YouSaid · the spoken record

TINDEMANS

lines on the record: 200
first: 1982-09-24
most recent: 1988-09-24
sittings or episodes: 6
sources: un-general-debate

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“I shall elaborate later on this subject, in which the human element is predominant. In dealing with these important issues of security, disarmament and arms limitation I shall restrict myself to a few points of priority interest to my country since the essence of our views has already been stated by ray Danish colleague, Mr. Ellemann-Jensen, on behalf of the Twelve. The first point that must be made is that the international context and climate are more relaxed than before. We have witnessed over the past few months a series of developments that are unquestionably positive in terms of both East-West relations and disarmament and arms limitation. The odds in favour of meaningful agreements are better than at any other time in recent history.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“In the same spirit Belgium has shown its desire to foster progress in matters of freedom of religion, thought, conscience and conviction, freedom of information and working conditions for journalists. Proposals such as those should, in our opinion, be supported unanimously by all signatory States. Belgium has also contributed to proposals aimed at improving economic co-operation among participating States while at the same time stressing the part that the individual can and must play in such relations, which also contribute to his personal fulfilment. Finally, in conformity with its traditions, Belgium has also used the framework of the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe to foster new progress in the fields of confidence-building measures and conventional armaments balance.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“This system is completed by the convening of meetings and conferences on the human dimension of CSCE, which will evaluate the implementation of the system, assess the circumstances and possibly recommend new measures. This text constitutes a logical and coherent set of proposals, the driving force for progressive action. In the chapter on the "Third Basket", the Final Act, in addition to the general provisions on "principles", also went into specific themes of fundamental and immediate interest for the free and entice fulfilment of the human being: human contacts, information, culture and education. At the meeting in Vienna, Belgium was also very active in those fields. It submitted proposals pertaining, inter alia, to the right of the citizen to be aware of his rights, a ban on arbitrary arrests, and the rights of national minorities.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“In this spirit, Belgium, in agreement with its partners and allies, prepared a proposal the concept and eventual implementation of which should lead to considerable improvement in respect for human rights among all 35 States members of the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe. That proposal is based on the actual text of the Final Act. It envisages a system of information and representations to Governments in which the individual, as such, has a role to play. Furthermore, it proposes the convening of bilateral meetings to consider litigious cases and a notification procedure for cases or particularly difficult situations, it also offers the possibility for all States to ask for and obtain special meetings of the Thirty-five to discuss and resolve situations or specific cases.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“The debates at meetings in Belgrade, Madrid and Vienna have demonstrated that the implementation of the provisions of the Final Act in the field of human rights and human contacts has not as yet fully lived up to the hopes of the signatories. Certainly there has been some progress, but it is insufficient as is clear from the number of violations that have been denounced. The basic principle that laws must be made for man is too often forgotten and supplanted by the concept of man as servant of regulations. That is what guided Belgium's action in the drafting of the Final Act and, later, in the implementation of that instrument and its corollary documents. The Vienna meeting, which opened on 4 November 1986, gave Belgium the opportunity to make its views known and to take appropriate initiatives.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“The Final Act demonstrates our common will to proceed in a particular direction - towards harmonious relations between States, it shows also that for my country and its partners it is essential that in the field of human rights, as in humanitarian matters, the idea must prevail that States exist to serve their citizens, not the other way round. For us, the human dimension is the essence of relations in Europe. True to its long-standing tradition of struggle in the name of human liberty, from the beginning of CSCE Belgium did everything to ensure that in what became the Helsinki Final Act there were appropriate commitments ensuring the improvement of the conditions of life of the individual.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“This optimism is warranted, I sincerely believe, by a certain number of recent developments on a few essential issues East-West relations, regional conflicts, world economic problems, and human rights. Allow me to dwell upon some of them. The Final Act of the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE), which I was honoured to sign on behalf of my country in 1975, is, in so far as it concerns East-West relations, a balanced achievement that tries to overcome the divisions built on the ruins of the last war in Europe. As the emanation of the will of 35 States to foster and develop in mutual respect and tolerance a Europe free from violent conflicts, the Final Act of Helsinki also embodies the hopes for peace of mankind as a whole, since it is true, without a doubt, that a European war would inevitably lead to world tragedy.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“They realize with bitterness that international relations are not founded primarily on respect for the individual but are essentially inspired by exacerbated ideological considerations, fanaticism and State selfishness, which have little concern for individual and family welfare. In these conditions it comes as no surprise that a sometime sizeable segment of public opinion turns its back on the United Nations. Two years ago we embarked together upon collective self-examination, but I cannot shake off the impression that debates in the United Nations, in New York and in Geneva, sometimes take on an unreal form and often disregard the human dimension without which all multilateral co-operation is condemned to remain sterile. My experience of international relations goes back far enough to keep my optimism intact.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“The United Nations may indeed have prevented the outbreak of a third world war. None the less, numerous wars or conflicts continue to plunge families into mourning; millions of individuals suffer from malnutrition and lack of basic health care; fundamental freedoms are flouted in many States Members of our Organization, economic imbalances are not being reduced) and the totalitarianism of some and the fanaticism of others have swollen· the flows of refugees, who are unprovided for and often unwelcome. Hence public opinion is asking some questions and wants to know how the United Nations is endeavouring to implement the credo of San Francisco. Young people, who are the driving force of the better world we all await, are anxious and restless.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“Belgium, for its part, enthusiastically joined the founding Members of the "United Nations for a better world" as early as at the San Francisco Conference. In past centuries my country had the sad privilege of being the battlefield of European Powers. Successive foreign occupations have fashioned the personality and way of life of the Belgians: we are deeply attached to freedom and democracy; we love our common sense, our spirit of tolerance and conciliation are such that our adherence to the Preamble of the Charter is today as in 1945, marked by fervour and great sincerity. Nobody has expressed those feelings better than my illustrious predecessor Paul-Henri Spaak, who presided over the first session of the General Assembly. - But reality falls considerably short of pledges.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“Possibly the picture we drew then of the world situation was not an encouraging one, but all Member States did, nevertheless, renew on that occasion the pledge they had made when adhering to the Charter. It was indeed a pledge, a profession of faith. The peoples of the United Nations have declared in the Preamble of the Charter their determination: "to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small". The Preamble, which contains the entire philosophy of the United Nations, speaks of social progress, tolerance, common interest, justice and peace; the constituent elements of a universal faith. We made this pledge with conviction, some in 1945 and others as they gradually attained independence.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“In his capacity as current President of the Council of Ministers of the European Community, my Danish colleague, Mr. Ellemann-Jensen, has eloquently presented from this rostrum the way in which the 12 member States of the European Community approach the international questions on our agenda. I wish to thank him warmly) and I hasten to stress that Belgium closely associates itself with the statement he made. I should like to focus my remarks on a theme which is particularly dear to me namely, the human dimension of international relations. Two years ago we solemnly celebrated the fortieth anniversary of our Organization. It gave us an opportunity to reflect on the purposes of the United Nations, as inscribed in the Charter, and to evaluate their implementation in all fields.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“His efforts to resolve international problems, in particular the conflict in the Gulf, deserve our support and gratitude. In his report to the General Assembly, the Secretary-General affirms his conviction and hope that there will be improved multilateral co-operation, facilitated by a new vision and the necessary pragmatism on the part of Member States. I fully share these conclusions. As in previous years, I wish to make a plea for true universality of the United Nations system. I cannot, therefore, fail to mention the question of the Korean peninsula. I should Like to reiterate that Belgium is in favour of the admission of both Koreas to the United Nations, and in this context, my country expresses the hope for a positive conclusion of direct dialogue between both parties.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“Last week the General Assembly unanimously elected Minister Florin to the presidency of its forty-second session. I congratulate him warmly, especially since his diplomatic experience is the best guarantee of the harmonious unfolding of our work. The relations between his country and my own, which have been excellent for a long time, are undergoing a remarkable development. My delegation will be happy to contribute, within its means, to the full success of his difficult task. I should also like to thank his predecessor, Minister Choudhury, who guided the work of the forty-first session with exemplary efficiency. I wish also to pay a particular tribute to the Secretary-General, to his professional qualities, his diplomatic talents and relentless dedication.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“It seemed to me that at this time the preservation of this climate is particularly linked to the resumption of the East-West dialog, to action against hunger and poverty in the world, particularly in Africa, and to practical measures against international terrorism. This was the message I wished to bring to this Assembly.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“I have already mentioned the European Convention on Suppression of Terrorism. In Article I this Convention enumerates a certain number of acts which are not to be considered as political offenses. Among them are, in particular, offenses involving the use of a bomb, grenade, rocket, automatic firearm or letter or parcel bomb if this use endangers persons". Would it, for instance, not be conceivable to give special attention to the use of booby-trapped devices, as was already done to the taking of hostages. It is certain that the use of such devices is a particularly heinous act when it is prone to endanger the life and physical integrity of innocent people. The raison d'etre of our Organization is to preserve, in spite of rivalries and confrontations, a climate of peace in the world.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“Among the recommendations of the Ad Hoc Committee on International Terrorism were certain proposals which meet our concerns and which I should like to bring to the attention of the General Assembly: the recommendations to the appropriate specialized agencies and to the regional organizations, to consider measures likely to prevent and to combat international terrorism within their fields of competence and in their region; an invitation to all Member States to co-operate more closely, especially by exchanging relevant information on preventive measures and on the struggle against international terrorism, by entering into special treaties or by incorporating in the appropriate bilateral treaties special provisions, in particular with regard to the application of the principle of "extradition or prosecution" to international terrorists; and the consideration by the General Assembly of the need to work out one or more additional international conventions based on the principle of "extradition or prosecution" to combat acts of international terrorism which are not yet covered by other international Conventions of a similar nature.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“Any system of terror runs counter to the principles of the United Nations Charter and it is therefore Incumbent upon Member States to help to eradicate it. The efforts to be made at the multilateral level, within the United Nations, must also be supplemented by bilateral agreements. Discrepancies between legislations and the sensitiveness of national sovereignty should not allow terrorists to escape punishment.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“They have all been ratified by Belgium as well as the International Convention against the Taking of Hostages adopted in 1979 by the United Nations General Assembly. That Convention will soon be submitted for approval to the Belgium Parliament, Thus, Belgium has already adopted the approach recommended in the resolution on terrorism adopted unanimously fay the Seventh United Nations .Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders which was held recently in Milan. Experience has shown that no country is safe from terrorism. The drafting of a general convention on international terrorism is doubtless a goal which is too ambitious, which probably cannot be reached in the near future. It would be better, I think, to try to resolve the problem by considering its various aspects successively.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“It is, no doubt, encouraging to see that various measures and regulations have already been agreed on at the regional and the sectoral levels. At the regional level, I should like to mention in particular the 1977 European Convention on the Suppression of Terrorism which, after thorough discussions, has just been adopted by the Belgium Parliament. Consequently, this Convention will be in force among the 15 member States of the Council of Europe united in their struggle against that scourge. The so-called partial approach has, furthermore? allowed the international community to legislate on various kinds of terrorism. I am referring to the Tokyo, Montreal and The Hague Conventions concluded within the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) framework.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“Unless we acknowledge these, the fight against international terrorism will be completely paralyzed. Given the aggravation of international terrorism which threatens the lives and the security of innocent people all over the world, the time has crane to determine the criteria for acts which cannot be justified or excused, notwithstanding the sympathy and understanding which some political, cultural, social or economic situations may arouse. It seems urgent to us to establish, ever and beyond all ideological confrontation, a series of universally recognized measures against those criminal acts. The view that assaults, the taking of hostages and other such criminal behavior, are acts which call for leniency because of their political nature and may be committed with impunity by their perpetrators, can no longer be tolerated.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“Resolutions were adopted and a special committee was set up to study the question and to make proposals in order to find effective solutions to the problem of terrorism. However, we were unable to reach consensus. The discussions were not cJnfined to principle and law, but led to a political confrontation between countries favoring total suppression of terrorism and countries which considered that they would rather look into its causes. Of course, international terrorism cannot be eradicated completely without an improvement in the political, economic and social situations which encourage it. Nevertheless, terrorism cannot be a means that is justified by the goals it pursues. There are acts which are so barbaric, so heinous, and so contrary to society that nothing can justify them.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“I believe that you all share with me this feeling of shame. It is not a matter of ideologies; it is not a matter of religious beliefs. I think it is a matter that affects our conscience as human beings." I should like to join with the Secretary-General and respond to the appeal he made to us as citizens of the world and as mere human beings. I am not unaware of the difficulty of the response to be given and of the efforts already undertaken by our Organization. As early as 1972, on the occasion of the twenty-seventh session of the General Assembly, the Secretary-General of the United Nations took the initiative to submit this problem for discussion by the General Assembly and requested the Member States to inform him of their comments on this subject.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“Belgium, as a member of the United Nations Council for Namibia, insists that the Namibian question be resolved as soon as possible on the basis of Security Council resolution 435 (1978). It is convinced that the settlement of this problem will lessen tensions in the region, thus initiating an overall evolution in the situation in southern Africa. This makes us insist on the need for an urgent solution to that problem. Finally, I should like to tackle the issue of terrorism, an evil which today encompasses the whole world. At his press conference of 21 June 1985, the Secretary-General stated the following at the time of the taking of hostages on the TWA plane: "As a human being, I have a feeling of shame. I think that what the terrorists are doing all over the world is not only, a crime but also an act of cowardice.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“My Government ventures to hope that in each community, responsible leaders will be found who, leaving aside violence and slogans, will seek original solutions to complex problems. No citizen of South Africa, regardless of the color of his skin, stands to gain from a bloodbath or economic chaos. As Mr. Poos stated, on behalf of the Ten, I believe that the only solution lies in granting equal rights to all citizens of South Africa, within a system of protection of minorities and the dialog that I have just mentioned. Through its clear action, Belgium, together with the Ten, hopes to convince the South Africans to adopt such a policy. It is in this spirit that Belgium together with its partners in the European Community, decided to take restrictive as well as positive measures vis-k-vis South Africa.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“The decade of the seventies has favored infrastructural development which was an indispensable phase. However, some reforms of another kind are just as necessary. It is in this context that I wish to call to mind the tragic events which in recent months have taken place in South Africa. Racial discrimination leads to violent confrontation, with the number of innocent victims running into the hundreds. The threat of civil war looms larger with it its train of suffering and misery leading to the economic collapse of half the continent. Like so many others, I, too, should like to appeal, from this rostrum, to the Government of the Republic of South Africa to undertake forthwith the dismantling of apartheid which Belgium condemns unreservedly. My country appeals to all South Africans to move towards constructive dialog.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“In October 1983, with the help of four United Nations agencies, we selected the countries of the Horn of Africa as beneficiaries because it is one of the regions of the world where due to starvation the mortality rate is one of the highest. Since the end 1984, Belgium, together with various non-governmental organizations, is also engaged in a series of emergency aid operations in several drought-stricken African countries. This aid, in equipment or cereals, is today indispensable, but is obviously not enough. He consider development aid to developing countries as the first duty of industrialized countries. At this time, when the international crisis is hitting all countries, but more severely the developing countries, international solidarity together with a sense of responsibility is necessary now more than ever before.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“In order to achieve greater effectiveness, the co-ordination of the aid has been strengthened at the levels of the various organs of the United Nations as well as of the donor countries. This effort must be continued and supplemented through longer-term actions geared towards the development of the populations. Among these long-term actions my country gives the highest priority to integrated rural development, the only lasting solution to the problems of hunger and malnutrition, the only means of fighting rural exodus and anarchic urban growth. It is at this goal of development of rural areas that Belgium aimed when it established the Survival Fund for the Third World to help the famine-stricken countries to recover and to improve their food production in order to achieve self-sufficiency.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“Today, economic difficulties, drought, agricultural crises and food shortages are in many places complicated and their consequences multiplied by armed conflicts, internal disturbances and international confrontations. The combination of these situations has ultimately given overwhelming dimensions to these evils. TOO many African countries experience poverty, which carries in its wake suffering, death and displacement of populations fleeing natural calamities and the disasters of world. In the face of this situation, the international community did not remain indifferent. Under the momentum given to us by our Secretary-General, Mr. Perez de Cuellar, measures have been taken, and continue to be taken, to meet the most urgent needs of the African peoples.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“If on the multilateral level we did not spare any effort in favor of disarmament and peace, on the bilateral level also we have translated our principles into action. Belgium has always declared itself ready to enter into a dialog with countries wishing to do so and has not failed to play to the full its role in the concert of nations. This role involves establishing contacts, using restraint and establishing credibility and reliability with respect to our existing commitments. East-West rivalry and the confrontation between the nuclear Powers are not the only threats to international life. Because of tradition and historical bonds, my country is particularly interested in the African continent, whose severe crisis is still a source of concern.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“At the end of July, in Helsinki, I said that I felt some disappointment with regard to the manner in which certain previsions of the Fined. Act had been implemented. Frankness compels me to repeat that, in my view, the great expectations which had been placed in that Act have not been fully met. The outcome of the Ottawa Conference on Human Rights is but an illustration of the pitfalls we find in our path. I persist, however, in believing that the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe process may still be improved and supplemented. Belgium, for its part, will prove itself to be persevering and determined with regard to the further development of this process. We cannot allow ourselves to be pessimistic on this point.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“Verification is the indispensable element of any security and disarmament agreement. He who rejects verification bears the responsibility for failure. Only openness and transparency will allow us to lessen the distrust, to relax the atmosphere and to move on to a more secure climate. In the same spirit; I should like to appeal for scrupulous compliance with the agreements already concluded in the field of disarmament and security. Nothing fosters distrust more than the suspicion that commitments already undertaken are not, or not fully, coupled with. This is not a question of accusations or polemics. Let us simply acknowledge that if existing agreements are not implemented in good faith, it will become more difficult to conclude new ones.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“My country is, therefore, in a very good position to request: full and unconditional compliance with the Geneva Protocol of 1925 which bans the use of chemical weapons; the conclusion of a new international convention which totally prohibits not just solely the use but also the production, stockpiling and transfer of chemical weapons. In 1984, a draft to that effect was submitted at the Conference on Disarmament by the Vice-President of the united states. It is urgent that the conference reach an agreement on this point. Belgium, for its part, has already decided to put stricter controls on the export of "key precursors", that is to say, the basic elements in the composition of toxic weapons. But here, as elsewhere, the crucial problem underlying disarmament agreements remains the setting up of an adequate verification system.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“It is in Geneva as well that the negotiations in the Conference on Disarmament take place. In this context, and without wanting to minimize the importance of other points of discussion, I should like to broach the question of chemical weapons. We were horrified by the use of chemical agents in recent conflicts. We will never forget that Belgium was the first battlefield where such weapons were used. One of the agents is called Yperite after the name of the Flemish city of Ypres, which since 1916 has become famous throughout the world.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“Belgium considers these negotiations as being of the greatest importance. It seeks as sweeping a reduction as possible of the number of existing systems, with due consideration, however, of the balance and stability of the strategic relationship between the two parties. New technologies, particularly in outer space, cannot be implemented unless they strengthen that stability. Also in Geneva, the President of the United States of America and the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union will meet in November. Belgium, like all other nations, expects this summit meeting to contribute to breaking the barrier of distrust, the ill effects of which I denounced earlier. It also expects it to lead to a constructive dialog of which the whole world and not only the participants is in great need.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“The proposals we made at the Conference on Confidence- and Security-Building Measures and Disarmament in Europe in Stockholm went in that direction. They were ambitious in scope - which was to make disarmament possible by rebuilding confidence - but modest and perfectly workable as far as their implementation was concerned. They did not tend to put obstacles in the path of security agreements but, on the contrary, to favor small steps towards the lessening of tensions. Accordingly, Belgium attaches great importance to two elements of the rather gloomy picture of East-West relations, which in the course of the last months have given rise to some glimmer of hope. On 12 March 1985 the United States and the Soviet Union resumed in Geneva negotiations on strategic arms, intermediate nuclear forces and space weapons.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“Distrust is prevalent everywhere and paralyzes attempts to resolve the many problems of the world. This climate of incomprehension and mutual fear has deep roots. The uninterrupted large-scale deployment of nuclear missiles aimed at Western Europe has led my country, together with others, to accept deployment on its territory of cruise missiles. This difficult political decision does not reflect any bellicose sentiment or aggressive intentions; it is the inevitable consequence of legitimate fear due to sustained military pressure by which the balance of forces had been undone. It is this dangerous spiral of threats, distrust and fear which we have tried to slow down and, if possible, to break.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“Poos, the current President of the Council of Ministers of the European Community, has faithfully reflected from this rostrum the views of the ten member States, including Belgium, on the whole range of international questions which now more than ever are of concern to the world community. I wish to thank my colleague for his statement, because it allows me to focus my comments on a few subjects which seem of particular interest to me. Whether we wish it or not, the international situation remains strongly marked by the state of relations between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies. last year I had the opportunity to point out from this rostrum how bleak the outlook was with regard to East-West relations. Since then, the situation has not really improved.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“How, finally, can we remain indifferent to the assaults on the universal character of our Organization or ignore its historic deficiencies? Suffice it for the moment to refer to the example of the Korean Peninsula. Its reunification presupposes a peaceful and democratic solution to the problems that separate the two parts. My country shares the view of the Republic of Korea that direct talks between the two parts must first a ink at restoring the climate of confidence which has been lacking for so long. While we wait for this dialog, which we strongly encourage, lead to reunification, Belgium favors the simultaneous entry of the two Koreas to the United Nations. My colleague from Luxembourg, Mr.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“de Pinies eminent predecessor, Ambassador Lusaka, in discharging his high functions. As always, I took keen note of this year's report submitted by the Secretary-General. How can we not share his concerns with respect to multilateralism in this anniversary year? How can we fail to heed his insistent appeals for greater solidarity and for the establishment of a system of international relations which takes fully into account the obligations and responsibilities which have fallen to us as Members of the United Nations? How can we fail to respond to his request for profound reflection at a high level on the objectives, accomplishments and shortcomings of our Organization, which is about to celebrate its fortieth anniversary?”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“In the troubled world in which we live, our Organization has been fulfilling for 40 years now the essential task of helping to resolve world problems and to ensure that harmonious international relations prevail. This session, which is meant to celebrate this event, instills in many of us the hope for renewed energy and for a renewed awareness of the need to accomplish the tasks set out by the founders of our Organization. I have no doubt that under the wise guidance of Mr. de Pinies the Assembly will go down in the annals of the United Nations as having contributed effectively to the fulfillment of the ideals and purposes of our Charter. I should also like to reiterate here the expression of our deep appreciation for the devotion and effectiveness shown by Mr.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“Allow me first of all to offer my warmest congratulations to Mr. de Pinies on his accession to the presidency of the fortieth session of the General Assembly of the United Nations. His remarkably broad experience - it is indeed the twenty-eighth time he has attended the proceedings of our Assembly - as well as the prestige and authority he has thus acquired constitute the best guarantee of success in our work. My country is delighted at the election of a representative of Spain, a country it holds particularly dear and which is about to join the European Community. Before starting my statement. I wish to express to the Government and people of Mexico my deepest sympathy for the terrible tragedy which they have just suffered.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“It wished, unwaveringly, its life To expand and be more beautiful In every spring." That is my wish for the United Nations on the eve of its fortieth anniversary.”
1984-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 39 (1984)
“After the tragic failure of the League of Nations, the hopes of humanity were transferred to an organization which would be universal and would be able to ensure collective security once and for all, tackle fundamental economic issues and reaffirm the basic rights of every human being. Let us recall the extraordinary surge of hope to which the birth of the United Nations gave rise in our people from all walks of life. Let us try from now on to fulfil that hope and let us learn from our failures. 161. A poet of my country, Emile Verhaeren, once sang the epic of a century-old tree, evoking the ordeals by which its growth had been marked from season to season; but he concluded: "Its energy, however, Never failed One single moment.”
1984-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 39 (1984)
“needs to be expressed not so much through ceremony and in words as in policies and actions. A renewal of faith in the Organization is absolutely necessary to the future of the global community." 159. That is a proposition to which Belgium, for one, intends to make a contribution, and it wishes to do so in the closest co-operation with each and every one of its fellow Member States in the Organization. 160. May this fortieth anniversary offer us the opportunity to ensure that elements that unite us prevail over those that divide us. Let us try to remember the tragedy of the Second World War, the state of the world at the end of that conflict, our desire that such a calamity should never happen again, and our decision to create, to that end, the organization which became the United Nations.”
1984-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 39 (1984)
“It is time, on the eve of the fortieth anniversary of the United Nations, that we remember this. 158. It is, moreover, what the Secretary-General asked for in the statement he made on 31 May 1984 before the Preparatory Committee for the Fortieth Anniversary of the United Nations. He said that the anniversary should be an occasion for the world community to ‘’speak out frankly and with a full sense of responsibility towards the entire human family and its planetary home, about the shortcomings of Member States and of this Organization to fulfil such vital purposes as the consolidation of peace and security, disarmament, economic development and the promotion of human rights". He went on to say that "a firm recommitment by all Member States to their obligations under the Charter and its fundamental purposes . . .”
1984-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 39 (1984)
“It thus took its place within the general framework of North-South relations and proved that substantial progress is possible within this context as long as there is the will and the realism. 155. I firmly believe that if the Second International Conference on Assistance to Refugees in Africa achieved such success it was because its participants put the determination to save lives above all else, for it was for humanity that the United Nations was created—to save mankind from war, protect it from oppression, free it from poverty and hunger. 156. Every time that this is remembered, the actions of the United Nations have been crowned with success, a success which the Secretary-General points to in his report. Each time it is forgotten, the Organization has failed. 157.”
1984-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 39 (1984)
“The commitment to give concrete expression to this correlation was one of the substantive achievements of the Conference. Emergency aid and assistance are major aspects of this correlation and must continue. The efforts of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to promote long-term solutions through voluntary repatriation—the most desirable solution, since it goes right to the heart of the refugee problem—and through settlement programmes have proved correct. All these efforts must also be continued. But to ensure these solutions, it is necessary to integrate the projects relating to refugees within the development process. The Conference clearly confirmed this principle. 154.”
1984-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 39 (1984)
“The international development organizations, for their part, said that they are ready to co-operate fully in this undertaking. 152. It is not surprising, therefore, that this spirit, marked by positive and constructive determination and humanitarian concern, enabled the Conference to culminate in the adoption by consensus of a Declaration and Programme of Action. These documents are clear and reflect very well indeed the will that inspired all the countries represented, since they demonstrate the commitment of all to work together, in close solidarity, sharing the burdens, on the basis of a strategy designed to bring about a lasting solution to the refugee problem in Africa. 153. Moreover, the Conference stressed the vital importance of the complementarity of aid to refugees and development aid.”
1984-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 39 (1984)
“151. From the outset, the countries participating in that Conference recognized that the problem of refugees in Africa is the concern of all, for it is the common responsibility of all nations, even if, regrettably, some States chose to remain aloof from this great movement of international solidarity. On the one hand, the African Governments clearly reaffirmed their commitment to do everything in their power to find lasting solutions for often painful human problems. On the other hand, donor Governments, which offer their financial assistance, committed themselves to working hand in hand with the African countries to support such solutions and to bear the often heavy cost of the infrastructure which the reception and repatriation of refugees implies for the countries concerned.”
1984-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 39 (1984)