[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 22 (Wednesday, February 26, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E328-E331]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      LECTURE BY JOSE RAMOS-HORTA

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. PATRICK J. KENNEDY

                            of rhode island

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 26, 1997

  Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island. Mr. Speaker, in honor of Mr. Jose Ramos-
Horta's visit to Washington, DC, the week of February 24, 1997, I ask 
permission to include in the Record the Nobel Lecture of Jose Ramos-
Horta before the Norwegian Nobel Committee on December 10, 1996.

  The Nobel Lecture Given by the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate 1996 Jose 
                              Ramos-Horta

       My deepest appreciation goes to the Nobel Committee for 
     having chosen us for the 1996 Nobel Peace Prize. Your 
     generosity in thinking of the wretched of the earth, and your 
     courage in standing up to the might of States, the cynicism 
     and indifference of too many, betrayal by some, tells also a 
     lot about the soul and history of courage of this great 
     country of yours that fought bravely during World War II.
       In recent years Norway has played a central role in 
     fostering dialogue and peace among historical enemies. In the 
     Middle East and Central America, your discreet nature, 
     determination and creativity have proven that some of the 
     world's seemingly intractable conflicts can be resolved when 
     there is an honest mediator and when the parties in the 
     conflict are willing to end the war.
       Small countries like Norway, Costa Rica and Portugal, and 
     others, can succeed in mediating conflicts when mighty powers 
     failed. Diplomacy and mediation are not prerogatives of the 
     major powers. The small and medium-size countries without 
     ambitions to a neo-imperial role and whose strength is there 
     moral integrity are best placed to open dialogue among the 
     parties in a conflict.


                        the east timorese church

       The real winner of the 1996 Nobel Peace Prize is our 
     spiritual leader, Dom Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo. He is the 
     embodiment of the East Timorese people's resilience, moral 
     rectitude, dignity and identity, and its long quest for peace 
     and freedom. In Dom Carlos the people of East Timor have 
     found spiritual comfort and some sense of security from the 
     daily threats to their very existence.
       The people of East Timor owe almost everything to their 
     Church. Hence, the 1996 Nobel Peace Prize is a tribute to the 
     whole church, the courageous priests, nuns and lay workers 
     and the people of East Timor.
       My share of the Nobel Peace Prize will go entirely to a 
     foundation to be called Peace and Democracy Dom Martinho da 
     Costa Lopes. I know this is too small a tribute to this great 
     man who gave his life to his church and people.


                        the solidarity movement

       I would like also to express my gratitude to three 
     organizations that in the past honoured my people with less 
     well-known awards but with equal importance for our people. 
     To Professor Thorof Rafto Human Rights Foundation from 
     Bergen, Gleitsman Foundation, from California, and the Un-
     Represented Nations and Peoples Organisation (UNPO) based in 
     The Hague, goes my profound gratitude.
       With the men, women and children in many parts of the world 
     who have given us so many years of their lives I wish to 
     share this moment of joy. Without the generous solidarity 
     movement we would be even poorer and alone. Some of our good 
     friends have passed away from this Earth. Denis Freney, 
     Michelle Turner, Michel Robert, Carlos Vilares, the little 
     and beautiful Sarah Taylor whom God took away at age 15. We 
     will remember them for ever.


  angola, cape verde, guinea-bissau, mozambique, sao tome and principe

       My special greetings of friendship and eternal gratitude to 
     my good friend, President Joaquim Chissano of Mozambique, for 
     having taken the trouble to fly to Oslo to be with us.
       You have been with us in our most lonely years when the 
     rest of the world pretended we did not exist or offered us 
     advice on how best to surrender. From this noble rostrum I 
     bow to your late predecessor, Samora Moises Machel, one of 
     the greatest men Africa has known.
       My special greetings and deepest gratitude to Presidents 
     Jose Eduardo dos Santos of Angola, Mascarenhas Monteiro of 
     Cape Verde, Nino Vieira of Guinea-Bissau, and Miguel Trovoada 
     of Sao Tome and Principe for their friendship and generosity.
       Your peoples and countries have been with us through our 
     lonely years and I believe that you will be with us still in 
     the years to come.
       To the people of Angola who have suffered beyond 
     imagination and are still in a painful process of national 
     reconciliation, I extend our solidarity and friendship.
       Angola paid a heavy price for the liberation of Namibia and 
     South Africa. Yet there has not been enough recognition of 
     the enormous contribution that the two lusophone countries. 
     Angola and Mozambique, gave to the liberation of Southern 
     Africa.


                                portugal

       I wish to state from this august rostrum the eternal 
     gratitude of the people of East Timor and my own to the 
     people of Portugal, the President, our good friend Dr. Jorge 
     Sampaio and his predecessor, Dr. Mario Soares, a man of 
     principles and compassion.
       Through Your Excellency, Mr. President, I humbly ask you to 
     convey to your wonderful and generous people, members of 
     Parliament and government, past and present, our most 
     heartfelt appreciation for your gallant efforts in support 
     of our struggle.
       For many years you fought a lonely battle in the European 
     Union against the indifference and even hostility of some of 
     your partners. You have shown not only to us the East 
     Timorese but to other smaller nations in the world that 
     principles and morality have not been taken over completely 
     by mercantile interests.


                                 brazil

       I recently visited Brazil and was warmly welcomed by 
     everyone. I humbly ask President Jose Sarney to convey to 
     President Fernando Henrique Cardoso and through him to all 
     the people of Brazil our admiration and affection for your 
     great country and people. My warmest greetings to Betinho, 
     Dom Paulo Evaristo and Dom Helder Camara, the conscience of 
     the poor of Brazil and the world.
       Your Majesties: This speech belongs to someone else who 
     should be here today. He is an outstanding man of courage, 
     tolerance and statesmanship. Yet, this man is in prison for 
     no crime other than his ideas and vision of peace, freedom 
     and dignity of his people.
       Xanana Gusmao, leader of the people of East Timor, remains 
     incommunicado in a prison thousands of miles away from his 
     country. His trial in 1993 was universally condemned as a 
     charade and was no more valid than the Dutch imprisonment and 
     trial of the late President Sukarno, founding father of the 
     Indonesian Republic.

[[Page E329]]

       I bow to Xanana and through him to my good friend Nino 
     Konis Santana, David Alex, Tahur Matan Ruak, Fernando Araujo 
     and all East Timorese prisoners of conscience in jails in 
     East Timor and Indonesia, to the thousands of victims of 
     torture, widows and orphans. I bow to the memory of Sabalae 
     and the thousands of our dead.
       Through Xanana, I bow to my people with profound respect, 
     loyalty and humility because they are the martyrs, the real 
     heroes and peace-makers.


             the new order regime and the indonesian people

       The East Timorese are not the exclusive victims of the 
     Indonesian New Order regime installed in 1965. For more than 
     30 years, the Indonesian people have known massacres, 
     imprisonment, torture, ban on writers, journalists, academics 
     and labour leaders. Moslems, Catholics, Buddhists and 
     Hindus have all known their share of repression. The only 
     non-discriminatory policy of the New Order regime is when 
     it comes to repression.
       I pay tribute to the many tens of thousands of Indonesians 
     who died in their own struggle for freedom and democracy, who 
     languished in the jails of the New Order, or were forced into 
     exile in China, Albania, USSR and Western Europe. I met many 
     of them over the years and shared long hours of conversation 
     about our two people's suffering and dreams.


                  the lessons of the jewish holocaust

       In 1939, a few months before the out-break of World War II, 
     Harry Truman read a passionate message from President 
     Roosevelt to the ``National Meeting for Moral Rearmament'' 
     held in Washington.
       The same time as the conference delegates were listening 
     and applauding President Roosevelt's moral speech, 900 Jewish 
     refugees on a boat from Germany anchored off Florida were 
     waiting for a decision from Washington as to whether they 
     should find sanctuary in the US or be sent back.
       Finally, word came that their application for refugee 
     status had been denied. The desperate refugees did not 
     convince the morally courageous delegates to the ``National 
     Meeting for Moral Rearmament'' that they had a valid fear of 
     persecution. The 900 men, women and children were sent back 
     to Germany. Many ended up in Hitler's death camps.
       More than half a century after the Jewish holocaust and 
     centuries after the genocide of the indigenous peoples of 
     Australia and the Americas, the same attitude that has 
     allowed these crimes to take place persist today.
       Opinion-makers and leaders, academics, writers and 
     journalists who pretend to be objective and neutral in the 
     face of racism and discrimination, the rape of a small nation 
     by a larger power, the persecution of a weaker people by a 
     ruthless army must share the guilt. No amount of intellectual 
     arguments will suffice to erase their responsibility.
       Synagogues are still being desecrated. Gypsies are still 
     discriminated. Indigenous peoples continue to see their 
     ancestral land taken over by developers, their culture and 
     beliefs, and their very existence reduced to a tourist 
     commodity.
       Like the Jews and Armenians in the past, like the Kurdish, 
     Gypsies, Tibetans, Aborigines of Australia, Maoris of 
     Aotearoa (New Zealand), Kanakis of New Caledonia, the people 
     of Western Sahara, and the Indigenous peoples of the 
     Americas, the East Timorese are a mere footnote of 
     history, an expendable people.


                           Cold War footnote

       The conflict in East Timor can be traced back to the 
     political context of the Cold War.
       You might recall a picture that made headlines in the 
     spring of 1975. I refer to the picture of an American 
     helicopter landing on the rooftop of the US Embassy in Saigon 
     to rescue remaining diplomats, CIA operatives and few 
     privileged South Vietnamese stooges as Saigon fell to the 
     Vietcong. Cambodia and Laos followed. This picture 
     illustrated better than a thousand words the ignominious 
     American retreat from Indochina.
       In another continent, in the horn of Africa, the longest 
     reigning US ally, emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia, had 
     been overthrown a year earlier by radical army officers. 
     Further South, the Portuguese empire had collapsed. These 
     events seemed to confirm Lyndon B. Johnson's domino theory 
     which was the rationale for US intervention in Indochina.
       It was in this geopolitical context that President Gerald 
     Ford and his Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger, visited 
     Jakarta in early December 1975 as part of an Asian tour to 
     reassure leaders of the region that the US would continue to 
     honour its security commitments in Asia.
       The invasion of East Timor which took place within hours of 
     Ford's departure from Jakarta was a mere footnote in the Cold 
     War events of 1975. Thousands of East Timorese who died in 
     the days, weeks, months and years that followed were mere 
     footnotes to the post-Vietnam and Cold Wars.


                  Inviolability of colonial boundaries

       One and a half year before these events, in June 1974, I 
     visited Jakarta in my capacity as secretary for Foreign 
     Affairs of the Timorese Social Democratic Association, that 
     had just been created less than a month earlier. I had the 
     privilege of meeting with the then Foreign Minister of 
     Indonesia, Mr. Adam Malik. After our third round of talks, 
     Mr. Malik addressed me a letter which read in part:
       The independence of every country is the right of every 
     nation, with no exception for the people of (East) Timor;
       * * * Whoever will govern in Timor in the future after 
     independence can be assured that the government of Indonesia 
     will always strive to maintain good relations, friendship and 
     co-operation for the benefit of both countries.
       The following year, in April 1975, I again visited 
     Indonesia and met with President Suharto's senior adviser, 
     Gen. Ali Murtopo, to whom I reiterated our collective desire 
     to develop friendly relations with Indonesia. Gen. Murtopo 
     reassured me that Indonesia harboured no territorial 
     ambitions over East Timor. However, we soon learned that the 
     word of an Indonesian general or diplomat can be broken as 
     easily as it is spoken.
       Some simple but fundamental issues need to be addressed. 
     Does Indonesia have a valid historical claim to East Timor?
       The current boundary of the Republic of Indonesia is a 
     product of the Dutch East Indies administration. West New 
     Guinea was absorbed by the Republic not because of a 
     reasonable historical, cultural, ethnic kinship or geographic 
     continuity. The only link that justified the annexation was 
     West New Guinea's brief colonisation by the Dutch.
       The arbitrary carving up of Africa at the Berlin Conference 
     can be blamed for some of Africa's problems today but respect 
     for the colonial boundaries, as unfair as most might be, has 
     provided some peace and stability and kept most of Africa, 
     Latin America and Asia from disintegrating.
       Saddam Hussein of Iraq attempted to redraw the map and 
     rectify what he perceived to be an unfair colonial legacy by 
     invading Kuwait. Iran has longstanding claims over Bahrain. 
     In Latin America there are some interstate territorial 
     disputes as a result of perceived unfair border delimitation.


               The right of peoples to self-determination

       From the Chittagon Hill Tracts in Bangladesh to 
     Bougainville, Kurdistan, Sri Lanka, India, Tibet, Chechnya, 
     Ogoni, West Papua, millions of peoples seek to assert their 
     most fundamental rights and if we attempt to find a common 
     denominator for the problems I have just listed there is one: 
     the right of peoples to self-determination.
       In most cases the demands are not for secession. They are 
     about their survival as a people with a language and a 
     culture, with their land and environment protected from 
     rapacious multinationals. Only when these basic demands are 
     not met there has been recourse to other forms of struggle 
     with an escalation in their demands.
       While self-determination in the de-colonisation process of 
     the non-self-governing territories almost always led to 
     independence, this is not the case in most of the conflicts 
     of today. The cases of Western Sahara and East Timor are the 
     two most salient failures of decolonisation. In the case of 
     Western Sahara, the United Nations has allowed itself to be a 
     pawn in the machinations of a minor regional power.
       However, the preservation of the territorial integrity of a 
     country can be achieved only if those in power are sensitive 
     to the basic demands and aspirations of the many indigenous 
     peoples and nationalities that make up the country.
       Brute force might silence and keep dormant the dreams and 
     aspirations of a people but the anger simmering for decades 
     will inevitably resurface and break up the country.


      the right of the people of east timor to self-determination

       The right of the people of East Timor to self-determination 
     is widely recognised. Apart from the former Spanish territory 
     of Western Sahara, East Timor is the largest non-self-
     governing territory in the UN GA decolonization list which 
     dates back to 1960.
       The UN General Assembly and Security Council have adopted a 
     total of 10 resolutions on the question of East Timor all 
     reaffirming this right.
       In its ruling of 30 June 1995 on the Case Concerning East 
     Timor, Portugal Versus Australia, the International Court of 
     Justice stated that the right of self-determination has an 
     erga omnes character and that the people of East Timor are 
     entitled to it.


        dialogue without pre-conditions and the CNRM peace plan

       The Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and South Africa's 
     transition to democracy give us renewed hope in that they 
     demonstrate that seemingly intractable problems can be 
     resolved if there is political will and vision by all 
     involved.
       In this room today there are East Timorese leaders of every 
     persuasion, some have come all the way from East Timor, 
     Portugal and Australia, and I can speak for all when I say 
     that we are ready to enter into a process of dialogue with 
     the Indonesian authorities, under the auspices of the United 
     Nations, without pre-conditions, to explore all possible 
     ideas towards a comprehensive settlement of the conflict.
       In 1992, after thorough consultation with our people in the 
     country, Xanana Gusmao gave his seal of authority to what is 
     now known as the CNRM Peace Plan which was formally presented 
     to a meeting of the European Parliament in Brussels on 22 
     April 1992.
       The CNRM proposal remains valid as a modest contribution 
     towards finding a solution to the conflict.
     Phase one--humanitarian phase
       This phase which should take up to two years to be fully 
     implemented, would involve

[[Page E330]]

     all three parties working with the UN to implement a wide 
     range of ``confidence building measures'', (CBMs) but would 
     not deal with the core of the problem which is the issue of 
     self-determination.
       These CBMs must include release of all prisoners, end of 
     torture and summary executions and a drastic reduction in 
     Indonesia troop presence in the territory.
       These are some of the ideas which I believe could be 
     implemented immediately without loss of face for Indonesia. 
     Its international standing would improve significantly and 
     its presence in the territory would be less resented, thus 
     relieving a very tense situation.
       In view of the time constraints, the full text of this plan 
     is attached to this speech.
     Phase two--autonomy, 5 years
       Phase two, lasting between five to ten years, would be a 
     period of genuine political autonomy based on ample powers 
     vested in a local, democratically elected Territorial 
     People's Assembly.
       At the end of the second phase, the autonomous status of 
     the territory could be extended by mutual accord.
       The East Timorese people, having enjoyed a period of peace 
     and freedom without the presence of the most hated symbol of 
     the occupation, the army, might accept to continue this form 
     of association.
       Conversely, the changing generation, attitudes and 
     perception in Indonesia might result in Indonesia accepting 
     as natural that East Timor becomes independent.
     Phase three--self-determination
       If all parties agree that Phase Three should enter into 
     effect immediately, then the UN begins to prepare a 
     referendum on self-determination to determine the final 
     status of the territory.
       If God willing, East Timor becomes independent, ladies and 
     gentlemen, allow me to share with you, our vision for our 
     country's future and role in the region.


                       our vision for the future

       East Timor is at the cross-roads of three major cultures: 
     Melanesian which binds us to our brothers and sisters of the 
     South Pacific region; Malay-Polynesian binding us to 
     Southeast Asia; and the Latin Catholic influence, a legacy of 
     almost 500 years of Portuguese colonisation. This rich 
     historical and cultural existence places us in a unique 
     position to build bridges of dialogue and co-operation 
     between the peoples of the region.


                                portugal

       East Timor will maintain close ties with Portugal, a 
     country which colonised us for almost half a millennium has 
     shown an abiding commitment to our right to self-
     determination. Portugal and East Timor will be most valuable 
     partners for ASEAN in its relations with the EU, Africa and 
     Latin America.


                    australia and the south pacific

       The majority of the East Timorese residents outside the 
     country are in Australia. In spite of our sadness over 
     Australia's role on East Timor I wish to state here our 
     deepest appreciation to Australia for the shelter, 
     hospitality and generosity shown to our thousands of refugees 
     on Australian soil.
       We appreciate the many representations the previous and 
     current governments of Australia have made to impress upon 
     the government of Indonesia regarding the human rights 
     situation in East Timor. No other Western country has been 
     more persistent in this regard.
       We fought together during World War II and many East 
     Timorese gave their lives for our common cause. Now and in 
     the future we look up to Australia for help. An independent 
     East Timor will seek close relations with Australia and 
     membership in the South-Pacific Forum.


                             asean and apec

       We are conscious of our geography which compels us to co-
     exist with our neighbours in that part of the world. We will 
     seek membership in ASEAN and APEC within days of our 
     independence.


                            a zone of peace

       We will not have a standing army. For our external 
     security, we will rely on a Treaty of Neutrality to be 
     guaranteed by the permanent members of the Security Council. 
     We will endeavour with the UN and our neighbours to 
     declare our region and the seas surrounding East Timor a 
     Zone of Peace and Development.


                              rule of law

       We will endeavour to build a strong democratic state based 
     on the rule of law which must emanate from the will of the 
     people expressed through free and democratic elections.


               human rights and international obligations

       All international human rights treaties will be submitted 
     to the Parliament for ratification.
       We believe that human rights transcend boundaries and must 
     prevail over state sovereignty.
       We will introduce into the school curriculum at an early 
     stage starting in the kinder gardens the subject of human 
     rights.
       We will actively work with like-minded countries, NGOs and 
     the media to strengthen the UN human rights machinery.


                  amnesty and national reconciliation

       East Timorese now serving in the Indonesian administration 
     in East Timor, the security forces and police, should not 
     fear an independent East Timor. They will be invited to stay 
     on. Their full and active involvement in running the country 
     will be necessary to ensure a smooth transition.
       Our society will not be based on revenge. Because of its 
     credibility and standing, the Catholic Church will be 
     expected to play a major role in the healing process of our 
     society.
       In August 1975 too many East Timorese died in a brief but 
     violent civil strife. Many more died even after the invasion 
     because some in the leadership of the movement I belonged 
     took upon themselves the role of judges and executioners.


                national reconstruction and development

       East Timor is a relatively small country. But with an area 
     of 18,899 km2 and a total population of 700,000 (1974 
     figures), it is at least equal to, if not larger, in size and 
     population, than some 40 independent states. It is 
     potentially self-sufficient in most agricultural goods, meat 
     and fish. It has large reserves of oil, natural gas, 
     marble and manganese.
       The invasion up-rooted thousands of people. Properties were 
     abandoned, destroyed or sold at unfair prices. This situation 
     will be redressed. A voluntary resettlement plan will be 
     effected to allow the many tens of thousands of displaced 
     East Timorese to return to their ancestral lands. We believe 
     in free education and health care for our people. The money 
     saved from not having a standing army will be well used in 
     these areas. With the cooperation of WHO we will seek to 
     eradicate malaria, tuberculosis and other preventable 
     diseases within a decade.


                          indonesian migrants

       It is estimated that over 100,000 Indonesians are now 
     living in East Timor. Most are poor Indonesians who came to 
     our country looking for a better life.
       Indonesian migrants in East Timor will be welcome to stay.


       the suharto regime, its achievements and what it should do

       No one can honestly suggest that the 30-year regime of Gen. 
     Suharto has not done good for Indonesia. The record of the 
     past 20 years has been impressive. The Suharto regime lifted 
     the Indonesian economy from extreme poverty to the status of 
     an economic tiger. Living standards, literacy, health care 
     and food production increased to impressive levels.
       President Suharto can show leadership by releasing all 
     prisoners, meeting Indonesia's greatest living author, 
     Pramoedya Ananta Toer, Megawati Sukarnopultri, leader of the 
     PDI, daughter of Indonesia's founding father, the late Bung 
     Karno, Muchtar Pakpahan, Indonesia's Lech Walesa, Sri 
     Bintang, George Aditjondro, Indonesia's most decorated 
     environmentalist.
       Suharto should talk and listen to the wise and most 
     respected Moslem scholar Abdurramanh Wahid who is here today 
     with us in Oslo.
       The leaders and militants of the PRD are among the best 
     children of Indonesia. Instead of hunting them he should 
     invite them to his palace for dialogue about the future.


      fostering a democratic and peaceful transition in indonesia

       No country, no matter how rich and endowed with natural 
     resources, is an island into itself. In an increasingly 
     smaller world and competitive age, where modern electronic 
     communications break the barriers of silence erected 
     by dictators, Indonesia cannot continue to flout the right 
     of the people of East Timor to self-determination and the 
     rule of law in Indonesia.
       The next two to three years will witness a transition in 
     Indonesia. Australia, New Zealand, the US, Canada and the EU 
     can encourage a peaceful, evolutionary transition with a 
     discreet yet firm policy of pushing for democratic reforms 
     and rule of law in Indonesia and for a genuine act of self-
     determination in East Timor.


                The role of the international community

       We are as determined as we are optimistic about our future. 
     To Indonesia and our other neighbours in the ASEAN we are 
     offering a hand of friendship and appealing to them to help 
     us bring peace and freedom to East Timor.
       The EU, working with the US, Canada, Australia, New 
     Zealand, Japan and Indonesia's partners in ASEAN, can 
     accelerate the on-going dialogue under the auspices of the UN 
     secretary-general, give it some impetus and real substance.
       The US Administration is the only major power that has 
     adopted some concrete measures to encourage changes in 
     Indonesia and East Timor. I express here our sincere 
     appreciation to President Clinton for his actions on East 
     Timor and I appeal to him to lend his youthful energy and 
     compassion towards a permanent resolution of the conflict 
     which he once described as ``unconscionable''.


                        The West and arms sales

       We are not asking that Indonesia be punished with 
     comprehensive economic sanctions. We believe that economic 
     engagement with a country can at times foster positive 
     changes through the development of a democratically conscious 
     class.
       However, we find it repulsive that the Western countries 
     that more loudly make rhetorical speeches about human rights 
     are the ones that manufacture most weapons that have killed 
     more than 20 million people in the developing world since 
     World War II.
       Land mines, torture equipment, cluster bombs, chemical 
     weapons are weapons designed to inflict pain and death on 
     human

[[Page E331]]

     beings. Most victims are civilians, women and children. How 
     can arms manufacturers, weapons designers, plant managers, 
     politicians, who have families of their own whom they love, 
     are so insensitive when it comes to the suffering of other 
     human beings?


                   human rights and ``asian values''

       The peoples of Burma, Thailand, the Philippines, South 
     Korea, and the democracy movements in China and Indonesia are 
     telling the rest of the world that democracy and human rights 
     are not an invention of the West.
       The thousands of Asians who died in the streets of Manila, 
     Bangkok, Jakarta, Rangoon, Beijing, did not die for a so-
     called ``Asian value'' that denies the people of Asia the 
     basic and fundamental freedoms enjoyed in Europe, Latin 
     America and in an increasing number of countries in Africa.


                              south korea

       The brave people of Korea who endured decades of 
     dictatorship and occupation won the struggle for democracy 
     not with guns but with their tenacity in fighting the troops 
     in the streets of Seoul and Kwangju.
       The South Korean people can also show greater courage by 
     being magnanimous and forgive those who have done wrong. 
     Sometimes in history individuals in power are driven to 
     commit wanton crimes but those who survive and are in power 
     today should resist the temptation to exact revenge in the 
     name of justice.
       The death sentence must be abolished and the brave people 
     of Korea should set the example by commuting the death 
     sentence on former President Chun Do Hwan. From here I appeal 
     to my Korean friends not to exact revenge against those who 
     have been defeated. In victory be magnanimous.


                                 burma

       I extend our most heartfelt solidarity to the people of 
     Burma and their elected leader, Nobel Peace Laureate Daw Aung 
     San Suu Kyi, in their struggle for democracy, rule of law and 
     human rights.
       At a time when some ASEAN rulers are conniving with the 
     SLORC regime to deny the people of Burma their democratic 
     victory, we must all stand up and redouble our efforts to 
     restore democracy to Burma.
       The US and the EU must be commended for their leadership in 
     support of the restoration of democracy in Burma but they 
     must escalate the pressure with additional diplomatic and 
     economic sanctions against the SLORC.
       I also fully endorse the recommendations on Burma adopted 
     by the Forum of Democratic Leaders in the Asia Pacific led by 
     Kim Dae Jung and Cory Aquino in their recent meeting in 
     Manila.


                          China, Taiwan, Tibet

       When the UN SC debated the issue of East Timor in 1975 and 
     1976 China was our closest ally and I worked closely with 
     very able Chinese diplomats. In spite of the indifference of 
     the other four permanent members, China, along with other 
     non-permanent members, succeeded in pushing the SC to adopt 
     two resolutions on East Timor.
       It is with this feeling of gratitude and admiration for 
     China that I appeal to the Chinese leaders to listen to their 
     own people's opinions and desires for a more open society, 
     based on the rule of law, democracy, freedom of speech. These 
     are after all rights that are granted to each Chinese citizen 
     by their own Constitution.
       Wei Jing Zhen is one of China's best children. He is being 
     wasted away when his talents could best be used in the 
     service of his fellow Chinese people and country.
       The people of Taiwan have shown great maturity, 
     responsibility and commitment to peace and democracy. While 
     there is no dispute that Taiwan is part of China, as long as 
     there is no progress on the issue of peaceful reunification 
     of the two countries, I believe that the cause of dialogue 
     and peace can best be served if Taiwan is granted observer 
     status in the UN as was the case in the past with South and 
     North Korea, South and North Vietnam. After all, China has 
     not objected to Taiwan and Hong King joining the APEC.
       China should listen to the voice of peace and moderation of 
     the Tibetan people. For many years the Tibetan spiritual 
     leader, His Holiness the Dalai Lama has offered a moderate 
     peace proposal to the Chinese authorities to settle the 
     Tibetan conflict.


                                 Cyprus

       Cyprus, a shining example of democracy and tolerance, 
     remains divided and occupied by a NATO ally whose history of 
     aggression and violence is well-known.
       Recently I received a letter signed by the students of 
     Classes C11 and C22 of Kykko B Lyceum in Nicosia who wrote:
       Your homeland is an occupied country at the far end of the 
     ocean. Our homeland lies partly occupied at the far end of 
     the Mediterranean. We live in a divided city and we cannot 
     cross the dividing line * * *
       To the students of Kykko B Lyceum I can only say that like 
     the ancient Armenia you too will recover your lost land.


                          THE PROPHETS OF DOOM

       The world has changed dramatically over the last few years 
     and the theorists of irreversibility and status quo have been 
     discredited by the collapse of the USSR.
       Who would have thought it possible that the great Armenian 
     people, persecuted for hundreds of years would regain a 
     country called Armenia?
       The entire world conspired against the Eritrean people. 
     Americans, Russians and Cubans all connived against that 
     small nation.
       Two great nations, Israelis and Palestinians, who swore 
     eternal hatred have shown courage and wisdom and began a 
     painful process of dialogue.
       In South Africa, former enemies are trying to rebuild their 
     common home.
       Last but not least, for the prophets of doom, for those in 
     government who counsel us ``realism'', allow me to remind 
     them of a news item in the ever reliable BBC a few years ago.
       It was sometime in early 1991 and I was driving from the 
     small Swiss town of Nylon, to the Palais des Nations in 
     Geneva, to yet another round of futility in a place where 
     some diplomats pretend to be too busy to listen to real 
     problems of real peoples.
       The BBC was telling us the story of a Soviet cosmonaut who 
     had gone into space a few months earlier on one of those 
     record-breaking missions in space. When he was blasted off 
     from somewhere in the Soviet Union he carried a passport and 
     a nationality granted to him by the most feared military 
     empire in the world.
       Once he completed his tour of duty for the pride of the 
     socialist motherland he prepared the spacecraft for its 
     return voyage to earth. But he no longer had a country to 
     return to. The mighty empire had ceased to exist. He was 
     forced to circle the earth a few days longer until people of 
     good will on earth decided to which country he should go to.
       With this note, I will end with renewed hope that no matter 
     the level of brute force used against us, our dreams will 
     never die.
       God bless you all. Thank you.

                          ____________________