we be assured that those republics with nuclear
weapons commit to keep them maintained and in a safe, secure, and
responsible manner, and under reliable control with one single
collective authority. We were assured that that would be the case.
..........With respect to Belarus, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan, we asked
for assurance that they would join the NPT [Non-Proliferation
Treaty] as non-nuclear states and that they would agree to full-
scope IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency] safeguards. And
each of them told us they would do this.
..........We asked each of the nuclear, capable republics if they would
participate with us in joint efforts to ensure the disablement and
accelerated destruction of nuclear weapons and meet with our
experts for this purpose, and they all indicated a willingness to do
this.
..........No time-frames, no specific measures agreed to or anything
like that. We pointed out to them that the United States was
prepared to consider bearing some of the expense of this out of the
$400 million appropriation that the Congress recently made for that
purpose. And generally, on that issue, let me say, they indicated a
complete willingness to sit down with our experts and begin that
process.
..........We asked them to give us assurances regarding proliferation
and regarding the institution of legislative export controls and an
export control policy, and to work with experts who could advise
them with respect to what the requirements of such a policy would
be--and all indicated a willingness to do that.
..........They each indicated, as well, a willingness to meet with our
legal experts in January to look at the questions involved in
ratification-accession to the START [Strategic Arms Reduction
Treaty] and the CFE [Conventional Armed Forces in Europe] Treaties.
There are some complicated legal issues that will have to be
addressed, and I heard Manfred tell you about what we agreed to
here today with respect to the HLTF [High Level Task Force].
..........And finally we talked to them about humanitarian assistance
and asked them to share with us--give us the names of local
republic and city officials with whom we can have a dialogue
respecting humanitarian assistance and how it can be distributed
effectively-- because this is one of the greatest problems we have
now with respect to questions involving humanitarian assistance.
..........On all of these issues we were given assurances that we
consider quite satisfactory. We didn't ask for any signed contracts.
We don't plan to do that, but we had what we felt were very good
meetings with these officials and in every case they indicated an
interest in participating with us along the lines I've just mentioned.
(###)
US Department of State Dispatch,
Vol 2, No 51, December 23, 1991
Title: Trip to Former Soviet Republics
Baker
Source: Secretary Baker
Description: News briefing by Secretary Baker before travel to
Moscow, Kiev, Minsk, Alma Ata, and Bishkek, Washington, DC
Date: Dec 13, 199112/13/91
Category: Speeches, Testimony, Statements
Region: Eurasia
Country: Ukraine, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan,
Russia
Subject: Democratization, Arms Control,
Security Assistance and Sales, Human Rights,
Development/Relief Aid
[TEXT].
Ladies and gentlemen, this morning President Bush received a call
from President Yeltsin. They talked for about 25 minutes.
President Yeltsin gave President Bush a full update on the status of
the commonwealth. He said during the course of that conversation
that he expected that other republics would be joining in the
agreement that was reached between the three Slavic republics.
..........As you know, the President has asked me to travel to Moscow,
to Kiev, to Minsk, to Alma-Ata, and to Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan.
..........As I said yesterday, events are moving quickly and dramatic
decisions are being made as the republics sort out relations among
themselves and also seek to define a common entity that can
manage and shape an approach to a national security and economic
policy.
..........For some time, it has been clear that power and authority has
derived increasingly from the republics and not from the center.
But those that are determining the new political arrangements of
what I referred to yesterday in my speech as the new Russian
revolution must come from within and not from outside. We cannot
and we must not inject ourselves into this purely political process.
And, as the President made clear at the cabinet meeting yesterday
and again in comments this morning, we will not so inject
ourselves.
..........However, we and others in the international community can
and must stand ready to help those who embrace the principles and
responsibilities that have become so much a part of the Euro-
Atlantic community.
..........We and others must help meet near-term humanitarian needs.
And as I said yesterday, given our collective stakes, we must also
help the Soviets destroy and control the military remnants of the
Cold War, help our former adversaries understand the ways of
democracy in order to build political legitimacy out of the wreckage
of totalitarianism, and help free market forces stimulate economic
stabilization and recovery in the lands of the former Soviet Union.
..........On my trip, I will be meeting with many leaders, focusing on
nuclear weapons control, safety, security and elimination; on
humanitarian concerns and how best to ensure that assistance can
be well-coordinated and targeted effectively to get to those who
must need it; identifying the specific kinds of Western manpower
and expertise that can be most helpful to local leaders as they seek
to improve conditions and respond to local needs.
..........I will report back to the President and then I will consult
further with our allies and other friends to plan the coordinating
conference in order to make certain that it most effectively
responds to the critical challenges. (###)
US Department of State Dispatch,
Vol 2, No 51, December 23, 1991
Title: POW/MIA Bilateral Talks
Boucher
Source: State Department Deputy Spokesman Richard
Boucher
Description: Washington, DC
Date: Dec 18, 199112/18/91
Category: Speeches, Testimony, Statements
Region: Southeast Asia
Country: Vietnam, Laos, United States
Subject: POW/MIA Issues
[TEXT]
US, Lao, and Vietnamese officials held trilateral talks on the
POW/MIA issue for the first time on December 18 in Vientiane,
Laos. The US Government very much appreciates the Lao
Government's cooperation in facilitating these first trilateral talks.
The purpose of the talks was to discuss in depth the issue of US
service personnel who were lost in areas along the Lao-Vietnamese
border during the Vietnam war. The talks followed US-Lao bilateral
discussion on the POW/MIA issue in Vientiane on December 17 and
preceded US/SRV [US/Socialist Republic of Vietnam] bilateral talks
in Hanoi on December 19.
..........During the trilateral discussions in Vientiane, all three sides
agreed on the importance of resolving the cases of individuals lost
along the Lao-Vietnamese border. The participants expressed the
hope that these initial talks would lead to more effective
cooperation among the United States, Laos, and Vietnam in resolving
the POW/MIA issue. (###)
US Department of State Dispatch,
Vol 2, No 51, December 23, 1991
Title: Medical Shipments To Former Soviet Republics
Tutwiler
Source: Department Spokesman Margaret Tutwiler
Description: Washington, DC
Date: Dec 14, 199112/14/91
Category: Speeches, Testimony, Statements
Region: Eurasia
Country: Russia, Belarus, Armenia
[TEXT]
US and Soviet aircraft will leave Andrews AFB on December 15
carrying medical supplies and pharmaceuticals valued at more than
$6 million. The shipment will be delivered to children's hospitals in
Moscow, Minsk, and Yerevan. Each of the targeted institutions has
been visited by Project HOPE assessment teams and determined to
be an appropriate recipient with respect to need and professional
capability. The shipment with arrive in the Soviet Union on
December 17 aboard an American C-5A cargo aircraft and a Soviet
Antonov 124 transport plane. Soviet Foreign Minister [Eduard]
Shevardnadze is scheduled to meet the planes in Moscow.
..........The shipment is being coordinated by Project HOPE along with
the International Foreign Policy Association (IFPA), headed by Jim
Garrision, Chief Executive Officer. IFPA is affiliated with the
Soviet Foreign Policy Association, of which Mr. Shevardnadze is
president. Subsequent shipments are planned for other areas that
suffer acute and immediate shortages of medicines. As the
President announced in August, a separate program is being set up
for the Baltics.
..........Supplies carried by the Soviet and Defense Department planes
include:
..........-- Antibiotics, analgesics, anesthetics, intravenous fluids,
insulin, and other diabetes medications;
..........-- Multivitamins and pre-natal vitamins;
..........-- Medications to control blood pressure, seizures, asthma,
and Parkinson's disease;
..........-- Disposable sterile medical supplies such as intravenous
fluid administration sets, bandages, dressings, syringes, needles,
gloves, face masks, sutures, and pre-operative scrub sets.
..........The medical supplies, valued at close to $6 million, have been
collected by the International Foreign Policy Association (IFPA) and
Project Hope, and include donations from the United Way of the
Greater Bay Area, UNICEF International, Campus Crusade for Christ,
Brother's Brother Foundation, Operation Carelift, the Sabre
Foundation, Interchurch Medical and the Russian Orthodox Church.
..........The US aircraft will carry 17 pallets with cots, blankets, and
clothing from excess Defense Department property, and 15 pallets
of medical supplies donated through Project Hope. The 32 pallets
weigh approximately 150,000 lbs. (###)
US Department of State Dispatch,
Vol 2, No 51, December 23, 1991
Title: Brazil and Argentina: IAEA Safeguard Accord
Tutwiler
Source: Statement by Department Spokesman Margaret
Tutwiler
Description: Washington, DC
Date: Dec 13, 199112/13/91
Category: Speeches, Testimony, Statements
Region: North America
Country: Brazil, Argentina
Subject: Nuclear Nonproliferation, International Law
[TEXT].
We salute Presidents Fernando Collor of Brazil and Carlos Menem of
Argentina for signing a historic accord today with the International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that will provide for IAEA inspection
of their respective nuclear programs. This will help clear the way
for both countries to bring the hemispheric Treaty of Tlatelolco
into force.
..........Today's Vienna signing marks a milestone for the IAEA as well
as the Collor and Menem Administrations. The two South American
Presidents have demonstrated exceptional statesmanship in moving
to free their continent from the risk of nuclear weapons
proliferation. This agreement follows close upon the heels of the
Argentine-Brazilian bilateral accord on nuclear safeguards and
their joint accord with Chile to ban chemical and biological
weapons, signed earlier this year.
..........The example set by President Collor and Menem today is one
that serves not only Latin American countries but also many outside
the region. President Bush has congratulated both Presidents. We
laud their leadership and commitment to hemispheric and global
non-proliferation. (###)
US Department of State Dispatch,
Vol 2, No 51, December 23, 1991
Title: US Condemns Arrest Of Burmese Students
Tutwiler
Source: Statement by Department Spokesman Margaret
Tutwiler
Description: Washington, DC
Date: Dec 13, 199112/13/91
Category: Speeches, Testimony, Statements
Region: Southeast Asia
Country: Burma
Subject: Human Rights
[TEXT]
Burmese students and others demonstrated earlier this week in
support of detained Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and
for democracy. The military government responded by sending in
large numbers of troops to clear campuses, arresting a large number
of people. The regime has announced the closure of all colleges and
universities in Burma.
..........The demonstrations show that years of military oppression
have not diminished the Burmese people's desire for democracy and
representative government.
..........The United States condemns the arrest of students who were
merely peacefully expressing their opinions. We call for the
immediate release of those arrested, as well as the release of all
other political prisoners in Burma.
..........Universities and colleges in Burma have been open only a few
months since 1988. The decision to close them once again
demonstrates that the Burmese military junta lacks the popular
support necessary for the normal functioning of a productive
society. The Burmese military regime should immediately take
steps to transfer power to a civilian government elected by the
people of Burma. (###)
US Department of State Dispatch,
Vol 2, No 51, December 23, 1991
Title: UN Repeals Zionism-Is-Racism Resolution
Eagleburger
Source: Deputy Secretary Eagleburger
Description: Statement at the UN General Assembly, New York, New
York
Date: Dec 16, 199112/16/91
Category: Speeches, Testimony, Statements
Region: MidEast/North Africa
Country: Israel
Subject: United Nations
[TEXT]
Mr. President, the United Nations was founded in 1945 at the close
of one of the darkest chapters in recorded history. Two world wars,
the massacre of untold millions, and a hideous attempt to
exterminate an entire people formed the backdrop to the San
Francisco conference. Mankind's hopes for a different fate in a
better future rested almost entirely on the shoulders of the new
international body--on its potential as a peacemaker and
peacekeeper and on its moral authority as a voice for universal
human values. One of the early acts of the United Nations was to
assist in the realization of the national aspirations of that people--
the Jewish people--who had so recently been the victims of one of
the most barbarous acts known to man.
..........Those hopes for a better future were dashed with the onset of
the Cold War. The international landscape was divided right down
the middle between East and West. The two blocs stood poised on
the brink of thermonuclear war. Totalitarian ideologies spread
hatred and turned reality on its head by enslaving men and women in
the name of liberating them.
..........And in the United Nations, confrontation replaced cooperation;
paralysis prevailed over action. Ideological conflict eroded the UN's
most precious asset--its claim to impartiality and moral honesty.
The great parliament of mankind had become a forum for sterile
rhetoric, feckless name-calling, and the willful distortion of
reality.
..........At no time was this more evident than in 1975 when the
General Assembly adopted Resolution 3379, which included a
determination that Zionism was a form of racism. This
determination demonstrated, like nothing else before or since, to
what extent the Cold War had distorted the United Nation's vision
of reality, marginalized its political utility, and separated it from
its original moral purpose.
..........Resolution 3379 was one of this body's most ungenerous acts.
It branded the national aspirations of one people, and one people
only, as illegitimate--a people which had been homeless, dispersed,
and exiled for the better part of 2 millennia. It labeled as racist
the national aspirations of the one people more victimized by
racism than any other.
..........My government rejected this characterization of Zionism in
1975, and it has hoped for and worked for its revocation ever since.
Successive US Administrations--of Presidents Ford, Carter, Reagan,
and now Bush--have been supported in this endeavor by our Congress
and by our major political parties. And they have been supported
overwhelmingly by the American people, who have never understood
how the UN could let stand such a blatant repudiation of the
charter's call for member states to practice tolerance and live
together as good neighbors. In President Bush's call for repeal
before this assembly last September, he recognized that the United
Nations was at a historic watershed. "By repealing this resolution
unconditionally," he noted, "the United Nations will enhance its
credibility and serve the cause of peace."
..........Now the endeavors of 16 long years are about to come to
fruition--not because of the United States, although we have never
wavered in our determination, but because the era which produced
Resolution 3379 has passed into history. With that era have gone
many of the dictatorships whose repression was based on
systematic lying and the distortion of reality. With that era have
gone the confrontational ideologies which held much of the world in
their thrall. They have been displaced by a revolution in truth-
telling and openness which is truly universal in scope. They have
been displaced, increasingly, by democratic governments committed
to the universal human values for which this body, in principle,
stands. Indeed, nothing more eloquently demonstrates the passing
of the Cold War era than the fact that many governments whose
undemocratic predecessors had supported or voted for the original
resolution in 1975 have joined now in cosponsoring its revocation.
..........One of the signal features of the new era we have entered is
that the UN is ever more frequently being asked to play a central
role in making peace between nations and regions in conflict; in
consolidating that peace through the deployment of military
observers and peacekeeping forces; and, when it is necessary--as
was so recently the case in the Persian Gulf--in leading the world
in response to aggression.
..........We believe that with the world's and this body's passage into
a new era, it is more than time to consign one of the last relics of
the Cold War to the dustbin of history. That is why we are
presenting to the General Assembly today--on behalf of 85 co-
sponsors--a resolution revoking the determination that Zionism is
racism. We believe it is time to take this step, thereby recovering
for the United Nations its reputation for fairness and impartiality
and reaffirming its commitment to the vision of San Francisco.
..........Mr. President, let me emphasize that this resolution we
propose is aimed at no one, at no state, at no region, and at no group.
Its sole and simple aim is to right a wrong and to restore the moral
authority of this organization. It is not aimed at or linked to the
peace process in the Middle East. However, I will say that my
government believes that this action can only help, and not hinder,
efforts currently underway to bring peace to that region. For 16
years, the existence of the "Zionism-is-racism" determination has
stood in the way of those who wish to see the UN play a more
significant role in the peace process. It is simply a fact that
Resolution 3379 contradicted the spirit of Security Council
Resolutions 242 and 338, which are the continuing basis for a
peaceful settlement in the Middle East.
..........Even more significant, however, was the message which
Resolution 3379 sent to the people of Israel. I told them that their
national aspirations were inspired by racism. It told them that
their national existence was illegitimate. It told them that the
international community, in all its solemn majesty, had once again
subjected the Jewish people to a singular form of persecution.
..........It is almost a cliche to say that there can be no true peace
without confidence--mutual confidence on the part of all sides to a
conflict. There can be no peace without the recognition by each side
of the other's legitimacy. There can be no true or lasting peace
without a spirit of brotherhood.
..........The resolution we introduce today would send a different
message to the people of Israel from the one this body sent in 1975.
But, fundamentally, it is not Israel which needs this action; it is
the United Nations which requires it. Its passage will vindicate the
universal principles upon which the UN was founded and redeem the
hopes which all mankind vested in the United Nations in 1945. (###)
US Department of State Dispatch,
Vol 2, No 51, December 23, 1991
Title: UN Action Applauded
Fitzwater
Description: Statement released by the Office of the White House
Press Secretary, Washington, DC
Date: Dec 16, 199112/16/91
Category: Speeches, Testimony, Statements
Region: MidEast/North Africa
Country: Israel
Subject: United Nations
[TEXT].
We welcome today's vote in the UN General Assembly [UNGA] to
revoke the 1975 determination that equated Zionism with racism.
The United States rejected this determination from the day it was
passed because it branded as illegitimate the national aspirations
of the Jewish people and the national existence of Israel. This
action also worked to undermine the UN's moral standing and its
ability to contribute to peace in the Middle East.
..........The President is gratified that his call for repeal in his
speech to the UNGA in September has now received the
overwhelming support of the international community. We commend
those governments that co-sponsored or supported this resolution,
and we salute the United Nations. Today's vote has enhanced the
UN's credibility and serves the interests of peace that have been
advanced significantly by the Madrid [Middle East Peace] Conference
and subsequent bilateral negotiations.
..........[Israeli] Prime Minister Shamir called the President to
express his gratitude for the President's efforts to revoke the
determination. The Prime Minister said the Jewish people are
grateful for the President's leadership and rejoice in the outcome of
the UN vote. (###)
US Department of State Dispatch,
Vol 2, No 51, December 23, 1991
Title: Update on NAFTA Ministerials
Hills
Source: US Trade Representative Carla Hills
Description: Opening statement from a news briefing, Washington, DC
Date: Dec 13, 199112/13/91
Category: Speeches, Testimony, Statements
Region: North America
Country: Canada, United States, Mexico
Subject: Trade/Economics, North America Free Trade
[TEXT]
I'm glad to see all of you this morning. We, as you know, launched
the negotiations on the North American Free Trade Agreement
[NAFTA] on the 12th of June. We've had three ministerials; one at
the launch in Canada, one in Seattle in August, and one in Zacatecas,
Mexico, in October.
..........I can tell you we are right on track. We are in the second
phase of the negotiations, in the process of exchanging texts. It's
my hope that we will have a consolidated, bracketed text by the end
of January. We have no intention of substituting speed for
substance, but I can tell you we are anxious to harvest the gains
that we see coming from a North American Free Trade Agreement.
..........This agreement would enable us to stitch together the
complementary economies of our first-largest trading partner,
Canada, with our third-largest trading partner, Mexico, and create
one of the largest, richest markets in the world with 360 million
consumers and producers in an annual output of over $6 trillion.
..........And we know that as we reduce trade barriers worldwide, we
get an increase of exports, which give us an increase of jobs. The
fact of the matter is that Mexico is our largest and fastest growing
export opportunity. Mexico buys more from us today--35% more per
capita--than the much more affluent European Community. And we
have seen that as Mexico has reduced its trade barriers, our exports
have zoomed upward. In 1987, they began to dismantle their
tariffs, which were at 100%. Today they're at a high of 20%, and in
[those] 4 short years, our exports have more than doubled, from $12
billion to $28 billion.
..........And we know that more can occur, because Mexico's trade
barriers today in terms of tariffs are 250% higher than our own. So
we have a differential that, if we can squeeze it down, we know our
exports will go up, and for every billion dollars-worth of additional
exports, we generate 20,000 new jobs.
..........So we are on track with the negotiation. We're enthusiastic
about the negotiation. And I look forward to the two presidents
meeting and discussing the future. (###)