Oleh/By : DATO' SERI DR. MAHATHIR BIN MOHAMAD
Tempat/Venue : BONN
Tarikh/Date : 19/09/88
Tajuk/Title : THE OFFICIAL LUNCHEON HOSTED IN
HIS HONOUR BY HIS EXCELLENCY DR.
HELMUT KOHL CHANCELLOR OF THE
FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY
Your Excellency Dr. Helmut Kohl,
Chancellor of the Federal Republic of
Germany;
Excellencies;
Distinguished Guests;
Ladies and Gentlemen.
Allow me to express my deep appreciation for your kind
words of welcome and the gracious hospitality that Your
Excellency and the Government of the Federal Republic of
Germany have accorded me and my delegation since our
arrival.
2. I had been looking forward to making this visit for
some time and am pleased to finally make it. I should
mention, however, that I am not entirely a stranger to your
beautiful country, having been here on holiday several times
many years ago and having also led two investment missions.
3. Germany, and the Rhine Valley in particular must be one
of the most beautiful places in the world. It is perhaps
that beauty which has inspired the development of your
culture as manifested by the excellence of the Germans in
music, literature and philosophy. Germany's post-war
rehabilitation and progress is a tribute to the indomitable
spirit, ingenuity and enterprise of her people. We in
Malaysia admire you and have much to learn from your work
ethics, organisation and your pursuit of precision and
excellence.
Your Excellency,
4. I am pleased to note that the Federal Republic has
shown a keen awareness of the aspirations of the Malaysian
people and a positive appreciation of my government's
policies to realise them. Our economic relations have
steadily expanded particularly in the field of trade and
investment. Indeed, the Federal Republic is our most
important trading partner within the European Community.
5. Investment by the Federal Republic in the manufacturing
sector in Malaysia has steadily increased over the years and
today the Federal Republic is the sixth largest foreign
investor in Malaysia. German entrepreneurs' commitment
reflects not only their confidence in the soundness of our
economic policies but also testifies to the political
stability of Malaysia.
6. We are fully appreciative of the Federal Republic's
advocacy of the liberalisation of international trade. It
is imperative that the industrialised countries appreciate
the fact that market access for our primary commodities and
our manufactured goods goes a long way towards strengthening
the socio-economic cohesion of developing societies and help
cushion the cyclical depressions that they are subjected to.
The prosperity of such countries as Malaysia will contribute
to the prosperity of Germany and other developed countries
for then we can buy more of your products.
Your Excellency,
7. I wish to note with deep appreciation the valuable
contribution of the Federal Republic in the area of
technical assistance. We are hopeful that the existing
programme could be further expanded to areas essential to
Malaysia's industrial progress.
8. One issue of considerable concern to my government
however is the anti-tropical timber campaign which seems to
be more and more vociferous. This campaign is unworthy of
its laudable aims for it grossly distorts facts and is
discriminatory in its objective. I wish to emphasise here
that Malaysia has already undertaken effective measures to
conserve its forest, implement reafforestation and develop
compensatory plantation programmes along with a reduction of
felling rate to maintain its ecosystem. We do not just see
trees; we are deeply aware of the woods and the need to
conserve them.
Your Excellency,
9. The recent Jakarta Informal Meeting involving for the
first time all the four Cambodian factions is a positive
development in the decade-old Cambodian problem. I also
wish to stress here that the Afghanistan model is not
applicable to the Cambodian problem for, inter alia, the
Afghan accord did not address the question of political
settlement in the wake of the Soviet withdrawal. In our
view, the self-proclaimed unilateral withdrawal of
Vietnamese troops by 1990 must be directly linked to a
negotiated settlement. I wish to express here our gratitude
for the support which the Federal Republic and the European
Community have extended to ASEAN's efforts towards a
political solution to the Cambodian problem.
10. I also wish to record our deep gratitude to your
government for having resettled some 3,500 Vietnamese
refugees in the Federal Republic. Of late, we have reached
an understanding with the Government of Vietnam which is
prepared to accept the repatriation of those refugees in
Malaysia who are not qualified for resettlement in third
countries and to prevent fresh exodus of boat people. We
are happy to note that Vietnam has agreed to participate in
the Preparatory Meeting which Malaysia will host in November
this year and the International Conference on the
Indochinese Refugees early next year. We trust all the
resettlement countries would extend their whole-hearted
support to ASEAN's initiative and make the Conference a
success.
Your Excellency,
11. We are indeed encouraged by the advances in East-West
Relations particularly the reconciliation over fundamental
differences on arms control. The conclusion of the
Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty has
positively enhanced the prospects for improved East-West
relations and of disarmament in Europe. We are convinced
that an agreement to halve the strategic weapons through
Strategic Arms Reduction Talks (START) would be a fitting
sequel to the INF Treaty, thereby vastly improving the
prospects for international peace and security. We hope
that the Mutual and Balanced Forces Reduction Talks would
make definite progress especially in the area of
conventional forces so that security and stability in Europe
could be achieved at lower levels of conventional and
nuclear forces. We are very conscious that what happens in
Europe in the nuclear age will impact on the whole world.
12. On the economic front we in ASEAN have followed with
great interest the European Community's efforts to reach the
highest level of integration to become a Single European
Union by 1992. Our concern is that such maximum
intra-regional scheme might produce a fortress Europe
perspective which can undermine further the already
limited market access for developing countries and divert
Europe's investment to the community's low-cost member
states with the result that the on-going efforts to promote
greater European investment in ASEAN would be in vain. It
is Malaysia's hope that the march towards 1992 will not
result in an inward-looking European Community and that it
would remain committed to the liberalisation of global
trade.
13. As a developing country which is increasingly dependent
on world trade, Malaysia is very supportive of the Uruguay
Round of Negotiations. We believe in strengthening the GATT
so that it can adequately respond to the changing pattern of
global trade. Efforts must therefore be made by all
Contracting Parties to achieve early progress in the Uruguay
Round in dealing with trade restrictions and distortions.
Trade disputes in agriculture in particular should not be
allowed to reach a point where they jeopardise all current
negotiations. Malaysia and for that matter all developing
countries do not only expect firm agreement on the
agricultural sector at the Mid Term Review Conference in
Montreal in December but also hopes that demonstrable
progress will be made on as many fronts as possible,
including in particular, concrete results on trade in
tropical products.
Your Excellency,
14. I am gratified to note that our exchange of views has
afforded me a better insight into the Federal Republic's
stance on many a regional and international issue of mutual
concern. I trust that my visit have also focussed on some
of the major issues of concern to us.
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
15. May I now invite you to join me in a toast to the
continued health of His Excellency Dr. Helmut Kohl, Federal
Chancellor and to the everlasting friendship between
Malaysia and the Federal Republic of Germany.
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