YouSaid · the spoken record

CHIEPE

lines on the record: 213
first: 1984-09-24
most recent: 1993-09-24
sittings or episodes: 7
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

“Both North and South Korea desire a peaceful reunification of their divided country. Let us help them to achieve that objective. Botswana welcomes the peace process launched at Tela, Honduras, by the summit meeting of Heads of State or Government of the countries of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala and Nicaragua. These are indeed encouraging signs towards the freaking of the stalemate in Central America. We call upon all concerned to assist in the promotion of this initiative. We note with concern that the situation in the Middle East continues to deteriorate despite the peace initiatives taken by Palestine to accept Security Council resolution 242 (1967), which initiatives cleared the way for a peaceful resolution of the Middle East question. It is now for Israel to reciprocate if peace is to be achieved.”
1989-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 44 (1989)
“We call upon all parties concerned to abide by these Accords. The Afghan people should be encouraged to lay down their arms and move to the negotiating table without fail to embark on national reconciliation and reconstruction of their country. The situation in South-East Asia is hopefully moving in the right direction. The spirit of the recent international conference held in Paris on the question of Kampuchea, particularly the withdrawal of foreign troops, would, if honestly pursued, usher in a new phase in the long-drawn-out quest for peace. We trust that this initiative will not be lost, as the people of Kampuchea are yearning for peace and national reconciliation. There should be no return to the killing fields of the 1970s. Similarly, we call upon all concerned to facilitate a peaceful resolution of the question of Korea.”
1989-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 44 (1989)
“Any positive development in international relations is hound to produce a snowball effect even in other areas. Such developments have our blessing and encouragement. regional conflicts whose escalation we have always feared to be a potential for another international conflict appear more on the decline, thanks to the atmosphere of rapprochement between the super-powers and the very important role played by the United Nations. To date the loud and haunting guns of the Gulf have been silenced after spelling death, misery and disaster in that part of the globe. We are hopeful that peace will be allowed to prevail. As for the situation in Afghanistan, we regret that the Geneva Agreements which were concluded last year under the auspices of the United Nations Secretary-General have not been observed and carried to their logical conclusion.”
1989-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 44 (1989)
“With this background in mind it is for the Assembly at this session to revisit the issues, and to reoriente itself to proffer meaningful solutions. In this connection I believe that we can only succeed if we resolve to work together to find common solutions to world problems. As I mentioned earlier, significant progress has been registered in international politics. The two super-Powers have moved ahead in the spirit of detente. Important steps such as the signing of the Treaty on the Elimination of Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles - INF Treaty - have raised new expectations that disarmament in both nuclear and conventional arms may be pursued earnestly and purposefully. It is our desire that more of such brave measures will be undertaken.”
1989-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 44 (1989)
“We note in this regard that the independence process in Namibia is registering significant progress. It is our earnest hope that the momentum will be maintained and infused into the outstanding political issues that confront us. The United Nations has played a key role, and the Secretary-General deserves our encouragement to carry on with this impressive work. Be that as it may, much still remains to be done mainly in the socio-economic sphere. The trade imbalances between the rich North and the poor South is as bad as it has been in the past, if not worse. The decline in the prices of commodities continues unabated. Hunger, poverty, disease and other social ills remain the order of the day in third world countries.”
1989-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 44 (1989)
“Mr. President, on behalf of my delegation and on my own personal behalf, I wish to extend our felicitations to you, Sir, upon your unanimous election to the presidency of the forty-fourth session. Your great country, Nigeria, and my own enjoy the warmest of relations, it is our conviction that with your immense diplomatic skills you will ably guide our deliberations. Please be assured of my delegation's unwavering support. I take this opportunity also to convey our gratitude to your predecessor for a job well done during the last session. The forty-fourth session has convened at a time when he mood in international relations is still characterized by the spirit of detente. Relations between the super-Powers have continued to improve. Some measure of co-operation has been clearly demonstrated in finding solutions to regional conflicts.”
1989-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 44 (1989)
“It is our determination to preserve it, to strengthen it, to infuse it with a new sense of purpose and mission.”
1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)
“The typical imprint of what terrorism perpetrated by a State can do is there for all to see in the front-line States of southern Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and elsewhere where whole villages have been reduced to rubble and hundreds upon hundreds of graves of innocent victims of midnight commando raids and aerial bombardments dot the ravaged landscape like bales of hay. This is terrorism in every conceivable sense, and it must be condemned without equivocation. I end my statement as I started it, by paying homage once more to this, our United Nations, for what it stands for to our Secretary-General for his inspiring and productive leadership·, and to his staff for their selfless devotion to their international duty. Our faith in this vital world institution remains strong and unstilted.”
1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)
“ht the multilateral level, real progress towards disarmament remains elusive. This past May and June a special session of our Assembly, which had been expected to push a little further along the road to disarmament, ended without achieving the desired results. The failure of the special session to produce the desired results was discouraging, but it cannot and must not In any way signal the end of the disarmament effort. We must continuous to encourage the spirit of multilateralism. The scourge of terrorism is still with us - terrorism perpetrated against innocents by individuals, groups of individuals and some States. It is a scourge that no explanation can justify, and it must be condemned unequivocally, regardless of its author.”
1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)
“As 1988 draws to a close, despite the many favourable outcomes that have been recorded on the African and world economic fronts, there are various disturbing signs of accelerating inflation, rising interest rates, weakening commodity market prices and growing protectionism in the industrialized world that threaten to disrupt the modest gains that have been achieved. Last, but not least, my delegation welcomed at the outset the historic signing of the Treaty on the Elimination of Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles - INF Treaty - and the ongoing negotiations on the reduction of strategic arsenals. That is concrete progress at the bilateral level. We hope that the momentum will be maintained so as to yield fruitful results in the general question of disarmament.”
1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)
“Some donor countries and financial institutions have undertaken to convert some loans to grants, extend some grace periods and maturities on outstanding debt and reschedule debt payments. These concessions are expected to provide much-needed relief. The programme co-ordinated by the World Bank is designed to provide concessional assistance, on terms of the International Development Association (IDA) type, to heavily indebted IDA-eligible countries in Africa which are implementing structural adjustment programmes. It is hoped that the benefits accruing from these developments will not be offset by a further deterioration in the terms of trade or a reduction in current levels of resource transfers.”
1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)
“For the developing countries the prices of primary exports rose slightly, for others the prices of exports remained depressed. The rapid increases in the prices of manufactured imports led to a serious deterioration in the terms of trade for the developing countries and aggravated inflationary pressures within their economies. They experienced considerable strain on their foreign exchange reserves because of the inadequate purchasing power of their export earnings. The debt-service burden, in conjunction with the inadequate levels of export earnings greatly constrained the resources available for development and resulted in less than satisfactory economic performance. The issue of indebtedness has attracted considerable attention recently, both at the international level and within the African region.”
1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)
“Because of their fear of high rates of inflation such as were experienced in the early 1980s, those countries refrained from providing the stimulus to their economies that would have maintained, or even accelerated, their rates of economic growth. The impact of this economic sluggishness in the Western industrialized nations was felt in the developing countries, where the rate of economic growth slowed from 4 per cent in 1986 to 3.3 per cent in 1987 with the rate of population growth in many of the developing countries still in excess of 3 per cent per annum, this implies stagnation in the standards of living of the people. And even here it should be noted that most of the growth in the developing countries was recorded in the newly industrializing countries of Asia. Growth in African countries as a group either stagnated or was negative.”
1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)
“We are adamant in our conviction that the solution to the problems of this divided island lies in the cultivation of mutual confidence between the Greek and Turkish communities. The current bi-communal talks must therefore be encouraged so that they may succeed. We continue to call for the withdrawal of foreign troops, as that would contribute towards a peaceful resolution of the dispute. We urge all concerned to co-operate with the Secretary-General in his untiring efforts to reach some accommodation. The international economic system continues to be a cause of concern. Economic growth decelerated in the Western industrialized countries from 2.9 per cent in 1986 to 2.3 per cent in 1987.”
1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)
“We continue to uphold the principle that the people of Western Sahara, like all other colonial peoples, are entitled to exercise their right to self-determination. In this regard, we commend the United Nations and the Organization of African Unity (OAU) for their tireless efforts to find a lasting solution to the question. The question of the Camorian island of Mayotte will never cease to exercise our minds so long as it remains unresolved. We therefore urge the French Republic and the Islamic Federal Republic of the Comoros to negotiate a peaceful settlement of the dispute. Cyprus remains a nagging issue here at the United Nations and in the Non-Aligned Movement and the Commonwealth.”
1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)
“Nothing could be more horrifying, more heart-rending, than the revelations of that report, which we hope will awaken the conscience of those who support the objectives of the RENAMO bandits. Of late South Africa has launched a diplomatic offensive to conduct dialogue with African countries and thus break out of the prevailing state of diplomatic isolation it has brought upon Itself. This offensive will not help solve South Africa's internal problem. The solution roust be found inside South Africa by conducting meaningful dialogue with genuine leaders of the whole spectrum in that country. Elsewhere in our continent we continue to be troubled by lack of progress in the search for a lasting solution to the question of Western Sahara.”
1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)
“My own country has had continuously to run the gauntlet of South Africa's State terrorism, bomb explosions and murder and maiming of its citizens and South African refugees under its care, all for no other reason than the simple fact that we have become one of Pretoria's most readily available scapegoats as the anti-apartheid strife intensifies inside South Africa itself. Look at the destabilization the destruction, that has been wreaked upon Angela and Mozambique over the years by South Africa and its proxy armies of bandits, all in an attempt by Pretoria to preserve apartheid, For thE People's Republic of Mozambique, in particular, the United States State Department report issued earlier this year says it all.”
1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)
“The violence of apartheid is the issue in South Africa, not the reaction of the African National Congress to it. That is what is to be negotiated; the end of the violence of apartheid and the democratization of South Africa, so that all its people, black and white, may at long last live in peace in a just society. Apartheid is the source of destabilisation and destruction in southern Africa. The front-line and other neighbouring States, some more than others, have all suffered as a direct consequence of apartheid.”
1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)
“For our part, we would like to reaffirm our faith in the principle of peaceful resolution of disputes, which we commend to the authorities in Pretoria. But we are concerned that time is fast running out. In order to create a climate productive to negotiations, the state of emergency must be lifted and all political prisoners and detainees released. Nelson Mandela and Zephania Mathopeng must be released, not only because of their age or illness but also because their continued incarceration deprives South Africa of what may be its only hope for salvation. Nelson Mandela, in particular, is the embodiment of the aspirations of the oppressed majority people in South Africa and there can be no meaningful negotiations while he remains incarcerated.”
1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)
“Even if the quadripartite talks succeed in bringing about peace in Angola and the implementation of Security Council resolution 435 (1978) in Namibia, the root cause of the problems of southern Africa as a whole will still remain unresolved. Apartheid in South Africa will continue to pose a threat to all the people of the region as it seethes with fury, waiting to erupt like a volcano, unless it is eradicated without further delay. Botswana would like to believe that the South African authorities have realized that the use of military force, such as the invasion and occupation of parts of southern Angola, was a dangerous venture which served no useful purpose as regards South Africa itself or the region as a whole.”
1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)
“This Assembly has already been fully briefed on the talks, the quadripartite meetings involving Angola, Cuba, South Africa and the United States, with a view to finding peace for what is called south-western Africa, namely, Angola and Namibia. To the extent that the talks have so far produced some results that we can live with, inasmuch as they have not prejudiced any principles we hold dear in southern Africa, we certainly welcome them. For us the bottom line, the irreducible minimum demand, is independence for Namibia through the implementation of Security Council resolution 435 (1978) and respect for the inviolability of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the People's Republic of Angola. Nothing less is acceptable. In South Africa itself nothing less than the total abolition of apartheid is acceptable.”
1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)
“The bitterness of the 1982 conflict over the islands has lingered on and is clearly serving as an impediment to the resumption of the pre-1982 negotiations on the future of the Islands. Our view is that neither Argentina nor the United Kingdom can escape the fact that the only way for the Falklands/Malvinas dispute to end is for them to negotiate. We therefore appeal to the two countries to proceed to the conference table without delay. Allow me now to focus attention on my own region of southern Africa. No changes of major consequence have come about in the political fortunes of the region since the last session, even though there has been a lot of talk going on since May this year.”
1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)
“The agreement has not been found to be in any way so flawed as to be un-implementable rather it has become a bone of contention in the debate on how peace and democracy can be achieved in Central America. There are those in the region who hold the view that more aid to keep the flame of the contra revolution in Nicaragua will do the trick, that anything else can only prolong the agony of the people of Central America, and Nicaraguans in particular. We beg to differ. We continue to support the Central American peace agreement and urge that it be implemented without delay. In South America, the Falklands/Malvinas Islands dispute remains a source of concern and anxiety to us all. There does not seem to be any meaningful effort on the part of the parties concerned to work towards the resolution of the dispute.”
1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)
“In the South Pacific the people of New Caledonia continue to invest their hopes in the traditional anЂ mandatory responsiveness of this our United Nations as a vital and crucial complement to their own efforts to achieve self-determination. We take the view that New Caledonia is a legitimate candidate for self-determination under General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV) of 1960 and Chapter XI, Article 73, of the Charter. In Central America peace and stability still remain a distant dream. The peace agreement signed by the five Presidents of Central America in Guatemala on 7 August 1987 has not served the lofty purpose for which it was intended.”
1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)
“No day passes without an innocent and defenceless Palestinian demonstrator being maimed or shot dead for wanting to be free in the land of his or her ancestors. And we honestly wonder by what logic the senseless carnage on the West Bank and in Gaza and other occupied Arab lands is supposed to enhance the security and survival of the State of Israel, or of any other nation in the area. We remain convinced that for Israel, as for the rest of the Arab world, including Palestine, there is only one sensible and realistic path to salvation and survival - the path of mutual accommodation and acceptance. We commend to all countries of the region the resolving of their differences through negotiation rather than by the use of force or confrontation.”
1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)
“Although Iran and Iraq are currently seized of the arduous task of laying the foundations for a durable peace, the rest of that part of the world continues to endure turmoil. The tragedy of Lebanon remains unmitigated. Its territorial integrity continues to be flouted and violated with reckless abandon. We insist that Lebanon be left alone to seek its own path to Its own salvation. Keeping that tortured country in a permanent state of internecine strife does no service to the cause of peace in the Middle East. The heartrending scenes that flash almost daily on television screens, depicting what passes for life in the West Bank and Gaza, are horrid indeed. For us from Southern Africa such scenes are a painful reminder of the horrors of apartheid.”
1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)
“Kampuchea belongs to its own people and in no circumstances should the United Nations, by silence or indifference, give comfort to the presence of foreign troops in that country of South-Eastern Asia. The people of Kampuchea, like those of Afghanistan, must be left alone to regain their inalienable right to self-determination after many decades of suffering. We are somewhat encouraged by the visible signs of contact between the two Koreas, Our great hope is for this development to assume a more meaningful dimension leading to the peaceful reunification of Korea and this, to our understanding, can be fostered only through dialogue among the Korean people themselves; without external interference. The Middle East remains a hotbed of strife and conflict.”
1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)
“Thanks to the mediation of the United Nations and the unswerving determination of so many of us in this Assembly to stand by the people of Afghanistan in their time of trial and tribulation, a new era has begun in that war-weary country, an era which we pray and hope will be crowned with peace and stability. Even painfully hapless Kampuchea has become the subject of a growing series of consultative encounters among the countries of the region. The Jakarta consultations of 25 to 28 July 1988 are among those encounters, which we hope represent the beginning, however tentative, of the end of the terrible carnage that has been the lot of that tormented country for so long. For our pact, here at the United Nations, and at this session, the message must remain clear, unequivocal and uncompromising.”
1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)
“Their urge to wage their ideological war through reckless resort to their veto power in the Security Council will recede as they begin to reap the benefits of co-operation and as they realize that the United Nations is in fact the best vehicle for the promotion of their own interests. Though the stability of our world remains precarious, we have every reason to breathe a sigh of relief that some of the roost painful regional conflicts that have often threatened ignition of a global conflagration seem to be ready for resolution. As we meet here, the withdrawal of foreign forces is in progress in Afghanistan, a non-aligned South-West Asian nation that has endured a painful war since the turn of the 1980s.”
1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)
“The recent rapprochement of the super-Powers should augur well for international peace and co-operation. Co-operation of the super-Powers in the adoption and implementation of Security Council resolution 598 (1987), on the Iran-Iraq war, for instance, would have been wishful thinking only a year ago, not to mention the pleasant novelty that is Moscow's and Washington's apparent convergence of purpose and interest in the ending of violence and strife in south-western Africa. This is a development we must welcome with genuine enthusiasm, because the efficacy of the United Nations in general and of the Security Council in particular rests on the willingness and readiness of the super-Powers, in the first instance, to co-operate in carrying out the vital decisions of this world body.”
1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)
“There is a flowering spirit and atmosphere of rapprochement between the super-Powers, so happily evidenced by the signing of the Treaty on the Elimination of Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles - INF Treaty - the first of its kind in this cold-war era, and by the current negotiations on the reduction of strategic nuclear arsenals by 50 per cent, h welcome sense of realism about the dangerous folly of the philosophy of peace through nuclear terror seems to have taken root in both the East and the West. We have not seen the end - or the beginnings of the end - of the cold war not yet. But there are encouraging signs that at least the Powers that hold the destiny of our world in their hands are prepared to coexist peacefully across the chasm of their mutual suspicions and animosities.”
1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)
“The efficient deployment of resources by the United Nations is not the unilateral concern and preoccupation of one Member or a few Members; it is the common concern and preoccupation of all of us. That is why we all supported the work of the Group of 18 and its report, and continue to do so. The report of the Group of 18 vas, in our view, never intended to transform the United Nations into a plaything of the big contributors. Its purpose was to improve the functioning of the administrative and budgetary management of the United Nations, and not to introduce weighted voting by stealth. It is in the interest of all of us to live up to our obligations under the Charter by the payment of our financial contributions to the Organization. There has been a marked improvement in the international situation since the last session.”
1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)
“Yet we cannot pretend that all is well in our Organization. We are all aware of the serious financial crisis the Organization is facing even as it is called upon to undertake a multiplicity of missions all over the world. How ironical: Even as the United Nations is daily demonstrating its capacity to fulfil its mission as the instrument of peace in the world, given the necessary wherewithal, we are told it must reform itself in order to earn the right to have, or to receive, the financial resources which are due to it in accordance with its Charter. The result is that the Organization has no resources to perform the most central and sacred of its duties: the maintenance of international peace and security.”
1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)
“With patience, perseverance and a complete understanding of the workings of world politics and diplomacy, our Secretary-General has demonstrated to us all that the United Nations is alive and well and capable of responding decisively to the crises of our troubled world, given the active support of its Members. Never before have we witnessed such prevalent and pervasive rumblings of peace occurring, as they have, in such a torrent, thanks to our Secretary-General's unyielding tenacity of purpose. We salute him and his team of men and women here at Headquarters and abroad, who have given the best of themselves and even risked their very lives in the service of world peace. In this regard, I wish to congratulate the Secretary-General and the United Nations peace-keeping forces on the forces having been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 1988.”
1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)
“Before I turn to the issues before us, let me reiterate on behalf of my country and my delegation our sincere condolences to the peoples of Jamaica and Bangladesh, who have recently fallen victim to natural disasters due to cyclones and monsoons. Precious human and animal lives have been lost, and untold damage to property has been registered. We hope the international community will be generous in its response to those two Member States' appeal for assistance. , This year, 1988, has been a watershed year for the United Nations despite the intractable financial and other problems the Organization has continued to face.”
1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)
“Let me join the speakers who have preceded me and extend Botswana's heartfelt congratulations to you, Sir, on your election to the presidency of the General Assembly at its forty-third session. Your country and my own enjoy the happiest of relations, and it is with great pleasure that I assure you of my delegation's unstinting support and good wishes as you pilot the deliberations of this session. Your predecessor, the eminently respected Deputy Foreign Minister of the German Democratic Republic, Mr. Peter Florin, deserves the fullest measure of our gratitude for the very able manner in which he guided the work of the forty-second session. We will miss his unshakeable composure in the face of even the most trying circumstances.”
1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)
“But we often wonder if we have really learned a lessen from the tragedy of the Second World War. In its 40 years of existence the United Nations has had a good number of critics, but it also has its ardent supporters. It has had glaring shortcomings in a number of areas, but there is no denying that it is still the arbiter of peace. It is still our only hope for the future. Let us not repeat the follies of the past. Let us work tirelessly to preserve the United Nations.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“The victims are mostly the youth whose mental and physical growth it ravages, and without healthy minds and bodies what kind of future can we contemplate in the hands of a hallucinated generation. My delegation is pleased that many Governments are now taking concerted action to fight this menace at the source. We must intensify our efforts to meet the drug-pushers head on. Peace and security are precious concomitants of human existence. They do not fall like manna from heaven; they are dynamic conditions that depend on conscious and tireless efforts to bring them about and ensure their permanence. The world has had to fight two tragic wars because of the folly of certain nations. At the end of the last war the United Nations was created in the hope of avoiding another war.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“What is even more condemnable and utterly deplorable is the terrorism in which some States are engaged for reasons which are as indefensible and contemptible as those which are often advanced by hijackers and kidnappers. States which spawn terrorist bandits and unleash them on their neighbors or distant foes, or directly engage in terrorist activities against their neighbors are as terroristic as the bandits they spawn. They are guilty of State terrorism. The international community must take a resolute stand against such terrorism. A similar menace in the world is that of drug trafficking. If it is not checked now it will destroy our civilization, because it corrupts the morality of those who engage in it.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“We are fully aware of the complex make-up of certain societies, but we are convinced that Governments themselves could do a great deal to curb this growing scourge if they respected their citizens' right to differ, treated their human rights with caring circumspection and tolerance, and adhered to the relevant United Nations conventions. Another serious menace in the world today is terrorism - terrorism, naked, brutal and evil. We condemn unreservedly and find inexcusable the terrorism of the indiscriminate killing, maiming or hostage-taking of innocent civilians by individuals or groups aimed at forcing Governments, organizations or individuals to acquiesce in their diabolic extortions by which they relegate human life to the worth of a mere tradable commodity.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“In spite of the difficulties that we understand have resulted in the suspension of contacts between the two sides, it is our cherished hope that everything will be done to get back to the path of dialog. Refugees have become one of the most pressing problems of our age. Africa is one of the greatest concentration areas of those unfortunate people. Much as my country is grateful for the assistance that the international community has been giving and continues to give for the upkeep of refugees, we believe none the less that the ultimate cure lies in tackling the root cause of this scourge. Governments ought to adopt a more tolerant attitude towards those of their citizens who nay not agree with their policies on ideological, religious or other grounds.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“My Government joins those who insist that Afghanistan and Kampichea must be left alone to mind their own business without foreign interference. Consequently, we reiterate our call for the withdrawal of foreign troops from those two countries. The war between Iran and Iraq has been going on for six years no*. The destruction that it has wreaked on lives and properties on both sides is incalculable, unconscionable and scandalous. Surely this is a war that the two sides could do without-, its termination is far too long overdue. The people of the Korean peninsula need not belong to two Koreas at this time. Botswana supports the peaceful reunification of the two parts, to be achieved through a direct and fraternal dialog between them., without any interference from outside.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“The Contadora process deserves our support, because it is a process dedicated to the search for peace. It should not be sabotaged. The question of the Falklands (Malvinas) remains unresolved because the parties to the dispute over the sovereignty of the islands are still talking to each other across a chasm of mutual suspicion and bitterness, instead of talking with each other across a negotiating table. We urge the two sides to put history behind them and get down to the urgent task of ensuring that another bloody confrontation in the South Atlantic can be avoided in favor of a peaceful settlement of the dispute. This body has on several occasions in the past called upon nations that have foreign troops in Afghanistan and Kampuchea to withdraw them at the earliest opportunity. It is regrettable that those calls have gone unheeded.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“Those are the requirements that must be fulfilled if a solution of the Arab-Israeli conflict is to be realized and lasting peace is to take root in the Middle East. In the Latin American region, we are increasingly fearful of the implications and possible consequences of the endless destabilization of Nicaragua by externally supported and financed dissident movements, popularly known as contras. We in Botswana do not see how the destabilization of Nicaragua or any other country in Central America where turmoil has become endemic can be in the interest of those in this region who, curiously enough, seem to see a great deal of virtue in the murderous activities of the bandit contra revolutionaries. How can the security of one country, however powerful, be enhanced by the desperate insecurity of its neighbors?”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“In the Middle East peace is still as elusive as ever. The Palestinians are still entrapped in refugee camps, in an interminable and painful diaspora, waiting impatiently for the enjoyment of their right to self-determination in a country of their own. Israel is still in occupation of Arab lands and most of the Arab nations in turn still refuse to recognize the State of Israel and come to grips with the permanence of its existence in the Middle East. My Government's position on this vexing issue remains: an independent State for the Palestinian people*, withdrawal by Israel from Arab territories acquired by force; and recognition by the Arab nations of the State of Israel and its right to exist within secure and internationally recognized borders.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“Linkage of Namibia's independence to the withdrawal of Cuban troops from Angola is tantamount to holding hostage the destiny of the Namibian people to the solution of an issue irrelevant to it. The people of Namibia have inalienable rights that must be respected by those who govern them against their will. We therefore call for the implementation of .Security Council resolution 435 (1978) without delay. The people of Western Sahara have still not yet been allowed to exercise their right to self-determination, in spite of several promises by those who claim ownership of their territory. We call upon all the parties involved to find a formula which would allow the Sahraoui people the opportunity to exercise their right to self-determination. To that end we hope that advantage will be taken of the Secretary-General's continued good offices.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“South Africa remains defiant in its refusal to accept the resolution adopted by the United Nations calling upon it to co-operate in granting independence to the international Territory. It is determined to give all the appearance and substance of sovereignty to the puppet so-called interim government in Windhoek, and it will not be long before the international community is asked to give recognition and respectability to an internal settlement in Namibia. ty Government holds firm to the view that United Nations Security Council resolution 435 (1978) remains the only acceptable basis for Namibia's independence and we reaffirm our total rejection of the linking of Namibia's independence to the resolution of irrelevant issues.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“We remain convinced, nevertheless, that it is not too late for the leaders of South Africa, both black and white, to sit down together, in a spirit of reconciliation, at a conference table to negotiate a non-racial, democratic future for South Africa, which must of necessity be preceded by: first, the release of Nelson Mandela and all other political prisoners*, secondly, the unbanning of the African National Congress (ANC) and the Pan-Africanist Congress (PAC)} thirdly, the lifting of the state of emergency and removal of troops from black townships; and, fourthly, the return of exiles. Namibia's dream deferred is no nearer realization this year than it was during the past year.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“In desperation over this kind of intransigence, the international community now sees economic sanctions against South Africa as the last peaceful resort to push that country towards the dismantling of apartheid. Botswana cannot itself impose sanctions against South Africa, but will not stand in the way of those that can and decide to do so. Botswana is only too aware of the urgent need to resolve the intractable problem of apartheid. This is necessary if we are to avoid a bloodbath in our region. Those who can, especially the major trading partners of South Africa, but will not impose sanctions against that country must not use us as an excuse for their inaction.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“At the end of their mission, the Commonwealth Eminent Persons Group, in one of the most poignant of the concluding paragraphs of its report, stated: "Our mandate was to foster a process of negotiation across lines of color, politics and religion, with a view to establishing a non-racial and representative Government. It is our considered view that, despite appearances and statements to the contrary, the South African Government is not yet ready to negotiate such a future, except on its own terms. Those terms, in regard to both objectives and modalities, fall far short of reasonable black expectations and well-accepted democratic norms and principles. Thus, a mission in which so much of our hopes had been invested ended as though it had never begun, and the death-dance in the blood-soaker streets of black townships continued unabated.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)