YouSaid · the spoken record

Carlos Saúl Menem

lines on the record: 65
first: 1989-09-24
most recent: 1999-09-24
sittings or episodes: 3
sources: un-general-debate

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“It would be unfair and unrealistic, at the beginning of a new millennium, to multiply the privileges and discriminatory practices that came about only as a result of war in 1945. Therefore, no new categories of membership should be introduced in regions where those categories do not exist, especially if tradition and history do not warrant it. Finally, I am convinced that the United Nations is called upon to play an even more relevant role in the twenty-first century. Argentina, which is now to be among the 15 main countries of the Organization, will participate with the same conviction as always in the realization of the noble objectives of the Charter. Once again, I thank you, Sir, and all the Members of the United Nations. After 10 years and six months, I bid you farewell for the last time.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“I would like briefly to share some thoughts with the Assembly. The responsibility of the Security Council in the maintenance of peace cannot be irreplaceable, and its authority must be strengthened. The Council must work in cooperation with other bodies of the United Nations system and with regional organizations in order to carry out its tasks effectively. We have a responsibility towards the men and women who make up the Blue Helmets, as well as towards those who perform humanitarian work in conflict situations. It is our obligation to protect them. We call upon countries to ratify the Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel. Concerning the reform of the Security Council, Argentina supports the creation of a system of non- discriminatory, open rotation.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“As evidence of our concern regarding environmental issues, in November 1998 Argentina hosted the fourth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which adopted the Buenos Aires Plan of Action. During the fifth ministerial meeting of the Zone of Peace and Cooperation of the South Atlantic, which was held in Buenos Aires in October 1998, a Plan of Action was adopted for the first time in order to carry out the objectives of the Zone, which include the protection of the environment and of living resources. 5 The international community must urgently prepare contingency plans to face the year 2000 problem in such a way that essential community services are not affected. Since 1 January 1999, Argentina has been an elected member of the Security Council.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“The numerous humanitarian missions in which “White Helmets” have been deployed in South America, Central America, the Middle East, Africa and the Caucasus are a reflection of the success of this initiative, which I put forward in 1993. Argentina agrees with the Secretary-General that the “White Helmets” can provide assistance, in close partnership with the Blue Helmets, in conflict situations. Argentina supports a world economy of open markets. However, we see the re-emergence of hidden forms of protectionism. This is why we call on all States, in particular to the most developed ones, to take part in the “millennium round”, with the goal of attaining an open, multilateral system that excludes no sector of economic activity.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“I am convinced that the conditions exist for Argentina and the United Kingdom to begin without further delay a dialogue towards a definitive solution of the sovereignty dispute, thus fulfilling the numerous resolutions adopted by the General Assembly and the Special Political and Decolonization Committee. Argentina is the sixth-largest troop contributor to the Organization. At this time, we are involved in 10 of the 17 current operations, including those in Kosovo and East Timor. We have also incorporated personnel from other Latin American countries into our troops. In Argentina, the defence and promotion of human rights is a State policy. That is why we have actively participated in the establishment of the International Criminal Court, as a way to put an end to the culture of impunity.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“Since then, while reaffirming our sovereignty rights and motivated by a spirit of reconciliation, we have worked harmoniously with the United Kingdom on various matters relating to the South Atlantic, such as the rebuilding of a climate of mutual trust in the area, the preservation of live marine resources, the exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons, the resumption of flights between the continent and the Malvinas Islands, and the access of persons carrying Argentine identity documents to the Malvinas Islands. Argentina is a country that is proud of its cultural diversity. Our Constitution establishes as a national goal the recovery of the Malvinas Islands while guaranteeing the strictest respect for the way of life of their inhabitants.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“We believe that all States must renounce nuclear weapons and give unequivocal guarantees that their nuclear capability and most advanced technology are exclusively for peaceful purposes. Allow me once more to refer to the pending sovereignty dispute concerning the Malvinas Islands. One of the first measures we adopted upon taking office was to re-establish diplomatic relations with the United Kingdom, in February 1990. A new stage was thereby begun in which the ties between the two countries were taken to their highest level in history. This was reaffirmed by my recent visit, as President, to the United Kingdom and that of His Royal Highness Prince Charles to Argentina.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“We have ratified the Chemical Weapons Convention, and we are working on a monitoring mechanism for the Biological Weapons Convention. In this context, Argentina joined the Australian Group on 11 December 1992. Argentina's self-restraint in the development of nuclear weapons is recognized as an example by the international community. On 14 September this year Argentina ratified the Ottawa Convention on the prohibition of anti-personnel landmines. At the Southern Cone Common Market (MERCOSUR) summit in Ushuaia, Argentina, on 24 July 1998, MERCOSUR, Bolivia and Chile were declared a zone of peace and a zone free of weapons of mass destruction. A commitment was also made to declare the area a zone free of anti-personnel landmines.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“Argentina acceded to the Treaty of Tlatelolco, in 1994; the Treaty on the Non- Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, in 1995; and the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, in 1998. We are also members of the Nuclear Suppliers Group, and in 1993 Argentina joined the Missile Technology Control Regime. In the field of space activities, the National Commission for Space Activities has worked with the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on the SAC-B satellite mission, the placement in orbit and operation of the SAC-A satellite technology mission and the forthcoming launch of the SAC- C satellite mission, Argentina's first Earth observation satellite. We have also started some ambitious projects in this field with Brazil, as well as with Canada, France, Germany and the United Kingdom.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“We have established consultation and coordination mechanisms with Brazil and Chile on security and defence issues. We are convinced that security depends much more on friendship and cooperation with our neighbours than on what we spend on weapons. As one of the guarantors of the Rio de Janeiro Protocol, we contributed to the peace agreement between Peru and Ecuador. We are working tirelessly for the consolidation of democracy and development in our region. In the field of disarmament and the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, we have taken the following steps. On 28 November 1990 we signed the Foz do Iguaçú Joint Declaration, which consolidated the policy of nuclear transparency with Brazil, and since then we have developed a common peaceful and non- proliferation nuclear policy.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“We have made respect for human rights a sacred value. We are at peace with all our neighbours, with which we have now undertaken a robust integration process. We have put an end to proliferation policies and have actively committed ourselves to peacekeeping operations. We have developed an open and free economy, worked to combat poverty and inequality of opportunity and fought discrimination in all its forms. In short, we have recovered and embraced the high values of our culture, which are the essence of the Charter of the United Nations and which we hope to bring with us into the twenty-first century. At the regional level, which is our natural sphere of interest, we have solved all outstanding border and demarcation issues with the Republic of Chile and thus opened the way for fruitful integration.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“We are pleased that an important figure in Namibia's attainment of independence has the responsibility of conducting this session of the General Assembly. I also wish to express my appreciation to the Foreign Minister of Uruguay, Mr. Didier Opertti, for his skill in presiding over the previous session of the General Assembly. After 10 years as President of Argentina, and with my constitutional mandate about to end, I should like to share with the Assembly the transformations that Argentina has experienced during this time, in a world which has also been transformed. In the past 10 years we have experienced a change of Copernican dimensions. It started with the recovery of democracy. Since that time we have built a stable political system based on the popular will and respect for the rule of law.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“Let us make the best use of the system of collective security and the mechanisms of economic and social cooperation provided by the Charter. I have no doubt that by doing so we shall have a much better world in the next 50 years, one worth living in for our children and our children’s children.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“In the view of the Argentine Republic, any increase in the number of members should be prudent and moderate, so that the Council is guaranteed maximum possible operating efficiency. In addition, any expansion should avoid the creation of unjustifiable imbalances in the representation of the various regions of the world. The Argentine Republic believes that the principle of the sovereign equality of Member States must always be respected. Furthermore, none of the provisions of Article 23 of the Charter should be disregarded. For all these reasons, it would seem preferable to think in terms of a limited increase in the number of non-permanent members and, as far as possible, the elimination of restrictions on their re-election. We find ourselves on the eve of the fiftieth anniversary of the Organization.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“The United Nations should also study multilateral mechanisms that, while respecting the immunities and privileges enshrined in the Vienna Convention, would prevent and punish the abuse of those immunities and privileges to support the actions of international terrorists. We cannot rule out the possibility that such immunities and privileges were abused in the attacks in Buenos Aires. In closing, I wish to address the need to strengthen the United Nations, in particular with respect to its 14 responsibilities in the area of international peace and security. This involves first resolving its pressing financial difficulties. The United Nations must also continue to study the possibility of changing the current structure of the Security Council.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“We believe that concerted action is needed to tackle terrorism - terrorism which has erupted in New York, London and Panama as well as in Buenos Aires. It is vital for the United Nations to play a more active, leadership role, coordinating a global endeavour to effectively combat this scourge. We reiterate here our suggestion that the United Nations should be provided with a unit devoted to the question of international terrorism. United Nations action must enjoy the resolute support of all. It is iniquitous and unacceptable that there are Governments that encourage terrorism. Sovereignty must not be used as a shield for abetting terrorist organizations while the world looks on helplessly. If we Heads of State all worked in concert, we could put an end to this veritable scourge afflicting us all.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“There are two scourges besetting the world at the end of the twentieth century: drug trafficking and terrorism. Both of these call for concerted action on the part of the international community, for they are not national but world-wide scourges. With respect to terrorism, I can speak with the twofold weight of conviction and pain - with conviction, because of our repudiation of terrorism as a means of political or religious expression, and with pain, because of the hundreds of Argentines who died as a result of the attack that destroyed a building belonging to the Jewish community in Buenos Aires in July. We are grateful for the solidarity extended to us and for the Security Council’s condemnation.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“President Clinton kindly referred to our initiative yesterday, and we particularly value his support. The issues related to the relationship between population and development, which a few weeks ago were absorbing world attention in Cairo, cannot be left out of this analysis. We believe in promoting fundamental values, such as the advancement of women, human rights, and sustainable economic development, but with respect to population policies we maintain that human life exists from the moment of conception until natural death, condemning any practice undermining this. Population policies should not aim to smother life, but to ensure the greatest access of all individuals to the benefits of development and the fair distribution of wealth.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“Argentina’s policy aims at securing the consensus of the countries of the Americas in order that we may declare the continent a zone free of subsidies and unfair practices with respect to agricultural products. The agreement on agriculture marks an important advancement, and Argentina thinks it is appropriate to take a further step by helping to eliminate distortions in international trade. Argentina’s concern for social problems is well known. Through measures to establish stability, to combat inflation and to ensure economic growth, we have taken an important step forward in our struggle against poverty. Turning to external matters, we have proposed the establishment of a volunteer corps to combat hunger and poverty, coordinating efforts under way in this field.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“Argentina is ready to preserve the way of life and the particular characteristics, and in this context we are prepared to study all matters, from communications to the legal and financial systems, in order to find logical solutions acceptable to all. Dialogue with the islanders is an inseparable part of a rational, civilized solution to this problem. Once again, logic and reason are pointing inexorably towards cooperation and dialogue. The economic and social agenda is an indication of just how positive an event was the conclusion of the Uruguay Round of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT); it will make it possible to more effectively tackle problems of unemployment and the distribution of wealth.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“As far as oil is concerned, Argentina has once again put forward specific proposals for cooperation. Our initiatives on this matter are based on the recognized principle of international law prohibiting the unilateral exploitation of non-renewable resources, a dispute which has been acknowledged by the General Assembly. 13 As to the inhabitants of the islands, I wish to reaffirm before this Assembly our full readiness to establish direct and responsive links with them. It is clear to us that the problem of the Falkland Islands has an inevitable human dimension which is bound up with the way of life and the needs of the islanders.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“For this reason, and despite the fact that our two Governments have collaborated on certain aspects of the management of the living resources of the South Atlantic, we cannot but deplore the further recourse by the United Kingdom to unilateral jurisdictional measures in the area; these undermine the possibility of broadening existing agreements and of arriving at others. We trust that the United Kingdom shares with us the conviction that there is no real alternative to cooperation in the South Atlantic. With respect to fisheries, we have arrived at provisional agreements allowing for the rational exploitation of these resources and preventing predatory fishing. But repeated recourse to unilateral measures such as I have described jeopardizes the possibility of adding to or indeed maintaining these understandings.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“Our claim this year has taken on special significance, since the Argentine people, through their representatives in the National Congress, reformed the supreme law of the country little more than a month ago, giving constitutional status to the question of the Malvinas Islands by including, in the new text of the constitution, a transitional clause which reaffirms our rights and states that in recovering those rights respect for international law and the way of life of the population of the Islands shall be paramount. Thus the entire spectrum of Argentine political opinion has given solemn embodiment to a claim which is more than ever central and permanent to our foreign policy.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“We are concerned at the persistence of the sovereignty dispute over the Malvinas, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands and the surrounding maritime areas. Although we have a satisfactory relationship with the United Kingdom on other bilateral questions, we cannot help but once again reaffirm before this world forum, as we do each year, our sovereign rights over those territories.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“With this in mind, Argentina has ratified the Treaty of Tlatelolco, while currently our Parliament is considering accession to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, which should be extended for the sake of global security and stability. With respect to chemical weapons, we are taking the necessary steps to set up a national authority, and we hope to see international verification measures strengthened. At the same time, we firmly support the conclusion of the comprehensive test-ban treaty. In the past year, Argentina joined the systems controlling exports of high technology and equipment with possible military uses, enabling us to benefit from the transfer of technology.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“Another aspect of far-reaching importance in terms of the evolution of the United Nations itself is the question of equitable representation on the Security Council and an increase in the number of its members. Argentina attaches great importance to this issue and takes the view that the number of members on the Council has always corresponded to the geopolitical situation prevailing at a specific time and that efforts at reform should thus be designed to adapt the number to the current geopolitical situation. Combating the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction is one of the indisputable pillars of international peace and security.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“The participation of Argentina in nine peace-keeping operations - the highest number for any Latin American country - in the form of troops, military observers and civilian police, is a concrete contribution that bears out the convictions that I have spoken of today. I wish to emphasize that in its participation in peace- keeping operations, the Argentine Republic is accompanied by 72 countries. I wish to pay tribute to them as well for assisting in achieving peace and justice in many, very diverse, regions of the world. We have also responded to the Secretary-General’s proposal that a system of stand-by forces be set up, and our response takes the form of a pledge of specialized personnel, transport and 1,500 troops.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“This phenomenon progressively erodes credibility and public trust in institutions and their leaders. The Argentine Government is committed to a relentless struggle against corruption, placing particular emphasis on eliminating excessive State control and a lack of transparency in State administration, a fertile ground for corruption. The problems that make up the international agenda must, in Argentina’s view, be solved by strengthening the 12 United Nations. We have constantly and firmly supported the work of the Security Council, which is at last on the way to regaining the role assigned to it by the Charter.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“In Haiti, the overall solution lies in compliance with Security Council resolution 940 (1994), which, within the system of collective security provided for in the Charter, authorizes multilateral action, a mechanism that is essentially different in nature from unilateral intervention, which we reject. I wish to take this opportunity to express thanks for the work done by Mr. Dante Caputo, the former Foreign Minister of my country, who, after completing important and intelligent work during his term as Representative of the Secretary-General for the question of Haiti, decided just a few days ago to resign that position. I believe in this regard that it is important to refer to one of the most disquieting challenges that threaten democracy: corruption.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“Our region, with its renewed democratic outlook, its respect for human rights, for peace and progressive but resolute integration, has in a few years become the centre of attraction for international investment. In this framework of increasing freedom that the region now demonstrates, I should like particularly to hail the historic process of elections in El Salvador, which has put behind it a long period of confrontation. With respect to the situation in Cuba, my Government would once again voice its conviction as to the need for democratization on a pluralistic basis as the only way to prevent the worsening of the crisis that exists there and to permit the country to be reintegrated fully into the Latin American community.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“In Africa, Rwanda has demanded the attention and gripped the hearts of all men and women of goodwill. Argentina has contributed by sending foodstuffs and medical supplies, and doctors and nurses from our country have joined in the efforts of thousands of international volunteers who, amid scenes of horror and destitution, remind us of the inner nobility of every human being. In Latin America, our region, to which we attach the greatest importance, the process of consolidating democracy has continued. Significant steps have been taken in terms of the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and it is now possible, as in few regions of the world, to point to high levels of growth in an atmosphere of increasing economic stability.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“Involved here have been men, great statesmen, true leaders, who - without setting aside their own legitimate grievances - have decided courageously to do away with rancour and recrimination. These Israeli and Palestinian leaders have pointed the way to reconciliation founded on peace. But not all is brightness. The shadows of the Balkan tragedy linger, despite the tremendous efforts being made by the United Nations and regional groups to find a just and satisfactory peace. Argentina has contributed to this quest for solutions to the best of its ability, through the United Nations Protection Force. Since 1992 more than 4,000 Argentine soldiers have been dispatched to contribute, sometimes even with their lives, to fulfilling the resolutions of the Organization.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“We have also witnessed with satisfaction and hope the continuation and the strengthening of the peace agreements between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization. In Gaza and Jericho, after more than 30 years, the Palestinian people is once again determining its own future in its own land. The original agreements have been strengthened by those recently signed by Israel and Jordan, which unequivocally represent the definitive acceptance of the State of Israel by the whole of the international community. We hope that such a promising start will soon lead to similar agreements with other, indispensable actors in the region. As at all great moments in history, the solution to the violence and despair that lasted for so many years has not been a matter of chance.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“And there can be no peace or justice when terrorism continues to be protected by political, cultural and economic sponsors. 11 But, as I said at the outset, there are also some facets of reality that encourage us. One of the high notes of the past year was the successful conclusion of the institutional transition of the Republic of South Africa, magnificently embodied in the figures of President Mandela and the enlightened opposition leaders. The national unity agreements which made it possible for South Africa to be successfully integrated into the family of democratic nations demonstrate once again that the endeavour of nation- building must always be based on dialogue and understanding between major political forces.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“The international landscape is full of contrasts: there are encouraging signs of convergence alongside other signs that seem to point to the persistence of authoritarianism and extremism, which inevitably lead to violence. Torn as it is between hope and uncertainty, the world must face the challenge of finding the right answers. But we must keep in mind and never lose sight of the fact that we cannot aspire to a world at peace if we fail to establish a just international society. There can be no peace without justice and there can be no justice without the full assurance of freedom and human rights. There can be no peace or justice if there is discrimination. There can be no peace or justice where there is hunger. There can be no peace or justice where there are regimes that repress individual freedom.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“Allow me, Mr. President, to congratulate you on your election to such a responsible post. I am certain that you will be able to guide our debates with your well-known efficiency. These are years of change and transformation. In an amazingly short period of time we have moved from a bipolar world marked by strategic confrontation which seemed insurmountable to a world in which the hope of an international order of peace and harmony coexists with some uncertainties. There are still serious conflicts that require our full attention and that of the United Nations - the main institution the international community has for the solution of such conflicts.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“They must be the protagonists of a twenty-first century of hope, rather than becoming the victims of a new millennium of horror. That is why I take as mine the words of His Holiness Pope Paul VI, words that are an appeal and a commitment for all men of good will: "Peace is obviously more than the absence of war. Peace is development; and without development peace is an illusion".”
1989-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 44 (1989)
“I insist we must ask ourselves a question deep within ourselves, a question that may seem cruel and compromising: can we truly feel happy with the universe we have created? Can we look our children and young people in the eye and tell them without hypocrisy that we are going to bequeath to them a world in which it is worthwhile to live? Can we say "mission accomplished" with a sigh of relief? Can we sleep peacefully while a single defenceless human being is dying from lack of food, medicine, education or love? I know the answer will not satisfy us, but because I know the answer will bring us together in our conscience, I wish to leave you with this final appeal. Children and young people are the best measure of our behaviour and our decisions.”
1989-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 44 (1989)
“The future cannot be measured in terms of material wealth or poverty alone. We must fight hunger among poor children, and we must also be concerned with the despair of rich children. In the poor countries, they cannot find the economic means for education, work or well-being, or for survival itself. In the industrialized countries, they feel threatened by education characterized by cruel competitiveness. They are denied the space and time they need for fantasy, and they are forced to enter a world where important values are not always kept alive. In both instances, the developed and under-developed, the young feel confronted by a "closed world". The twenty-first century cannot be the mere perpetuation of such a mirage.”
1989-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 44 (1989)
“The twenty-first century has the face and the look of millions and millions of children and youth, who, today, at this very moment, demand that we face our responsibilities with the intelligence and greatness needed to rule the destiny of the world. The twenty-first century must not be a century of war, anguish, death, hunger, alienation, collective madness, indifference, disease, backwardness or ignorance. Today poverty prevents a billion people from having a minimally acceptable standard of living. One out of five human beings suffers this terrible humiliation, in the last 24 hours - please listen to me - some 40,000 children under the age of five have died from causes related to poor economic conditions. Faced with that situation, we cannot look the other way and feign ignorance.”
1989-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 44 (1989)
“To conclude, I wish to make an appeal, I should like my words to reach the conscience of all, to reach each heart, without distinction as to creed, dogma, political colours or national factions. I should like each of us to look the other in the eye and to ask ourselves sincerely and frankly? Is this the world our children deserve? Can we feel proud of the world our children will inherit tomorrow? Will we be satisfied when, in the near future, the voice of history and of our blood summons us to judgement? We cannot mortgage the present. We cannot kill our hope. We cannot murder our dreams. The twenty-first century is not merely a rhetorical turn of phrase. It is not a mere publicity slogan, nor is it a new technological goal. Fundamentally, the twenty-first century is represented in each and every one of c children and young people.”
1989-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 44 (1989)
“There are not three worlds. There are no levels of mankind that can be ignored. There are no continents that can be left out. There is no individual salvation. The twenty-first century will by built by everyone in the world or the twenty-first century will be a mere illusion. It is essential to avoid any irreparable division of the world, a division that may no longer be political but rather economic. Our country, like the vast majority of developing countries, aspires to active co-operation with the industrialized countries which, in turn, are affected by the contradictions resulting from their technological growth. This attitude was made clear at the recent Belgrade Conference of Heads of State of the Non-Aligned Countries. There, constructive co-operation prevailed over confrontational impulses.”
1989-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 44 (1989)
“We are trying to extend it to many other countries through trade and technological co-operation. I have tried to point to some of the central aspects of our position with regard to international problems. We firmly believe that the United Nations has before it a very important task to correct deviations and find the avenues we all desire. The Organization has a mandate, specified in Article 1, paragraph 3, is: "To achieve international co-operation in solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural, or humanitarian character ...". This objective is broad and far from being achieved. None the less, we feel that more than ever it is the essential task of the United Nations to manage the major world problems to the benefit of all and not just at the discretion of a few, even though they are the most powerful. I repeat.”
1989-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 44 (1989)
“Currency ceases to be a symbol of values and trade becomes the dominating factor of the economy. Confronted with this reality, our country is taking action at the regional level, from our immediate frontiers, to implement a policy of growing integration and co-operation with our Latin American brothers. Intensive work is being carried out to consolidate and integrate a system of trade, technological exchange and co-operation for production, based upon concrete agreements. Thus, the real content of this effort will be in the hands of businessmen and will not be only at the State level. We trust that in time this important initiative will become the corner-stone of this unity of peoples that is the natural destiny of Latin Americans. However, this task is not limited to our continent.”
1989-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 44 (1989)
“We realize that it would be inconsistent to call for a fair external order while maintaining injustice and disorder within our own borders. Therefore, our mandate began with a thorough restructuring of our own economic and financial organization. Within a few weeks we have managed to curb the hyper-inflationary process, to lower interest rates and contain the dollar parity. However, we are aware that this internal reorganization would only be a partial effort if not accompanied by economic change on a global scale, because at the world level also, at least in the sphere of the capitalist countries, we suffer from a disease, the privilege of the financial circles - and that of speculation - to the detriment of the fundamental element, productivity.”
1989-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 44 (1989)
“Many of the countries represented here experience it as terrible deprivations, and indeed, their very survival is threatened. This syndrome has been described very accurately. Data on the annual South-North flow of dollars make further comments unnecessary. What I do want to point out to the Assembly is that in Argentina's current crisis, which is similar in essence to that of many other Latin American countries, the determining factor is the deformation of our economy, coinciding with the perversion of world trade. In this respect, we are committed to a thoroughgoing reorganization, halting hyper-inflation, streamlining the State and replacing a ruinous economy riddled with financial speculation by what we call the "productive revolution", so that one who works in the productive chain may benefit.”
1989-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 44 (1989)
“This means specifically that many Latin American countries are faced with a situation of having to mortgage their development or demand of their People an extremely high, indeed immoral, social cost, in order to meet their foreign debt obligations. Our Government is committed to meeting its obligations, but of course we require the necessary reciprocal changes in the conduct of international trade in order to make our effort economically viable so that we may be able to sell our products freely, at competitive and realistic prices. We are not so much afraid of the debt itself as of the persistence of a system that keeps on postponing the prospects of legitimate recovery. I will not go into detail about these inequities in the world economy.”
1989-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 44 (1989)
“I wish now to address one of the major universal problems that affects particularly my country and our Latin American brothers. I refer to the prevailing international economic order. We are one of the countries whose volume of exports is affected by the exclusions or limitations imposed by a system of customs and tariff barriers, subsidies and other restrictions on free competition in the trade in agricultural products. This limitation coincides with demands for the payment of interest on our foreign debt. The industrialized countries which demand absolute respect for financial obligations are the very ones that are limiting our possibilities for recovery by restricting the access of our basic commodities to their markets.”
1989-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 44 (1989)
“International criminal organizations sometimes believe they are stronger than some States, but that is not true, for they lack moral force and their fight, although violent, is a terminal and desperate one. Our country - and in particular our Government - is willing to wage an all-out war on all fronts against this scourge. We want to extend our law enforcement measures to reach all those involved in drug trafficking. We are providing the Colombian Government with all possible support. On this point, I should like my words to ring out with the full force of a call for shared and joint action. Despite the enormous limitations faced by my country, we have none the less donated three fighter, exploration and surveillance aircraft to our sister republic of Colombia.”
1989-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 44 (1989)
“We are aware of the enormous difficulties of the problem, but we have not wanted to skimp in our efforts or availability with respect to any concrete initiative. Beyond the problems of peace and disarmament, our Organization must devote its efforts to new issues which, because of their magnitude, are becoming the major universal issues of our generation. Almost every country is the victim of drug trafficking, whether as a producer, a consumer or an intermediary. This extremely serious problem can be combated only if the international community acts in concert and energetically, pursuing with equal severity drug consumption, trafficking and production.”
1989-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 44 (1989)