YouSaid · the spoken record

Dienstbier

THE RECORD WRITES THIS SPEAKER AS DIENSTBIER

lines on the record: 59
first: 1990-09-24
most recent: 1991-09-24
sittings or episodes: 2
sources: un-general-debate

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“I would say two things: first, the obligation of not fearing daring, unconventional and radical decisions which lead towards the distant future and preparing for it; second, the obligation of understanding the difficult and broken terrain, at times quite risky in its opacity, on which we stand and on which we must make decisions."”
1991-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 46 (1991)
“National and well-thought-out changes could create a significant revival on this anniversary. In Prague last June our President, Vaclav Havel, offered some thoughts on the spirit needed to meet and shape our rapidly changing times. I believe that we could make the kinds of alterations I have been proposing in this spirit, and so, in concluding, I should like to quote Mr. Havel's remark. He said: "In fact we are all somewhat taken by surprise by the magnitude and urgency of the task which issues from the magnitude of the hope opening up before us. "What follows from all this?”
1991-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 46 (1991)
“It should be possible to distribute written positions beforehand and devote meetings to the problems which actually burden us. With such a procedure, everyone would gladly attend. It should be possible, for example, to merge the Special Political and the decolonization Committees of the General Assembly. We must seriously evaluate the continuing utility of other bodies which carry on stereotyped discussions and act as though the entire raison d'etre of the United Nations were concentrated in their own existence. The question of the effectiveness of the General Assembly agenda is also an absolutely pressing one, executing such changes would in itself revitalise the United Nations Charter, making it unnecessary to revise it. Our Organisation is approaching its fiftieth birthday.”
1991-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 46 (1991)
“Of course, we realise that it will not be easy to agree on which obstacles prevent the United Nations from working more effectively, and thus what needs to be changed. The role of the permanent members of the Security Council, for example, is one subject of discussion. We consider the principle of unanimity among Security Council permanent members a lasting one. No longer do we need to fear that ideological antagonisms will lead to a veto vote. Indeed, only now is the power of veto becoming an instrument of agreement because it forces the holders of that power to seek consensus solutions. However, a number of other changes should be undertaken immediately. The sight of Foreign Ministers day after day presenting their countries' positions on every item of the agenda to an almost empty hall is somewhat comic.”
1991-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 46 (1991)
“I am encouraged that some such changes are already taking place. We are determined to help them along in every possible way. In particular, I have in mind the transition from propaganda duels to realistic negotiations, from mechanical vote-counting to efforts to reach a consensus. These efforts should improve conditions for using preventive diplomacy and perhaps even for accepting the idea of an arbitration court, which could become an important mechanism for solving controversies. The opinions of Member States also reflect positive changes. Me are delighted that members of the Group of 7 stressed in their July meeting in London their determination to strengthen the United Nations and to turn it into a more powerful and effective instrument of peace, international security and protection of human rights.”
1991-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 46 (1991)
“We are quite baffled by the degree of their duplication - if this is indeed the right expression for not two but three or more United Nations agencies supporting separate offices in the same country, where each deals with the same problems but where, owing to the dispersion of efforts and funds nothing is actually solved. We all feel the need for our Organization to adapt to the new requirements and increasing demands put on its activity. This is why changes are called for everywhere: in the composition of United Nations bodies, their mutual relationships and the way they operate, the extent of the Secretary-General's authority, the status of the Secretariat, and the financing of the United Nations. However, changes are useful only if they result in something demonstrably better.”
1991-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 46 (1991)
“However, it will be directed far more clearly at effective development programmes within the United Nations framework and it will increase as soon as our economic circumstances permit. However, we are very concerned over shortcomings in the area of United Nations programmes. A substantial percentage of resources designated for development assistance is gobbled up by the bureaucracies of our own Organisation and of recipient countries, and too little remains for development proper. We all know about endless evaluation missions which will do anything to avoid the one important issue - an evaluation of their own uselessness. We cannot accept the existing insufficient coordination between various components of the United Nations system.”
1991-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 46 (1991)
“Czechoslovakia sadly corroborates this; it ranks today among the less developed countries and, like so many others, it feels an increased and urgent need for foreign assistance. Our attitude, however, is based on the premise that no assistance can be a lasting source of riches. It can only contribute to fundamental reforms which will allow us to create our wealth ourselves. That does not mean that we are insensitive to the just requirements and needs of developing countries. Despite our own difficulties, we also want to contribute to helping them as efficiently as possible. Contrary to some of my predecessors, though, I am not here to recite false data on the extent of our foreign assistance. This assistance will, for the time being, be modest.”
1991-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 46 (1991)
“The most important phenomenon in the relationship of East and West is unquestionably the elimination of bipolarity. However, what should be truly instructive for the United Nations in the economic sphere is the absolute collapse of a system based on the idea of administrative redistribution of the property of the rich to benefit the poor. And yet to a large extent the United Nations has so far based its activity on this very idea. This idea still pervades the existing concept of a new international economic order and a host of other documents. This is a blind alley. The countries of Central and Eastern Europe know from their own experience that such a system leads at best to stagnation, but more likely it leads to general and unstoppable decay.”
1991-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 46 (1991)
“Reviewing the General Assembly agenda is sometimes a sad exercise. Year after year it stubbornly features a variety of prestigious items whose only point is to debate obsolete resolutions. Is there, for example, any point in dealing with dozens of disarmament resolutions adopted year after year in virtually unchanged form? The situation in which these issues are being resolved has fundamentally changed. Without questioning good intentions or underestimating persistent negotiating efforts, I suggest that actual results are incommensurate with the efforts and resources expended on these issues. These efforts amount to little more than filling dusty archival shelves with stacks of unread printed matter. The problems I have just mentioned also touch upon United Nations activity in economic and social development.”
1991-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 46 (1991)
“Last year's developments once more confirmed that justice and security are inseparable. Our common security depends upon moving towards a unity founded on generally valid principles of humanity, and this indicates the direction the United Nations should take. The implementation of these principles would make it possible for the United Nations to play a more important role as an intermediary in conflicts that are of concern to us all - in Yugoslavia as well as in the Middle East. I think that the convening of a Middle East conference as well as the repealing of the resolution equating Zionism with racism would be steps in the right direction. The very existence of a strong international organ can in many cases influence nations' behaviour, making it unnecessary to turn to force, which truly is the last resort.”
1991-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 46 (1991)
“Moreover, once again it transpires that totalitarian and tyrannical regimes are likely to resort to war and to escalate conflicts, whereas democracies are beacons of law and peace. A clear moral follows from this: nobody who might wish to follow the Iraqi example can count on doing so with impunity. This applies also to obvious preparations for acts of aggression. Objections on the basis of sovereignty and non-interference have to be cast aside. Too much is at stake. Every Munich leads to catastrophes that are always greater than the one it seeks to prevent. The moral of the Gulf war is all the more important because the Gulf is not the only area of conflict; national and ethnic conflicts are flaring up even in Europe, which earlier at least appeared to be stable.”
1991-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 46 (1991)
“This was a serious test of whether our Organization is capable of facing a threat to international peace and security, whether it can react to naked aggression. The United Nations did not fail this test, and this is very encouraging. True, the Organization did not manage to prevent Iraqi aggression, did not find a diplomatic solution to the crisis and did not even employ the security mechanism outlined in its Charter. Nevertheless, the United Nations proceeded in the spirit of its Charter and contributed to effective cooperation between the Security Council and the peace alliance. Thus the United Nations definitely played a role in forcing the aggressor to retreat when faced by the international community. Last year's fears that the use of force in obtaining justice would weaken the United Nations have proved unwarranted.”
1991-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 46 (1991)
“Subjecting one's own interests to higher international needs is also in one's own interest. In this there should be no difference between nations big and small, developed and less developed. It is precisely the degree of mutual responsibility and tolerance that draws the line between a weak and a strong United Nations, between a paralysed Organisation and an effective one. A year ago the General Assembly met under the omen of the Persian Gulf War. This year we are meeting under the omen of its difficult conclusion. The end to traditional East-West rivalry has certainly contributed to the restoration of peace. In this the United Nations played an important role: it helped fight aggression and restored the rule of law.”
1991-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 46 (1991)
“Are we not told year after year that the Organisation cannot accomplish store than what its Member States allow? And if this were true, would we even have the right to criticise it and seek improvements? I think we will discover that more than one thread leads to better solutions within the Charter itself. Its real potential has hardly been tapped- The Charter binds all Member States to act in a manner that will allow the Organisation to accomplish its objectives successfully. Our world Organization must be more than the sum of its Members. Particular national interests have often been advanced, sometimes even ruthlessly, in conflict with our common interest. It should be possible to hold such conflicts within reasonable and mutually acceptable limits.”
1991-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 46 (1991)
“Ignoring abuses of human rights anywhere in the world is morally and politically unacceptable, as we have experienced in the distant and more recent past. We are convinced that it is not possible to argue principles of sovereignty and non-interference when the matter at issue is that of preventing ruthless, intentional and mass violations of human rights and freedoms. In fact, it is necessary to go even further in this direction. The United Nations, equipped with the appropriate authority, should stand vigilant watch over human rights everywhere in the world, and people anywhere in the world should be able to rely on its capacity to redress violations of these rights. All this begs the question: Can the United Nations be better than the sum of its Members?”
1991-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 46 (1991)
“I believe that our Organisation should set the defence of human rights, the natural and inalienable birthright of every human being, as one of its prime objectives. It is no longer enough to have them codified or even to debate how well they are safeguarded. Those of us who experienced the gradual degeneration of so-called "really existing socialism" know full well that without enforcing these rights comprehensively and across the board, all else in society inevitably becomes a hollow shell, as well. We also realise that the poor and the suffering will not enjoy their human rights so long as their living conditions do not radically improve. Progress in these two areas is thus interconnected.”
1991-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 46 (1991)
“If the United Nations fails to react to these supra-national problems far more energetically than it has to date, it will be disqualified from dealing with critical global issues. At stake is the welfare of future generations. The Preamble to our Charter calls upon us to "save succeeding generations from the scourge of war", but this is not enough at a time when civilization can self-destruct in a number of other, wholly unexpected ways. I propose, for example, that wherever it is possible, we consider together a strong effort to convert weapons manufacture into production benefiting the environment. The forthcoming Conference on Environment and Development in Brazil will address this problem.”
1991-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 46 (1991)
“Civilisation as we know it will, at the end of this century, simply not have a chance if it is divided by enormous differences in well-being and social welfare. The collapse of an ideology is not sufficient for resolving this problem. Equally pressing is the solution of acute global problems that the founders of the United Nations could only dimly foresee. They are now omnipresent. They confront us in a number of areas, including the environment, energy, population and migration. We are witnessing an alarming escalation in international crime, terrorism, drug addiction and the spread of new diseases. These phenomena jeopardize not merely individuals, but also sometimes even entire nations.”
1991-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 46 (1991)
“Two years ago, the Secretary-General correctly observed that "the United Nations has been intensely involved in activities to bring peace to troubled regions of the world. ... Indeed, the assistance of the world Organization is being sought as never before in its history." (A/44/1, p.3) No longer does one third of mankind suffer the grip of a totalitarian system. Nevertheless, the Organization often seems unable to transcend the shadow of its own past. This is why it is not in the forefront of world developments, why it merely reflects, belatedly and imperfectly, these developments. This situation is all the more disturbing in view of the extent and immediacy of the Organisation's tasks. One critical mission of the United Nations is to bridge the chasm between the North and the South, which is expanding menacingly.”
1991-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 46 (1991)
“Today, it may appear as though the dark periods of the Organisation's activity are over, as though its renovation is only a matter of capturing the spirit of the times and introducing several organisational improvements. And, true enough! the situation today is better than any of us would have dared to anticipate only a short time ago. We have seen an end to the ideological confrontation that blocked a realistic view of matters. The East-West conflict, which for 40 years threatened general destruction, in effect resolved itself, once the ideology that supported it crumbled, fully demonstrating its impotence. The interests of humanity have once again become a well-recognized priority. The collapse of bipolarity revives our renewed appreciation of multilaterality.”
1991-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 46 (1991)
“Even disapproval on the part of the vast majority of Member States did not prevent this very forum from being desecrated by people who defended aggression and violence. And yet, the Organization played a substantial role in decolonization. It contributed to the evolution and codification of international law. It served us all as an umbrella sheltering an entire roster of useful agencies that deal with everything from industrial development and atomic energy to health care and telecommunications. And. what is probably the most important point, every September, this very Hall turned into a meeting place of all those who otherwise might not have had anywhere else to meet.”
1991-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 46 (1991)
“Very soon after the Second World War, the United Nations, with so many hopes invested in it, turned into a cold war battlefield. It was dramatically influenced by the false concept of the so-called international class struggle. It failed to cope with flagrant violations of its own Charter and of international law. The most painful failure, from my perspective, occurred, of course, in 1968 when Czechoslovakia was invaded by the Warsaw Treaty countries. Later, during the era of so-called super-Power detente, we all witnessed the United Nations turn into a forum for rhetorical somersaults that concealed its inability to solve real problems effectively. We witnessed the gradual withering of the idea of multilateralism and of the last remnants of the Organization's prestige.”
1991-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 46 (1991)
“I represent one of the countries that over the past two years has experienced a dramatic transformation on the road to democracy. This transformation is helping to change the political map of the world, and so perhaps we have a certain right, even an obligation, to judge how capable the United Nations is of adapting to new impulses and reacting to them for the general welfare. I hope therefore that I may be excused for abandoning tradition and relegating comments on individual items on this year's agenda to discussions in the Main Committees. Allow me to paraphrase the words that President Havel used two years ago to address the situation in my own country. Our organisation too is not exactly flourishing! Its history is very controversial. Successes combine with failures.”
1991-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 46 (1991)
“Let me welcome our new Members: the Republics of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the Republic of Korea. We look forward to the active contribution of these new Members, and are prepared to cooperate closely with them on the various items on our agenda. Last year's session was the first I attended as Foreign Minister of a country freed from totalitarianism. Since then, I have reflected seriously upon the role of the United Nations in this world of ours, which has changed so much. Why, I have wondered, was the Organization's contribution to putting an end to the cold war only a modest one, even though it was founded to maintain peace?”
1991-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 46 (1991)
“First of all, allow me to congratulate Ambassador Shihabi of Saudi Arabia on his election to the presidency of the General Assembly. I wish him every success in meeting his responsibilities. Allow me to express my appreciation, as well, to Mr. De Marco, his predecessor, who represents a small country, yet had the courage to point to some of the Organisation's major problems. He did so with a decisiveness that has few precedents. It is also my most pleasant obligation to thank the Secretary-General. In guiding the Organisation, Mr. Javier Perez de Cuellar demonstrated a noble vision. The broad outlook of this politician proved to be in concert with our times. His integrity and assurance deserve our admiration.”
1991-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 46 (1991)
“Sometimes I take my visitors to that window, thinking about how he would rejoice to see that we are again taking up this dream of his with renewed hope. Let me therefore conclude my statement with the same words with which he concluded his at the first General Assembly session: "So onward United Nations, marching as to peace".”
1990-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 45 (1990)
“I am confident that it is the United Nations through which the new era of co-operation, in an area extending from San Francisco to Vladivostok, will be projected into co-operation with the South, and that this will create the essential pre-conditions and make available the resources that are necessary to eradicate poverty and to solve the problems of the environment; One of the founding fathers of the United Nations - Czechoslovak Foreign Minister Jan Masaryk, son of our first President - pointed out, as long ago as 1947, that there are four cardinal points, not just east and west. In vain did he call for the forging of a democratic chain to encircle the whole globe. After the fall of democracy in Czechoslovakia in 1948 he tragically ended his life with a fall from a window of Cernin Palace, the seat of our Foreign Ministry.”
1990-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 45 (1990)
“Most of the attempts made so far involving an active donor and a passive recipient have failed. Why not try some other ways? Over the 45 years of its existence, the United Nations has gone through many a twist of fate. Yet, despite all drawbacks, it survived even the worst times of the cold war. Every third Tuesday in September those who would not have met otherwise met in this Hall: a thin thread connecting the international community was still there. The end of bipolar confrontation, linked with the sweeping changes in Central and Eastern Europe, is making possible a renaissance of the ideas enshrined in the Charter of our Organisation.”
1990-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 45 (1990)
“That fund, to be administered by an international bank, such as the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, would be used to pay for supplies from Czechoslovak, Polish and Hungarian enterprises to the USSB. These enterprises would be required to invest a part of their dollar earnings in their own modernisation. The Soviet Union would undertake to invest the rouble equivalent of the sum paid from the fund in the development of their own economy. Nobody would get any money in advance; payments would be committed to specific effective programmes under the supervision of the respective bank. The stimulating effect of such operations on the development of local industries is evident. Such a proposal offers, of course, just a model that could be elaborated so as to suit the specific conditions in individual cases.”
1990-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 45 (1990)
“I am afraid that the present conflict in the Persian Gulf will again substantially limit the possibilities for development assistance. Already today, as a result of rising oil prices, the situation of many countries is becoming critical. However, financial grants or loans to the developing world cannot be seen as the only rescue. We have to look for other solutions as well. For instance, we must activate co-operation within regions or development areas. One of the available options might consist in the application of the plan I outlined at Harvard University last May for stabilisation of Central Europe and the USSR. We have suggested that the wealthiest States of the world set up a fund in the form of a dollar loan to the Soviet Union.”
1990-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 45 (1990)
“We shall discuss this subject at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development to be held in Brazil. I hope that it will produce binding principles and set in motion broadly conceived programmes. In his message to the President of the Commission of the European Community, Jacques Delors, Czechoslovak President Vaclav Havel, proposed that the European Community, together with the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, set up a programme aimed at a continent-wide solution of environmental problems. I have already stated that after overcoming East-West bipolarity we can and must work harder than before to bridge the North-South gap. The conclusions drawn at the eighteenth special session of the General Assembly on the revitalisation of economic growth can be inspiring but financial resources remain the essential factor.”
1990-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 45 (1990)
“But let us go still furthers let us try to formulate principles of conduct for the world community to follow, so as to create a world economic space where each and every society, regardless of the level of its development and specific cultural traditions, would find its place, a world where opportunities and a chance of resolving social issues through prosperity, of raising the level of education and of having the voice of its national culture heard in the concert of world culture would be assured. This relates also to the environment surrounding us. The United Nations is certainly the forum best suited for the formulation and assertion of common principles for the conservation and improvement of the environment. We know from our own experience that interference with nature in one part of the globe influences the destiny of us all.”
1990-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 45 (1990)
“It is my opinion that the time has come for the United Nations to carry its original underlying idea further by formulating principles that would represent the common heritage of the development of the whole human civilisation, principles that have proved to be an essential pre-condition for the successful development of any society, regardless of the part of the globe in which it lives. We have a worthy foundation in the United Nations Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the international human rights covenants. We hope that all United Nations Members will adopt these documents as their own and that efforts will be made to ensure their uniform interpretation and consistent implementation.”
1990-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 45 (1990)
“The colour of our skin, our nationality, religion or political convictions constitute personal characteristics that neither give us a right to put ourselves above others nor make us inferior. This applies to personal relations, to domestic and foreign policies of countries, and also to United Nations activities. Never again should the United Nations adopt one-sided positions that impair its credibility, such as it did once in the resolution identifying Zionism with racism.”
1990-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 45 (1990)
“The aim of our peaceful democratic revolution was first and foremost to free men and women from fear, to restore to them their human dignity and freedom of expression, freedom to elect their own representatives and to build a State under the rule of law, to give our citizens the possibility of taking personal responsibility for their lives, for their work and its outcome. Thus in yet another part of the world there is now a growing belief that first we are human beings and citizens and only after that whites or blacks. Catholics, Muslins, or people without religion, Czechs, Slovaks, Americans, Chinese, Arabs or Jews, rich or poor, educated or illiterate, Westerners or Easterners, Northerners or Southerners.”
1990-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 45 (1990)
“Our endeavour to build up a country fully governed by the rule of law is inseparably linked with support for the rule of international law in inter-State relations. We are therefore withdrawing our reservations to the provisions in international conventions on obligatory jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice. I could name here a number of other steps through which we are seeking, often with a delay of several decades, to redress the consequences of the narrow-minded ideological approach of the undemocratic governments of my country to the development of the international community. But we want more than that: we want to learn from the experience of the past 40 years and use the resulting lessons not only for our own benefit but offer it to be used for the benefit of all.”
1990-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 45 (1990)
“We are committed to this stand in view of the genesis of our revolution, and in view of our membership of the Commission on Human Sights from the beginning of next year - for the first time since the Commission was founded. We shall accede to the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Bights and sign the Second Optional Protocol to the same Covenant concerning Ute abolition of capital punishment. We are preparing to accede to the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and to the relevant Protocol. We are also making preparations for the signing of the European Convention on Human Rights. My country and Austria have co-sponsored at the current session of the General Assembly a proposal for the conclusion of an additional protocol on consular functions to the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations.”
1990-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 45 (1990)
“We intend to become a party to the convention on the prohibition and destruction of chemical weapons as soon as it is finalised. We have published detailed information on our peacetime chemical potential. We have tested the feasibility of challenge inspections at chemical plants, as well as in military facilities. We have withdrawn our earlier reservation to the 1925 Geneva Protocol on the prohibition of the use of chemical weapons in war. We are encouraging endeavours aimed at achieving a general and complete nuclear-weapon-test ban and we shall take an active part in the Conference on the Moscow partial test-ban Treaty in January 1991. We attach particular importance to the activities of the United Nations in the sphere of human rights.”
1990-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 45 (1990)
“We are prepared to act as mediators in the settlement of conflicts if we are requested to do so. It is our conviction that crises have to be settled solely on the basis of the United Nations Charter. Negotiation and the striving for compromise is, in our opinion, the only possible way out for the Middle East, Afghanistan, Cambodia, Cyprus and elsewhere. Peaceful rather than violent means should be sought to eliminate the shameful system of apartheid. Agreements on arms limitation and disarmament require verification and confidence-building measures. Therefore, we shall continue to publish data on our military expenditures according to United Nations guidelines. At the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva we shall contribute towards elaborating binding international instruments.”
1990-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 45 (1990)
“Freed from the shackles of confrontation, the United Nations my offers a wide range of opportunities for the advancement of international co-operation in all fields. For our part we shall do our utmost to that end. We reaffirmed this during the visit of the Organisation's Secretary-General to the Czech and Slovak Federal Republics this year. We are now offering a spacious palace in Bratislava, with numerous halls and conference rooms, no more than 60 kilometres from Vienna, for activities of the Vienna International Centre. We shall continue to support the peace efforts of the United Nations. Beginning next year we shall be ready to send, upon the request of the Security Council, a battalion-strength military unit to join in United Nations peace-keeping operations.”
1990-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 45 (1990)
“Czechoslovakia considers the forming of a single Germany as an act in implementation of the German people's right to self-determination, the outcome of a democratic process and a prerequisite for definitively overcoming the division of Europe and for settling the outstanding issues of the Second World War. This year the United Nations ranks have grown even more with new Members joining the Organisation. We have welcomed in our midst the long-awaited Independent and free Namibia. We admitted Liechtenstein a few days ago. It gives me great pleasure to express my congratulations to both new Members from this rostrum. The principle of universality of our Organisation requires that it grant membership to all independent countries that show an interest in joining it, as is the case with the Republic of Korea at present.”
1990-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 45 (1990)
“We wish to participate in the economic integration of Europe and to contribute in an active manner towards creating common human rights standards and a common European economic, legal, environmental, cultural and security structure. We wish to become a full member of the Council of Europe. We want to make a contribution to the institutionalisation of the process established by the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE). We have put forward specific proposals. We are offering Prague as the host city of a permanent CSCE secretariat. Our interest in building a united Europe also determines our stand on the unification of Germany.”
1990-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 45 (1990)
“I am naming but a few of those who have always known that the struggle for human rights, freedom and democracy is universal, that if we allow injustice to exist elsewhere, it can appear on our doorstep as wall. They have also included those Soviet politicians who, like Mikhail Gorbachev or Eduard Shevardnadze were not afraid to open a window to the world and set in motion the democratisation of their own society. Czechoslovak foreign policy is now independent and ready to bear its share of responsibility for the future of the international community. First of all, we had to normalize our relations with our neighbours.”
1990-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 45 (1990)
“Although we had to exert efforts of our own to make the revolutionary change happen, we would not have been successful without the support and assistance of all democratic and freedom-loving countries and forces of the world community. These included the seven courageous Russians who demonstrated at Red Square against the occupation of Czechoslovakia in August 1966, the Polish Solidarity movement, members of the Congress of the United States and members of both Western European and American human rights movements, writers and politicians, people like Francois Mitterrand, Olof Palme and Andrei Sakharov, all of whom have supported us through personal contacts.”
1990-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 45 (1990)
“Once we have succeeded in reaching the point where we are beginning to speak the same language, we should not let this opportunity of the world community slip out of our bands. Those who do not understand this or who do not want to understand this, those who would attempt to make use of the current situation to settle some problem of their own, jeopardise not only that opportunity and the international community, but also, ultimately, themselves. This is certainly an emotional moment for me, personally, but I deem it much more important that my country has ended the long nightmare that befell a large part of the world and that was also impeding the activities of the United Nations.”
1990-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 45 (1990)
“We Czechs and Slovaks highly value our own national identity. Throughout our history, we had to struggle to preserve it. That is perhaps one of the reasons why we know that the identity of peoples cannot be confused with the political intentions of those who seek to stay in power or to gain power by fomenting fanaticism, be it of a nationalist, religious or ideological nature. Thus, we do not consider Saddam Hussein's attack on Kuwait to be just a regional matter confined, let us say, to the Middle East. We perceive it to be an attack on the fundamental rules of coexistence among nations and States. These rules are also enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations.”
1990-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 45 (1990)
“One hundred years ago, Radyard Kipling said: "East is East and West is West and never the twain shall meet". For the author of the Jungle Book, admirer of Asia, Africa and the golden schools of fish at Mandalay, the difference in civilisations between his England end his India seemed impossible to overcome. From the mechanical viewpoint of that century, he could not foresee the age of computers. From the period of colonial empires and clearly geographically defined interests, he could not envision our global civilisation, where we can already determine common principles leading to the success or failure of our activities. Now, even a minor issue can become a global one - a conflict of religions or nationalities in the Middle East also makes itself felt through murders at an airport in Some or the Olympics in Munich.”
1990-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 45 (1990)
“This is also the reason why we do not want to see confirmed the anxieties that a part of development assistance, already insufficient, might be drawn off because of the needs of Central and Eastern Europe. In the past, development assistance was shrouded in numerous illusions, many of them voiced also in our Organisation. But even in the form it took and the extent to which it was provided, such assistance has resulted in a lot of good. Yet, fundamental issues have remained unresolved. At times development aid was turned into an instrument of ideological rivalry in third world countries, with the East-West conflict looming in the background. At present, nothing could be worse than the replacement of the disappearing cold war bipolarity by a new North-South bipolarity.”
1990-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 45 (1990)
“Europe at present is seeking ways towards integration not only in the economic sphere but also in the political and social spheres, and perhaps in defence as well. Most countries of the South have other priorities, the need to cope with hunger, population explosion, debt, falling prices of their traditional products and raw materials, lack of investments, an inadequate infrastructure, insufficient levels of know-how and a lack of access to modern technologies. We know well from our own experience what it means to have a malfunctioning economy which creates a system of ever-present shortages and what consequences that entails for the life of the society in economic and moral terms.”
1990-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 45 (1990)