YouSaid · the spoken record

Andrés Pastrana Arango

lines on the record

59

first

1998-09-24

most recent

2001-09-24

sittings or episodes

3

sources

un-general-debate

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

1. “We are aware of the risk of a world recession, and we consider it essential that the more developed countries, the Group of Seven and the international financial organs adopt suitable measures to prevent any new collapse. Such a disaster would irreversibly affect the developing countries first. The measures should enable the financial markets to recover their stability and provide a rapid solution to the current crisis in the world economy that has caused so much concern.”

   1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)

2. “Poverty continues to affect huge segments of society. Economic growth in some countries and the prosperity of some levels of society contrast dramatically with the marginalization suffered by the majority of the world’s population. This situation is occurring in an international environment in which the right to development is 2 indissolubly linked to the existence of a favourable international climate. We are going through the most serious financial crisis since the end of the cold war, but there does not yet seem to be sufficient clarity and political will to face it and overcome it. All Latin America has voiced its concern at the gravity of the crisis. Its origins are outside our region, in which countries have made structural reforms to achieve healthy economies that will enable them to meet the social expectations of their peoples.”

   1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)

3. “Corruption is buffeting democracy in a growing number of countries and is becoming a cause of political and social breakdown. Illicit drugs continue to be one of the worst scourges of today’s society, bringing irreparable harm to the new generations and, therefore, to the future of humanity. Human rights are still not properly respected. Women are still the target of abuse and discrimination. Children are the victims of disgraceful practices. Fifty years after the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the more vulnerable groups often have no access to the protection that States are obliged to provide for them. Unsustainable consumer and production practices still continue. The planet’s natural resources are being depleted, its biological wealth is being looted, and our rivers and oceans are being contaminated.”

   1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)

4. “The spectre of a nuclear cataclysm seemed to have vanished, and all humanity embraced new hopes for the future. It was thought that the end of the cold war would be the salvation of the many countries and the millions of people who had been forgotten in the midst of tensions and feuds between the two superpowers. But now, almost 10 years later, those initial expectations are far from becoming a reality. Ethnic and religious rivalries, regional confrontations and grave new threats to peace have emerged. I must say most clearly that my Government and the people of Colombia absolutely reject all kinds and modes of terrorism, whatever their origin or motive. There can be no truce with terrorism. All States must fight together to defeat it. This is surely one of our greatest challenges.”

   1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)

5. “The achievement of peace in Colombia will be an important initial contribution to the liberation of mankind from one of the twentieth century’s greatest evils: the global problem of illicit drugs. To the extent that we can find agricultural alternatives for our peasant farmers, with fair prices for their products at home and abroad, they will become less dependent on illicit crops. The support of the international community will be crucial in this. The eradication of illicit crops will be one of the central elements of the peace talks that we intend to undertake with the groups engaged in armed conflict. It is true that the end of East-West confrontation brought into being a system of international relations based on détente and on a decline in the role that military power had played during the cold war.”

   1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)

6. “Peace in Colombia will demand very substantial investments in social sectors and infrastructure in the zones of conflict. For this, we will create a “Peace Fund”. A significant portion of the money required will come from internal sources. We will also be looking for contributions from the international community, from which we have already received expressions of encouragement, solidarity and interest. All these actions will be part of what we have termed “diplomacy for peace”. It will be diplomacy with social and economic content. It will be diplomacy expressed in investment and in the mobilization of human, technical and financial resources, so that our peace will have a firm and lasting foundation.”

   1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)

7. “We are convinced that representatives of all sectors of society should play a part, and that at the end of the road we will find a guiding light that will lead our country again to peaceful coexistence. Peace in Colombia will also be founded on a clear strategy for economic development and a bold policy for social justice. Only in this way will it be possible to forge a fruitful and lasting peace. As we travel the road to peace the support of the international community will complement our own efforts. We will advocate respect for fundamental rights and full application of international humanitarian law among all those involved in conflict. We will learn from the valuable experiences of other countries in the solution of internal conflicts, and we will adopt whatever is applicable and appropriate to our own situation.”

   1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)

8. “We have started the changes which will enable us to face our internal problems with determination and which will win us a more positive and dynamic place in the international community. Our most urgent task will be to build for peace. That is the unshakable commitment of my Government and the heartfelt desire of all of the Colombian people. We are aware that any process designed to root out the causes of conflict for all time will be highly complex. But all our efforts will be dedicated to this noble goal, and we will strive for it tirelessly. It is for this reason that I have personally taken the lead in building peace. We are working hard on the preparation of an agenda for this purpose.”

   1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)

9. “Mr. President, as I address the Assembly for the first time as President of Colombia, I should like to offer you, on behalf of my Government, our warmest congratulations on being elected to guide our debates during this session. A few weeks ago, the most important democratic elections in Colombia’s recent history took place. Despite the problems that have besieged our nation in the last few years, our institutional structure has faced one of the sternest tests ever and has again shown that it is solid. In June, more than 12 million people — one of the highest electoral turnouts in the history of the Republic — expressed their free, spontaneous and conscious choice. Today, Colombia is looking towards new horizons. We have restored confidence in our country.”

   1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)