Oleh/By : DATO' SERI DR. MAHATHIR BIN MOHAMAD
Tempat/Venue : BRUSSELS
Tarikh/Date : 22/09/88
Tajuk/Title : THE OFFICIAL DINNER HOSTED IN HIS
HONOUR BY HIS EXCELLENCY DR.
WILFRIED MARTENS PRIME MINISTER
OF BELGIUM
Your Excellency, Dr. Wilfried Martens,
Prime Minister of Belgium;
Excellencies;
Distinguished Guests;
Ladies and Gentlemen.
Allow me first of all to warmly thank you for your kind
words of welcome and the gracious hospitality extended to me
and my delegation since our arrival here. I am
hopeful that this visit of mine will afford me a better
insight into Belgian affairs which offer compelling
parallels to our own.
2. I am delighted to be in Brussels, the capital of
Europe, so to speak, where much of Europe's destiny is being
charted. The cosmopolitan population of Brussels is perhaps
a preview of Europe of the future, when integration becomes
more pervasive.
3. Earlier we had the opportunity to have a very fruitful
exchange of views on bilateral matters as well as regional
and international issues of mutual concern. I am convinced
that there is tremendous scope for the expansion of our
bilateral relations particularly in the field of trade,
investment and economic cooperation. I am happy to note
that we share similar perceptions on a number of
international issues and fully appreciate each other's
points of view.
4. The current level of bilateral trade, which is modest,
offers considerable scope for further expansion. We are
hopeful that our manufactured products would find greater
acceptance in the admittedly liberal market of Belgium. We
have pursued an economic diversification policy with
emphasis on industrialisation as a means to underwrite the
socio-economic cohesion of our society and to insulate the
economy from the uncertainties of commodity prices.
5. We are pleased to note that Belgian entrepreneurs have
begun to follow the trail blazed by other European investors
into our manufacturing sector. Malaysia's infrastructures,
the abundance of vital industrial raw materials and liberal
investment climate should provide an added inducement to
Belgian investors. We hope that Belgian investors would
consider the advantages of venturing into, among other
things, Malaysia's natural resource based industries.
6. We would like to register our deep appreciation to the
Belgian Government for the technical cooperation programme
which has made valuable contribution in the fields of
agriculture and wood technology. We are confident that the
Belgian Government would positively consider the possibility
of expanding the scope of the assistance programme to other
areas including environmental pollution monitoring and
forensic science. I also wish to take this opportunity to
thank the Belgian Government for the generous emplacements
of our students in Belgian institutions of higher learning.
Your Excellency,
7. Our exchange of views on regional and international
issues of mutual concern reflected a commonality of
perceptions. We are confident that ASEAN's gradual and
steady progress towards economic integration will help forge
regional resilience. Even as ASEAN fostered intra-ASEAN
trade and investment, member states are aware of its
inherent limitations. Hence, the continuing efforts to
improve conditions to promote trade and encourage greater
flow of investment into the region.
8. ASEAN regards the European Community's GSP Scheme as an
important means of diversifying and increasing
inter-regional trade. As you are aware, ASEAN's exports to
the European Community forms a very small percentage of the
Community's total imports and considerably less than exports
of other developing countries into the Community. To date,
ASEAN's efforts to improve market access to the Community
has been stymied by several built-in constraints and despite
the willingness of both sides to discuss ways to overcome
the barriers, success has been limited. In this connection
we hope that Belgium will play a more positive role in
mitigating the protectionist tendencies that exist within
the Community.
Your Excellency,
9. The Uruguay Round of Negotiations launched at Punta Del
Este concerns a comprehensive set of negotiations that
covers the widest spectrum of subjects ever attempted. We
hope that an improved GATT framework of rules could be
hammered out to meet not only the demands of today's global
economic interdependence but also ensure fair competition
and efficiency. Whilst Malaysia and the other ASEAN
countries remain true to the political commitments made at
Punta Del Este, much of the success of the negotiations in
the Uruguay Round depends on the European Community's
position on, inter alia, trade restrictions and distortions
and particularly the subsidies which bedevil the
agricultural trade. At the Montreal Mid-Term Review
Conference in December, Malaysia and the other ASEAN
countries expect definite results on trade in Tropical
Products which were assured 'fast tract status' given their
critical importance to the economies of the developing
countries. Substantive progress on trade in Tropical
Product and firm agreements on commitments on agriculture
will signal to the world our resolve to put in place a
smoothly functioning liberal trading system that would
ensure global development into the 21st Century.
Your Excellency,
10. The protracted Cambodian conflict appears to have
entered a new phase which hopefully marks a watershed in the
Cambodian scenario. To be sure, the Jakarta Informal
Meeting represented a tentative step towards seeking a
negotiated settlement of the problem. As we look forward to
the next face-off amongst the factions, we wish to remind
our friends that the self proclaimed unilateral withdrawal
of Vietnamese troops by 1990 would not lead to peace unless
it is linked to a negotiated settlement. I wish to record
our gratitude to Belgium and the European Community for
their continuing support of ASEAN's efforts in finding a
political solution.
11. An issue of grave concern to us is the increased
landing of refugees on Malaysian shores. We are no longer
able to shoulder this burden. 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 glad to note Vietnam's willingness to participate in the
November Preparatory Meeting to be held in Kuala Lumpur as
well as the International Conference on Indochinese Refugees
early next year. We wish to express our deep appreciation
to Belgium and all the resettlement countries for their
cooperation to date and trust that they would be similarly
forthcoming in making the Conference a success.
12. An issue of grave concern to us all is the four decade
old Palestinian problem which is at the heart of the Middle
East conflict. The Palestinian uprising in the occupied
territories of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip is a grim
reminder to the international community of the folly of
trying to maintain the status quo and of the volatility of
the situation. We deplore the repressive force unleashed on
unarmed Palestinians and fully support the convening of an
International Conference to work out a comprehensive, just
and durable solution within the framework of the inalienable
right of the Palestinians to self-determination and
statehood.
Your Excellency,
13. I am pleased that our discussion has been most
interesting and useful. I hope this visit of mine would
generate increased interactions between the public and
private sectors of our two countries to our mutual benefit.
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
14. May I now invite you to join me in a toast to the
continued health and happiness of His Excellency Dr.
Wilfried Martens, the Prime Minister and to the everlasting
friendship between Malaysia and the Kingdom of Belgium.