YouSaid · the spoken record

Barrow

THE RECORD WRITES THIS SPEAKER AS BARROW

lines on the record: 156
first: 1985-09-24
most recent: 1995-09-24
sittings or episodes: 6
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

“Barrow, Belize) the United Nations system is the great bulwark preventing the horror of a Hobbesian vision from becoming the central reality of international affairs.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“Belize therefore reiterates its commitment to co-operate bilaterally, regionally and inter nation ally in all efforts to develop and execute a coherent response to this threat to our society, our security and our sanity. International stability requires respect for a world order, for basic rules that are practical as well as moral. The United Nations system, the deliberations of the General Assembly reinforce that order and give effect to those rules. Every problem solved, every conflict prevented, every life saved because of our presence here provides evidence that, however imperfectly, our Organization works. Let the world never forget that in its ideals, in its practices and in its Charter (Mr.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“The problem of drug production, trafficking and abuse has reached a level where it demands a disproportionate share of the social and economic resources of developing countries in order to contain its ill effects. Nevertheless, we in Belize have strengthened national legislation, applied the power of the courts and law enforcement agencies and have initiated Programs aimed at prevention of drug abuse and at rehabilitation as well as at the elimination of production. Only effective regional and international action taken by producing countries, by transit countries and by consumer countries acting in concert can best address this problem.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“Yet our survival is universally threatened by the spread of these weapons, while the general acceptance of the principle of nuclear-free zones gives some comfort to small nations, the international community should not rest until the relevant Powers agree to a new concept of global security that would eschew the use of nuclear weapons. Tto the possibility of nuclear Armageddon and the proliferation of conventional conflicts must be added a third threat to world peace: the production and trafficking in dangerous drugs, which, in its devastation, has taken on the equivalence of war. Belize applauds all efforts aimed at the elimination of drugs at their source of supply, in transit and at their destination.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“And the Falkland islanders and the people of Western Sahara must have their right to self-determination respected. The world continues to be plagued with regional conflicts even though our humanity obliges us to yearn for peace. That peace is made even more elusive by the proliferation and threats of use of nuclear weapons. It is all too apparent that the vast majority of States mentors of the international community have neither the desire to manufacture or possess nuclear weapons, nor the capability of doing so.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“We appeal to all sides to accept the recent proposal for a phased withdrawal of foreign troops, a cease-fire and participatory elections under United Nations supervision. A more workable solution to the problem is unlikely to be found, and we urge Viet Nam to show its commitment to peace in the region by acting on this proposal. Belize continues to hope that the divided Korean people will some day be unified. Such unification, however, requires dialog and negotiation between North and South Korea, the parties directly concerned. It is important that tension and hostility between the two countries be replaced with mutual trust and national reconciliation. Peace must also come between the non-aligned States of Iran and Iraq. Their peoples deserve no less. Lebanon must cease to be a theater of fratricide and manipulation by outside elements.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“We therefore applaud the Cairo Declaration of 11 November 1985, which rejects and denounces terrorism. The situation in Afghanistan is pregnant with dangerous consequences for the stability of that region. For over four years millions of Afghans have fled their hones and suffered indignity, inhumanity and death following the invasion of their country. My Government appeals to the parties involved to bring this conflict to an end. A settlement should include withdrawal of foreign troops and ensure full respect for the independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and non-aligned statue, of Afghanistan. The situation in Kampuchea continues to occupy the attention of the General Assembly.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“Accordingly, few should be able to appreciate the intensity of the Palestinian cause as should Israel. The problem of Palestine is at the core of the crisis in the Middle East, and there can be victory for neither Arab nor Israeli until the central fact of the need for a Palestinian homeland is recognized equally with respect for the right of Israel to live in peace and security within its own borders. The convening of the International Peace Conference on the Middle East points one way forward. That Conference should be without pre-conditions if it is not be be bogged down in preliminary wrangling and maneuvering. The terrorism that is so charged with the fire to ignite another Middle East war has no constructive contribution to offer either the convening or the success of this Conference.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“The United Nations has been seized of the plight of the Namibian people for over 40 years now, and 20 years ago the General Assembly terminated South Africa's Mandate over that hapless country. Yet, encouraged by those whose policies continue to be on the wrong side of history. South Africa has found one transparent reason after another to defy the international community and hold Namibia in bondage. The time has come for an end to this humiliating charade. Namibia must be independent and room must be made in this Hall for the delegation of independent Namibia. The continued aggravation of the situation in the Middle East is of great concern to Belize. Among the family of nations none has had to struggle for the right to maintain a State as bravely and enduringly as has Israel.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“Apartheid continues to be a state policy in South Africa because it is allowed to remain so by those in a position to influence change. The appeal for comprehensive sanctions against the Pretoria regime must be met by all countries, particularly those who have been reluctant to move resolutely in the past, and particularly those whose economic and financial empires continue to give comfort and succor to the mindless racists in South Africa. The kind of diplomacy which elevates considerations of realpolitik over a commitment to oppressed humanity must be rejected now. By its illegal occupation of Namibia, too. South Africa continues to stretch the patience of world opinion.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“My Government takes this opportunity to express its appreciation to all those States that spearheaded the revision exercise. By their action, they have recorded their conviction that sovereign Belize can no longer fa-deprived of its rightful place among the community of nations that make up the Organization of American States. The delegation of Belize is acutely aware that the problems of Belize, both domestic and international, as well as the problems of the region, cannot be isolated from the broader global questions that affect our existence in an increasingly interdependent world. We cannot be silent, therefore, at the anguished cries of the black majority in South Africa, and we join our voice to the chorus of condemnation which demands an end to abhorrent apartheid.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“We are heartened to note the efforts currently being made to resolve the problems between our sister Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country, Guyana, and its Latin American neighbor, Venezuela. In concert with the Caribbean Community, Belize encourages these two countries to continue their search for a peaceful solution, and to continue to co-operate with the Secretary-General of the United Nations in fulfilling the mandate provided by the Geneva Agreement. We note also the revision of the charter of the Organization of American States which took place at Cartagena in December of last year. It is a revision which takes account of current realities, recognizes the principle of hemispheric universality and opens the way for Belize and Guyana's full membership in the organization by 1990.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“We are confident that the climate now exists for direct negotiations which will enable both parties to find a lasting solution to a problem that retards the development of harmonious relations between two peoples equally desirous of continued liberty. On the basis of our shared commitment to democracy, we appeal to the new Government of Guatemala to be flexible and realistic in future discussions with Belize. Such discussions should explore ways of arriving at a solution which recognizes Belizean independence and Belize's right to maintain and preserve its present and constitutional borders, while at the same time addressing the legitimate security concerns of Guatemala.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“We are convinced that other countries with interest and influence in the region can best advance the cause of peace, security and development in Central America by supporting the Contadora process as the most likely means of achieving a resolution of the conflict. We call on regional protagonists to resist the designs of those who would exploit the situation in an effort to gain advantage in the East-West struggle for global supremacy. In Belize's own case, my Government is prepared to do all it can to forestall any addition to regional tension by working for the removal of the obstacles which prevent the Government of Guatemala from recognizing the sovereignty and territorial inviolability of Belize. Belizeans welcome the return to civilian rule in Guatemala as a forerunner of the normalization of relations between our two countries.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“Such proposals should concentrate on the measures which developing countries themselves can take to free their economies and spur growth, as well as on what is needed to redress the imbalances in international trade, regulate commodity prices and encourage technology transfers. Just as we seek to assert our own sovereignty and independence of action as a developing Caribbean State in Central America, so too we insist on the need for the preservation of the sovereignty and democratic self-determination of neighboring States in our region, particularly those under seige or threats from other countries. My Government reaffirms its strong support for the continuing efforts of the Contadora countries and the Support Group to seek a negotiated settlement of the conflict in Central America.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“Since the inequity of the present state of economic relations between powerful countries and small countries so palpably lessens the sovereignty of the latter, we join once again in endorsing the call for a new international economic order as one truly efficacious way of achieving that equality which should be the ideal of all of us. Here again, though, the call for a new international economic order ought not to be accompanied by the self-defeating rhetoric which blames all of the ills of the developing countries on the developed world. Merely demanding the transfer of resources from the rich to the poor, together with excoriating multinational companies and first-world protectionism, cannot be a substitute for the imaginative and realistic proposals which the Group of 77 ought to be putting forward.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“Because of our position, we view with concern the attempts of some powerful countries to make over weaker States in their own image, and in particular their use of the promise of increased aid, or the threat of reduced aid, as a carrot and stick method of exacting compliance with their prevailing orthodoxy. Of course all this merely points up the dangers inherent in economic dependence, which smaller States on their own are powerless to affect, but which leads to and intensifies other forms of dependence: diplomatic, security, cultural, psychological, and intellectual.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“He also seek through them access to the multilateral commercial and financial organizations. Paradoxical though it may seem, even as we seek the co-operation and assistance of these col tries we jealously guard our political independence and our dignity. He in Belize wish to pursue our own interests, going in the democratic direction to which our circumstances and our philosophy incline us, but without becoming the ideological bag and baggage of any Power. We do not suffer from a Manichean view of things, but attempt rather to order our relations with others on the basis of non-interference and respect for the right of all peoples to freely determine their own destinies.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“My Government has therefore sought assiduously to bring material betterment to our people, and we have made great strides in the year just passed to put our fiscal house in order, restore our dollar to stability, arrest capital flight, cope with the burdens of debt servicing, market our tourism resources and create export-led growth. Our economy, however, like most of the economies of the developing world, is still in a state of dependence. There is therefore a continuing need on our part for private capital flows, as well as official aid on concessionary terms and non-reciprocal preferential access to international markets. He look to developed countries for these supports, developed countries with which we share a kinship born of common traditions and similar political and social organization.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“We need to put our own house in order and get back to a situation in which we apply the principles of our movement uniformly and without selectivity. The General Assembly ought not to be a forum for sterile agenda and one-sided resolutions, rammed home by what increasingly appears to be an unbalanced use of our majority. I turn now to the question of economic relations. There is also the need here for a more equitable dead, for small countries, in the context of both bilateral and multilateral arrangements. In consequence of our particular culture and history, and as a matter of mature political choice, Belize has opted for parliamentary democracy as the means best suited to the organization of our society, but we recognize the fragility of political democracy when it is not accompanied by economic democracy.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“States large and small should be accommodated on a manageable rotation basis so as to allow all nations the benefit of constructive participation, regardless of wealth or military power. Reform, of course, is not a one-way street. If the third world countries which make up the bulk of the United Nations membership are to persuade the great Powers to be responsive to the need for a more egalitarian framework for the Security Council they must also be prepared to exercise the power of their majority in the General Assembly with restraint and responsibility. In particular, those of us who belong to the non-aligned group of nations should use our force of numbers to act in an unbiased fashion as regards the super-Powers and their respective world views and alliances. Too often it appears that our positions are anything but non-aligned.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“Such a reaffirmation should find expression in the kind of a political reform to the Unite*' Nations system that would give a more muscular, a more practical concretization to the presumption of dignity for small, newly independent States. Whatever proposals emerge for the strengthening of the United Nations system must take account of the fundamental need of small States to be involved actively in the international community, not with a limited spectator status but as equal participants in the real work of the international system. Hence membership of the Security Council, for example, can no longer be the preserve of the large and the powerful but must reflect the evolutionary nature of international reality.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“They also pointed out that the financial crisis facing the international organizations, arising from the unilateral withholding of assessed budgetary contributions by some countries, threatened the integrity of those organizations, and they called on all States to give full support to the multilateral process. The dynamics of international life have undergone a dramatic change since the drafting of the Charter. In particular, the years following the General Assembly's Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples in 1960 have seen the phenomenon of the micro-State become an accepted feature of the international landscape. Now, fully a quarter century after that seminal Declaration, the time has surely come for a reaffirmation of the principle of sovereign equality which inspired the Declaration.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“It was in that context that Caribbean Community foreign ministers, meeting in Belize in June of this year, expressed concern about the continued erosion of the principle of multilateralism. They reaffirmed that the multilateral process was essential for small, developing States, such as those in the Caribbean. They noted with concern the trend towards unilateralism which has been reflected in the bypassing of the United Nations system, the withdrawal of membership from a number of United Nations bodies and the diminished support for regional institutions.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“Because of the vulnerabilities inherent in our small size, concerns of viability continue to preoccupy Belize. In our own region we are especially susceptible to a geo-political environment grown increasingly hostile to any degree of neutrality, but the United Nations provides a forum for the sustained consultation and concerted action necessary to help preserve the sovereignty, territorial integrity, peace and welfare of small States. There are other regional mechanisms of first resort but in our view they are essentially complementary to the collective authority of this truly international forum, which in the final analysis offers the most effective guarantee that the law of the jungle will not prevail in world affairs.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“It is true that during his tenure of office increasingly complex challenges have beset the United Nations system, but it is equally true that those challenges have been confronted with the distinctive ingenuity and resourcefulness which have become the hallmarks of his tireless campaign for international peace. Our attendance at successive sessions of the General Assembly of the United Nations, our participation in the discussions and the resolutions and our financial and resource contributions to the Organization and its agencies underscore the vital importance countries such as Belize attach to the United Nations system. For us, the world body continues to represent our best means of avoiding international marginalization or, worse, extinction.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“The delegation of Belize congratulates Mr. Humayun Rasheed Choudhury on his unanimous election to the high office of President of the forty-first session of the General Assembly. It will not be an easy task to superintend the deliberations of such a disparate, distinctly polyglot, assembly of international statesmen; nevertheless, we rely on his wisdom, his judgment and his personal successes as an eminent diplomat to help us achieve a consensus during the coning months. I wish to record also my delegation's appreciation of the efficient manner in which the immediate past President, Mr. Jaime de Pinies, conducted the business of the Assembly during its fortieth session. I should like to say a word of thanks, too, to our Secretary-General Mr. Javier Perez de Cuellar.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“Let us strive with increased assiduity, not for military victories but for diplomatic solutions, not for nuclear advantage but for the safety of the human race. Belize insists that it is within the principles and practices of the United Nations system, and of its multilateral approach to global peace, that we find the best means of avoiding the apocalyptic prospect - mankind's final nightfall.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“Finally, we call for immediate action to alleviate the plight of all those countries suffering from hunger, starvation, desertification and disease. There is no doubt that those wise men who drafted the Charter of the United Nations 40 years ago in San Francisco contemplated the evolution of an imperfect world. They foresaw disharmony and conflict. That is why the Charter stresses conflict resolution and co-operation among States. Much has changed in those 40 years, but the basic goals remain the same. Of greatest immediacy is whether the world as we know it will survive for another 40 years. Accordingly, we call on all Member States to make this fortieth anniversary a time of re-dedication, a time of renewal.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“Mo less emphatic are we with regard to the need to safeguard the rights of the inhabitants of the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic, or the rights of the peoples of East Timor and of the Western Sahara to determine their awn destiny, of the Palestinian people to return to their homeland and the right of Israel to exist within secure borders, of the rights of the Lebanese people who yearn for peace, of the Afghan people to regain control of their own land and of the Kampucheans to reestablish their sovereignty. We find it ironic that the Near and Middle East, which have been the cradle of so many of the world's Lading cultures, should today be the scene of so much tension and so much strife. There must be an end to those unbrotherly actions which, for example, prolong the war between Iran and Iraq.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“Every step - however little and however late - taken by countries in a position to influence the course of events in southern Africa in an effort to dismantle the morally corrupt and internationally discredited regime of apartheid is a practical demonstration of support for the right of the black majority in its struggle to control its own destiny. Apartheid is a crime against humanity, and apartheid South Africa has forfeited the right to be regarded as a member of the community of nations. All measures aimed at isolating that regime need to be intensified. The argument that mandatory, effective sanctions will only aggravate the plight of the already suffering black people of South Africa is a spurious one, patronizing at best and, at worst, a dishonest excuse for the inaction that will perpetuate abhorrent apartheid.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“Belizeans are profoundly concerned that while we celebrate the fortieth anniversary of the United Nations and hail the many accomplishments of the Organization and its positive influences over the emerged world order we also mark the fortieth anniversary of the denial to the Namibian people of their right to freedom and independence. We agonize over the sheer powerlessness of the international community to exert effective pressure on the white rulers of South Africa to loosen their stranglehold on the fate of the black peoples of southern Africa.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“The main goals of the new international economic order are of clear relevance and importance to Belize, since we suffer the common problems and the common concerns of other third-world countries. Belize commits itself to co-operate fully in the effort to persuade the developed countries that the prosperity of the international community as a whole depends on the prosperity of its constituent parts and that the political, economic and social wellbeing of present and future generations depend more than ever on co-operation among all the members of the international community on the basis of sovereign equality.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“With all this in view, Belize reiterates its commitment to all regional and international organizations of which we are a member, including the Caribbean Community, the Commonwealth of nations, the United Nations and the Non-Aligned Movement. While we feel that there are those who have sought to convert the Non-Aligned Movement into a forum for ritual and strident name-calling, and, while we view that as counterproductive, my Government nonetheless feels that the spirit of Bandung, the original principles that animated the Movement, can still be a force for world peace. My Government supports the original initiatives of the Group of 77, as ratified by the General Assembly, which resulted in the call for a new international economic order.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“Any retreat from multilateralism, in our view, erodes the effectiveness of political communities acting in concert and isolates the smaller and weaker among us from the benefits of joint action. Such retreat is especially to be regretted in this fortieth anniversary year of the United Nations, for the very raison d'etre of the United Nations was interdependence, as was made clear by the 1 January 1942 Declaration that created the wartime alliance, and as is stressed in the Atlantic Charter incorporated in the 1942 Declaration which, in a very real sense, is the forerunner of the present-day United Nations Charter.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“He rely on the wisdom, statesmanship and responsibility of the members of the Permanent Council to refashion the Charter of that organization to accommodate the spirit of hemispheric unity and universality envisaged by the Charter's framers. My Government's world view generates the imperative for Belize to be an outspoken advocate for parliamentary democracy, for mutual co-operation among States in the world community and for scrupulous respect for the human rights and fundamental freedoms of our citizens. He believe in the multilateral approach to resolving some of the pressing economic, social and political problems facing us as nations and as political groupings.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“But power disequilibrium cannot be allowed to defeat the sovereign right of small States to act in what they consider to be their national interests. We must therefore stand at this rostrum today and, in accordance with the Charter, reject the threat of coercion implied in the possibility that has been held before us of an aid cut-off or other measure designed to force us to move prematurely and in a way we consider undesirable. In the wider hemispheric context my Government regrets the exclusion of Belize from the Organization of American States. We trust that the obstacles which now prevent us from becoming a full member of that important body will soon be overcome.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“That is why we find it so distressing when the claim is advanced that Belize has failed to eradicate any of its drug crop. To say that is to propagate disinformation of the most malicious sort. To be sure, we have had differences of opinion with others who engage in the war against drugs, principally over the methodology to be used in our own eradication campaign. Aerial spraying of marijuana plantations using chemical herbicides has been pressed upon us, but we have so far preferred to employ manual eradication methods until we can assure ourselves and our people that the aerial-spraying exercise would involve no unacceptable health or environmental risks. Even now, we are taking steps which will enable us to make that determination. That position has not proved satisfactory to some, which is regrettable.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“He do not need anyone to tell us of the insidious nature of the threat posed by this aberrant activity - to our institutions, to the moral and ethical dimensions of our national life, and to the very rule of law and democracy in our country. Within the limits of our resources we have made Herculean efforts to stamp out the trade and to defeat the danger of destabilization which it poses. Since the beginning of this year joint military/ police operations have succeeded in destroying over 80,000 marijuana plants and 70,000 pounds of processed marijuana. Some 375 persons have been charged in our country for dealing in marijuana and 288 have so far been convicted. In the past 6 months alone four United States registered aircraft and 10 motor vehicles have been seized by the police and confiscated by our courts.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“Good-neighborliness between our two countries, as well as mutual understanding and respect, can help remove the barriers and mistrust that have prevented us from living together as neighbors should. This is the position of Belize. He appeal to the authorities in Guatemala to respond positively. On another aspect of our security concerns, my Government has been greatly exercised by, and absolutely condemns, the blot on our society that is the production of and trafficking in drugs. Over the past five years, and spurred en by the phenomenal and continually expanding consumer market provided by the United States, Belize has become a large-scale producer of and trafficker in marijuana.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“However, it must be made clear that the independence of Belize is irreversible. It is a practical and legal fact of international life. To seek to maintain otherwise is counter-productive and counter-historical. In order for any real progress to be made, discussions and negotiations with Guatemala must reflect this reality. Belizeans applaud the signals of a return to democracy and civilian rule in Guatemala and fully expect understanding and flexibility in future discussions with a civilian administration. A prelude to harmonious relations between Belize and Guatemala, then, is the recognition that two separate, sovereign entities share a common border. Both are involved in the search for better conditions of life for their citizens. This search can best be conducted in an atmosphere of peace, stability and internal security.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“My Government has no desire to complicate further the problems of the region, but in view of the still unresolved claim by the Republic of Guatemala to the territory of Belize, we consider the security and defense of our homeland to be our highest foreign policy priority. The new Government of Belize committed itself to showing realism and flexibility so that a peaceful, diplomatic solution can be found. To that end we participated in informal discussions with officials of the Guatemalan Government earlier this year in order to explore ways of arriving at a solution which recognizes Belizean solidarity and our right to maintain and preserve intact our present and constitutional borders, a solution that will do this even as it seeks to satisfy some of the relevant security concerns of Guatemala.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“There is now an urgent need for the protagonists in the conflict to summon up the act of political will necessary for the signing of the final draft of the Contadora Act on peace and co-operation in Central America. For only then will there be an elimination of the distances that have been created between polities and groups by artificial political and economic philosophies. And only then will the sovereignty and independence of the States of Central America be strengthened and the creative energies of our people freed to concentrate on the developmental activities necessary to assure us prosperous, well-ordered societies.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“We cannot ignore the attempts being made by outside Powers to exploit historical and prevailing conditions in air effort to gain advantage in the global East-West confrontational struggle. We maintain the view that a regional political solution is imperative. We hold to the thesis that the Contadora process is the best means to deal with the situation. During the 10 months of the new administration in Belize, the Prime Minister and members of his cabinet have had an opportunity to begin discussions and exchange views with members of the Contadora countries on developments in Central America. Throughout these discussions, one theme has been recurring, and that is the need finally to put in place the mechanisms which will ensure a lasting solution to the regional problem.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“The violence that continues to consume Central America and cause wrenching dislocations of people from their homelands is regrettable and weighs heavily on our ability as peace-loving nations to create the conditions for a return to normality in our region. My Government has a particular concern in this matter because the trans-border migration of those fleeing the conflicts has produced an influx of refugees into Belize which strains our already thinly stretched social and economic resources and threatens to produce serious ethnic and demographic tensions. Furthermore, Belizeans, with our history of peaceful and stable development, cannot forever remain immune to the inherent hostility and mistrust that characterize the evolution of the conflict in this region.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“The fact of our being located within the so-called sphere of influence of a world Power cannot dictate that Belize's freedom of action in its international relations should be circumscribed by any need for an external imprimatur. Belize's relations with neighboring States on our Central American mainland are based on respect for national self-determination, sovereignty and the right of all peoples to choose their own political, social and economic systems free from external threats and pressures. We have of our own accord, however, chosen to subscribe fully to the principles of parliamentary democracy, and we note with satisfaction the marked trend towards the democratization, or perhaps re-democratization, of our America.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“These are the principles that guide Belize's relationship with members of the Caribbean community, who share with us a kinship born of a common cultural heritage, a common history and a common colonial experience. We are committed to acting in concert with our Caribbean sister States to make the subregional grouping more effective, more integrated and more representative of the aspirations of our people. And we urge the co-operation of extra-regional nations with the policy that the Caribbean be made a zone of peace. In the normal course of events, there is also a coincidence of interests with the larger hemispheric nations, particularly the United States. My Government, however, does not subscribe to any doctrine of geographic determinism.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“And developing nations like Belize, with small open economies, must wage a constant struggle to preserve their independence and their sovereignty in the face of the geopolitical realities of implied coercion in an increasingly bipolar world. As a small Central American and Caribbean State, Belize's foreign policy must of necessity project domestic concerns but be based on the principles of peaceful coexistence, political pluralism, non-interference in the internal affairs of other nations and the peaceful resolution of disputes. We must vigilantly and unselfishly act in solidarity with other small States experiencing similar problems and sharing common concerns.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“But it is difficult for those who want to believe in the wisdom of the system to contemplate its continuing unfairness, where the industrialized world withholds necessary assistance and co-operation; where multilateral financial institutions inject political considerations into eligibility criteria; and where sovereign Governments are told that they must accept externally imposed macro-economic prescriptions or face intolerable contractions in the financial flows from world lending institutions. Free enterprise should serve the interests of development, not challenge the bases of our fragile economies, nor act as the instrument for the further impoverishment of poor societies.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“We too lament this trend towards economic nationalism and urge the implementation of a universal legal principle of obligation to enhance the development of less-advantaged peoples. The problems of poorer countries must continue to be the focus of attention, and the countervailing growth of quasi-regionalism and bilateralism among the big countries must be retarded. A pillar of our own economic development in Belize is the free enterprise system.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)