Mr. President:
Your Majesties, Excellencies, Brothers and Colleagues:
This is indeed a great moment for a great Movement. Presiding over this historic Non-Aligned Summit is no other than Fidel Castro - Fidel Castro, the man, the revolutionary, the pioneer, the leader, the hero, whose name has become synonymous over the past two decades with freedom, justice, and human dignity. This is a moment that we should not allow to pass without achieving a new momentum worthy of it, a momentum that will accelerate mankind's march towards its honourable aspirations of peace and a just economic order, a momentum that will achieve a progression from words to deeds, from rhetoric to action.
It is with this great hope that I extend to you, Mr. President, on behalf of my people in the remote and tiny islands of Maldives, our sincere greetings. We are confident, that with a man of your calibre and vision at the helm of the Non-Aligned Movement we cannot fail to attain our great objectives, both on the national and international levels.
In a manner worthy of your revolutionary ideals, Mr. President, you have declared in your brilliant inaugural speech that Cuba, as the new Chairman of the Non-Aligned Movement, will totally respect the rights of all members of the Movement and that Cuba will observe the norms of patience, prudence and flexibility throughout the period in which it presides over the Movement.
Although geographically distant from each other, Maldives and Cuba have much in common. We are both small island countries who had laboured under foreign domination and internal oppression, and who are now striving to achieve better standards of living for our peoples. The people of my country entertain warmest friendship towards the Government and the people of Cuba and have great respect for you, Mr. President, as their leader and Commander-in-Chief.
I will be failing in my duty if I do not pay tribute to the exemplary manner in which our outgoing Chairman, His Excellency Mr J.R. Jayawardene, President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, had conducted the affairs of the Movement. It was a matter of particular satisfaction to us in Maldives that the country with whom we have had the strongest of ties for hundreds of years should have presided over the Non-Aligned Movement for the past three years.
Mr. President:
We in our small republic are proud of our cultural heritage and our genuinely independent outlook, but we are eager to learn from other people's experiences. After all, human experience is indivisible, and it is a source of wealth from which all countries, big or small, rich or poor, should benefit.
As you all know, ours is a small country in relation to the majority of countries that are represented here. We may lack in numbers; we may lack in material wealth; we may lack in technological advancement; in fact we may lack in many of the material criteria by which progress is measured in the present-day world. But I assure this distinguished gathering that my country, the Republic of Maldives, does not lack the courage to speak out freely according to its own convictions.
Our views on international affairs, whether political, economic or social, are based on the fundamental principles that we believe in. They do not stem from any desire to please the powerful, or to side with the majority. What we say in any world problem may not influence this august assembly's opinion or change the course of events, but we deem it our duty to say it freely and honestly.
Mr. President:
It is with great hope and satisfaction that we in Maldives observe the steady growth of this Movement of the Non-Aligned Countries. At this Sixth Summit, we have the pleasure of welcoming seven new members to our ranks - Pakistan, Iran, Surinam, Bolivia, Grenada, Nicaragua and Patriotic Front of Zimbabwe. I join the previous speakers in wishing them well.
Three years ago, Maldives joined the Non-Aligned Movement because in our estimation, the Movement had become an important forum of positive influence in various spheres of international relations - a source which had continued to inspire millions of people the world over to pursue with renewed vigour their valiant struggles to achieve better prospects for a secure and prosperous life.
I am sure that all my Muslim brothers will agree with me when I say that, for us, the spirit of Non-Alignment goes back fourteen centuries to the time when the Holy Quran was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him!). Many verses of this great book, which can certainly be regarded as a source of inspiration and wisdom to the entire mankind, speaks of the Faithful as a nation that takes a middle path, a path of conciliation, tolerance and peace that avoids prejudice and animosity between nations. Those of us who belong to this compassionate religion, will, therefore, find in Non-Alignment a fulfilment of some divine ideals besides the realization of more mundane objectives.
Mr. President:
It is with much gratification that my country views the idea of the establishment of a Zone of Peace in the Indian Ocean, in the midst of which lies our archipelago. Our whole-hearted support for this concept and the relevant United Nations Declaration emanates from our conviction that the security of our region would constitute a major contribution to the strengthening of international peace and security, besides being a great reassuring factor of regional stability.
The international situation today, more than ever before, requires more sustained effort by all dedicated to peace and progress. The forces of imperialism, racism and foreign domination are combining their efforts in order to preserve the status quo in the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Latin America. In order to defeat the aims of these evil and reactionary elements, all progressive and peace-loving forces of the world have no alternative but to unite and close their ranks.
For over thirty years, the people of Palestine have suffered untold misery and humiliation. They have been rendered homeless, subjected to terrorism, murder and inhuman treatment at the hands of the Israelis backed by international Zionism.
The inalienable rights of the Palestinians to their land, independence and existence as human beings, have been denied to them. I ask you for how many more years can we allow this grave injustice to continue? It is the responsibility of the international community as embodied in the United Nations, to put an end to the sufferings of the Palestinian people.
For us, the solution is clear. In fact there is only one solution. All the relevant United Nations resolutions should be implemented forthwith. The people of Palestine should be allowed to return to their homeland. They should be given the right to self-determination. They should be permitted to establish a sovereign Palestinian state on their national soil. Above all, the people of Palestine should be permitted to participate fully in any effort aimed at finding a workable framework that would enable them to exercise their inalienable rights.
We are fully convinced that, since the Palestinian question is the central issue of the Middle East problem, only settlement that is acceptable to the Palestinians themselves, who have chosen the Palestine Liberation Organisation as their sole legitimate representative, can be just and lasting. Though Maldives and Egypt are linked by many historical and cultural ties, we deem it our duty to say in all honesty that, in our view, no solution to the Middle East question can be just and permanent without the people of Palestine being a party to it. Egypt has been through the ages the fortress of Islam and Arabism which had, time and again, repulsed aggressors, defeated enemies, thwarted foreign domination and worked for and protected Arab unity. The people of Maldives, as friends of the Egyptian people and as brethren of the same faith, strongly believe that the rightful place of Egypt should continue to be, as it has always been, at the leader- ship of the Arab struggle and not in the ranks of spectators. This is the historical responsibility of this great nation which had produced such valiant heroes as Ahmed Araabi, Mustafa Kamel, Sa-ad Zaghloul and Jamal Abdel Nasser.
Mr. President:
The question of Southern Africa has become a crucial problem that concerns mankind as a whole, since the most basic human rights are at stake in this issue. The forces of imperialism and racism are continuing to defy all international efforts aimed at securing justice, equality and human dignity for millions of black Africans in Zimbabwe, Namibia and South Africa. We believe that any settlement of the question of Zimbabwe which fall short of full and complete transfer of power from minority rule to a majority government under the leadership of the Patriotic Front, will be untenable and against all principles of justice and democracy.
The Republic of Maldives supports the people of Namibia in their just and heroic struggle for independence. We believe that the United Nations carries the responsibility to take prompt and effective steps to terminate the colonial administration over that troubled territory. The sympathy and support of the people of Maldives lie with the South West Africa People's Organisation, SWAPO. We remain convinced that the territorial integrity of Namibia must be safeguarded, in that Walvis Bay is and should be an integral part of that territory. Our abhorrence for the policy of apartheid cannot be over-emphasised. We have always condemned apartheid and all forms of racism and racial discrimination in all international forums, and we do so now. We see apartheid as an inhuman crime against not only the people of South Africa, but against the entire human race.
Mr. President:
While we make determined efforts to remain firmly united for the realisation of the important political, economic and social objectives of this great Movement, we must, I feel, be extremely cautious about the question of the relationships among the member nations within the Movement. In the case of the problems of South East Asia, resort to the use of force is a clear indication of the sensitivity of the issues involved. Such action not only increases international tension but also endangers the security and independence of the peoples of the region. We are only too well aware of the serious repercussions such situations bring about both within the Movement and in the international field. Be it Kampuchea, Vietnam, or my own country of Maldives, we cannot condone the imposition of foreign will on any sovereign state by military intervention. It must be the people of the country concerned who must decide and resolve all political issues by themselves. Unless we respect this fundamental principle of non-intervention in the internal affairs of other states, for whatever reason, and determine not to allow situations emanating from violations of this principle to become precedents in our organisation, our unity and cohesion within the Movement will be seriously impaired.
While the United Nations and all other international forums continue their dedicated efforts to preserve and consolidate peace and stability in the world, the destructive influences the arms race among the Big Powers and the production and sale of conventional weapons throughout the world continue to negate that invaluable work, and often pose imminent threats of armed conflicts.
Maldives welcomes all bilateral and collective efforts aimed at the limitation of strategic arms, but the absence of comprehensive international treaties prohibiting the use, testing and production of all nuclear weapons, and the mass production of conventional weapons constitute a tremendous drain on the economic resources of the world. This in turn greatly impedes the evolution of a new international economic order which is one of the most cherished objectives of the developing countries throughout the world.
We all recognise the fact that the existing world economic system is utterly incapable of coping with the ever-growing and complex problems of economic development that the countries of the third world are facing today. We, the developing countries, have intensified our efforts in all international forums for the promotion of our economic independence and the establishment of a more equitable economic order in which the fruits of progress would be shared by all nations. However, these efforts have not produced any positive results so far due to the failure of the industrial powers to respond constructively to the needs of the developing countries. We feel that the trend of protectionism prevailing among the industrial nations is incompatible with the concept of a more interdependent and integrated world economy. To face these challenges, it has become imperative that the developing countries strengthen their joint economic capacity and step up technical and economic co-operation among themselves and specially consideration has to be given to those countries which are more severely handicapped than others.
In this context, I wish to call upon the oil producing countries and also the developing countries endowed with other natural resources not only to continue but to increase their support to the least developed countries by broadening the scope of that support and by adopting more flexible criteria for extending development assistance to these countries.
In this respect, Maldives welcomes the decision of the Iraqi Government to channel the surcharge on the price of Iraqi oil into long-term interest-free development loans.
Mr. President:
May I humbly submit that, while we all appeal for unity and co-operation amongst us for the sake of the progress of our peoples, let us all be truthful with ourselves, and let us all subject our actions to self-scrutiny and self-criticism.
Let us by deeds, instead of by rhetoric, dedicate ourselves to the honourable goals that we eloquently speak of here:
Let us by action, instead of by words, assist the oppressed, support the needy and relieve the handicapped.
Let none of us help those who fight our brethren! Let none of us strengthen the hands of those whom we condemn!
Let none of us say one thing and do another!
Let this great Movement be truly Non-Aligned!
Thank you.