UNITED NATIONS: India addresses nuclear crisis at UN, East Timor says some government decisions may have caused unrest and Thailand says democracy to return soon

Delegates from India, East Timor and Thailand were among those to address the 61st Annual General Assembly on Wednesday (September 27). While India drew attention to nuclear proliferation and terrorism, East Timor focused on recent political unrest. Thailand, whose government recently was subject to a coup, said that a new democracy will be established soon. Indian Minister of Defense, Pranab Mukherjee focused part of his address on nuclear weapons. India, a country that possesses nuclear weapons, said that the only way to have peace is for all countries to disarm their weapons of mass destruction. He said, "The existence of nuclear weapons continues to threaten international peace and security. In our view, the best non-proliferation method is universal disarmament and the international community needs to take immediate steps to eliminate the threat of use of nuclear weapons." Terrorism was another hot topic for India, as Mukherjee recalled the July commuter train bombings in Mumbai that killed more than 200 people. "Ours is not the only country to be singled out by useless and senseless acts of martyr. A strong response to terrorism requires broad based international cooperation, denying the space available to terrorists, and increasing the capability of states to address terrorists states," said Mukherjee. The Minister for Foreign Affairs of East Timor also addressed the General Assembly on Wednesday. Jose Luis Guterres spoke about the recent political unrest in East Timor and admitted that some government decisions may have induced the crisis. "As political leaders of a young nation, we acknowledge that not every decision made was right and that some created discontent and were at the source of the demonstrations in April, May, June, and July of this year. We are all interested in carrying out a profound and honest reflection of the causes of this crisis," said Guterres. The crisis, attributed to differences between eastern and western regions, erupted in late April with the firing of 600 striking soldiers, a third of the armed forces. Ensuing violence claimed at least 37 lives and drove 155,000 people, 15 percent of the total population, from their homes, according to the U.N. "As in difficult times in the past, we are determined to succeed and bring to the people of Timor Leste once again the stability and peace we need to develop our country, to improve the living conditions of our people," said Guterres. Soon after East Timor's address, Khunying Laxanachantorn Laohaphan, the Thai ambassador to the U.N., updated the General Assembly on her country's condition following last week's governmental coup which ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. "As a peace-loving country, we are grateful that the political change in our country has taken place peacefully. The situation has returned to normal within hours. On behalf of the Thai people, I wish to thank our friends for their understanding and support. With the resilience of the Thai society, you can be assured that Thailand will emerge as a stronger and more vibrant democracy," said Laohaphan. The coup leaders said they would craft within a year a constitution to repair flaws Thaksin was accused of exploiting to wield near dictatorial powers, then hold an election. Laohaphan assured other nations that Thailand's foreign policy would remain stable through the process of setting up a new government. She said, "I wish to assure this General Assembly that Thailand's foreign policy will remain unchanged. The conduct of our foreign policy will continue to be guided by the spirit and principles enshrined in the United Nations charter, and we remain firm in our commitment to obligations under the international treaties and agreements which we are party to." Thailand technically still remains martial law, but the junta has promised to issue an interim constitution and to name a civilian Prime Minister possibly as soon as October 1.

ITN Source | September 27, 2006

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