Page 3724 - Week 13 - Tuesday, 15 October 1991
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One event which should not go unnoticed because it is so terribly important for democracy in the world occurred in August. I do not think anyone has commented on it. I refer to an attempted coup in the Soviet Union by hardliners and militarists, to stop the reforms instituted by President Gorbachev and other like-minded reformers in that massive country and superpower. Luckily, that coup was very short-lived - only some 72 hours. As a result of actions by the Soviet people themselves, including various commanders in the Red Army and their troops who refused to carry out orders to fire on the crowds, and popular leaders such as Boris Yeltsin and Mikhail Gorbachev, further progress towards reform of that previously abhorrent totalitarian empire has been accelerated. That can only assist world peace and the prospects of democracy throughout the world.
There was a bit of unilateral disarmament by President Bush of the United States, backed up I think by some of his European allies. Mr Major, the British Prime Minister, also announced getting rid of certain classes of nuclear weapons. I was a little bit concerned because I wondered whether there was going to be a corresponding gesture by the Soviet Union, and there was. Mr Gorbachev made similar gestures, and now whole classes of nuclear weapons will be dismantled. I think this is further progress towards a much safer world.
Of course, we will always have, unfortunately, some wars in this world. Luckily, I suppose - as luckily as you can be when one talks about wars, because that involves killing innocent people - those wars in a sense will be at least localised and the chance of a global conflagration has been lessened very considerably in recent months. One of the more recent catalysts to that was the unsuccessful coup in the Soviet Union. I look forward to further progress on the world scene in terms of democracy for the few remaining countries which have communist dictatorships left.
Mr Connolly: There are right-wing dictatorships too.
MR STEFANIAK: Well, and right-wing dictatorships too, Mr Connolly; but do not get so hung up about them. Right-wing dictatorships and communist dictatorships are equally abhorrent. I am talking about the few remaining communist dictatorships. The events in the past couple of years have been very promising indeed. Every day now we see further improvements in the world situation, further progress in countries which have been totalitarian dictatorships of various political persuasions. That can only be applauded. I think it is very appropriate to mention that today when we congratulate a freedom fighter from Burma who has been given the Nobel Peace Prize.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
Assembly adjourned at 9.44 pm
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