YouSaid · the spoken record

Sikivou

THE RECORD WRITES THIS SPEAKER AS SIKIVOU

lines on the record: 54
first: 1971-09-24
most recent: 1973-09-24
sittings or episodes: 2
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

“Thus the call to all Members which want a strong United Nations, more especially to the major Powers and the developed countries, is not only to criticize it for its shortcomings from outside but also to advise and empower their representatives within the Organization to remedy its weaknesses and to give the United Nations their wholehearted support which it so fully deserves.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“What this requires is not that States should surrender their sovereignty but that they should be outward-looking and that they should regard others on the basis of equality, mutual respect, tolerance and understanding. 101. What is required is that all the Member States should constantly bear in mind that this great Organization can achieve a great deal more in its international peace and security efforts, in economic and social development and in its other aims only if it has the full and continuous support of all its Members. Where we have failed or have not been effective is where this support has been lacking or inadequate.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“With this underlying notion the Forum has set up the South Pacific Bureau for Economic Co-operation to try to modify the existing pattern of economic relationships between countries in the region and those outside it. 99. These are trends which reveal an increasing awareness of common regional interests. They also show that countries in a region, despite wide disparities in their stages of economic development and differences in their ethnic composition, can come together in a partnership to promote the well-being of their peoples. But the essence of this regional relationship is that it is outward-looking. 100. We believe that peace, security and orderly economic and social progress can be brought about only by all States coming together and pooling their resources for the benefit of mankind.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“This growing spirit .of co-operation has manifested itself both in the establishment of new regional institutions, like the University of the South Pacific, and in changes within existing regional bodies, like the South Pacific Commission, whereby the Pacific island members now have a far greater say in controlling the organization, including its budget and work programme. 98. The most exciting recent development is the emergence of the South Pacific Forum, a grouping which grew spontaneously from within the region, bringing together Australia and New Zealand with the independent island countries of the South Pacific in a common endeavour to establish a new free and independent association based on better understanding and more effective co-operation.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“Many Territories in the area have gained independence: first, Western Samoa and Nauru; then, Tonga and Fiji; and now Papua New Guinea will shortly achieve its independence. The Cook Islands are self-governing and Niue Island will achieve this status next year. 97. Concurrent with this development is the steady growth of a sense of Pacific consciousness among the countries and Territories in the region. It is not so much a birth as a rebirth or rediscovery of old links and ties temporarily broken by the division of the area into metropolitan spheres of influence.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“We appreciate that where such agreements involve restricting domestic production-as with beet sugar in Europe-the fear of hardship and unemployment can give rise to powerful sectional opposition in the developed countries. This can be true also when other measures to improve the terms of trade of developing countries involve reducing protection on locally produced goods. But the developed countries have the necessary capital, technology and skill to diversify into alternative lines of production and thereby minimize any loss of employment opportunity. The developing countries have not, and must continue to rely heavily on the export of primary commodities and semi-processed agricultural goods. 96. The last decade has been a period of very rapid development in the South Pacific.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“The current negotiations for the renewal of the international agreement and multilateral trade talks through GATT, and the forthcoming negotiation between the enlarged European Economic Community and the developing associate and associable countries, have a direct bearing on our efforts to improve the quality of life and the economic standards of our people. However, the success of these negotiations will depend ultimately on the attitude taken by the developed countries. 95. The International Development Strategy, to which we all subscribe, comes out clearly in favour of commodity agreements for assuring equitable and remunerative commodity prices. This is the type of aid we most need.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“Like many other developing countries, Fiji has a limited home market and its principal exports are two primary commodities, sugar and copra, which are subject to price fluctuations on the open market. Fiji is therefore heavily reliant on foreign trade as the source of essential foreign exchange. It is thus a matter of vital necessity to us that we find assured outlets and secure stable and remunerative prices for our primary exports. Additionally, because of the continuing deterioration in the terms of trade of commodity exports, it is of utmost importance that there should be some direct relative between primary export prices and the price of goods for which they are traded. The study of some mechanism to provide this relativity should be a priority call upon the research agencies of this great Organization. 94.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“The present session will be the occasion for the first biennial review of the International Development Strategy for the Second United Nations Development Decade, which is geared specifically towards assisting the acceleration of social and economic development in the third world. In this regard, the Strategy lays particular emphasis on the need for increased transfer of resources through both development assistance and trade. But we would prefer to regard the creation of favourable trade conditions and trade itself as the best form of aid; for it is only in increased trade that we can hope to realize our aims through our own efforts, without a sense of external obligation or a continuing heavy dependence on special assistance from outside. 93.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“Permanent peace and stability can, therefore, be achieved only through a new sense of international commitment towards mutual assistance and co-operation. 91. In this connexion, my delegation would like to express the sincere gratitude of the Government and the people of Fiji for the prompt response of the international community, through this Organization and bilaterally, in providing assistance for hurricane and flood victims in Fiji late last year. This was a clear demonstration to us of a joint and deliberate commitment to assist the less fortunate sections of the international community. 92.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“It has, on many occasions, helped to reduce tension and risk in a conflict situation and to facilitate the re-establishment of dialogue. But because of continuing disagreements among the major Powers, the United Nations peace-keeping operations have been at best a voluntary exercise, and in fact there may perhaps have been situations where the parties concerned have considered a United Nations presence an excuse to avoid serious dialogue. 90. For countries like my own, the real detente must also embrace increased international co-operation in promoting economic and social development. The existence of widespread conditions of mass poverty, unemployment and underemployment, and of glaring inequalities of income both between and within countries is a potential source of tension in the world today.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“The Middle East remains an area of acute tension, and for decades the inhabitants of the region have not known the normal living which it is their birthright to expect and to enjoy. Dialogue has been established between the two Koreas, but no real progress has been achieved in normalizing relations in order to achieve their peaceful reunification. 88. The recent agreement between India and Pakistan on the future of war prisoners has demonstrated to the world community that a lasting settlement can be brought about only by frank and peaceful dialogue between the parties directly involved. No one can benefit from armed conflicts or confrontations, whatever their outcome; we can all benefit from peace. 89. The United Nations was set up, according to its Charter, to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“The reduction of fears of survival is an objective which must continue to be pursued. 87. But what has the detente meant to the international community and to this world Organization in particular? Military arms expenditures are still rising. Nuclear-weapon tests are still being conducted. The risk of miscalculation and misconception of motives and intentions remains a constant threat to a detente based on a precarious nuclear balance. Because of continuing disagreements among the nuclear Powers, general and complete disarmament has remained an unattainable objective. Real peace has not come to Viet-Nam despite the official cease-fire. American bombing in Cambodia has now ceased, but war continues in that country.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“In our view, the international community must choose to establish a new order of the oceans for the benefit of all, or else risk allowing the present situation to degenerate into a new area of tension, lawlessness and uncontrolled exploitation, from which only the more developed few will benefit. 86. What the Secretary-General has called the "new balance of prudence", accompanying the detente between the United States and the Soviet Union and between the United States and China, has raised hopes for a more peaceful world. The successful completion of the first phase of the strategic arms limitation talks, the launching of the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe and talks on force reductions in Europe, and the presence in our midst of the two German States-these have all borne witness to this new mood.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“My delegation believes that the Conference can accomplish its complex and difficult task only if all interests groups decide to demonstrate a genuine willingness to resolve the intractable issues facing them. What is necessary on the part of all States is the political will to negotiate and a spirit of co-operation and mutual accommodation. What we look for is not only a sense of realism in the claims to national jurisdiction, but also a willingness on the part of the major maritime Powers to recognize the fact that a new law of the sea is evolving.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“It follows that Fiji will welcome the opportunity to discuss with our Pacific neighbours the proposal for a nuclear-free zone in the region as mentioned yesterday by the Prime Minister of New Zealand. 85. I have already referred to the forthcoming Conference on the Law of the Sea. The issues to be discussed at that Conference are of immediate concern to my country, as indeed to other States, for the seas not only surround us but also join the component islands of Fiji into one nation. My country, as a member of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of the Sea-Bed and the Ocean Floor beyond the Limits of National Jurisdiction, which is preparing the Conference, is very much aware of the complexity of the issues and the diversity of interests which have dogged the Committee's work.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“At a time when the world community is actively concerned with the law of the sea, France has cordoned off a large area of the high seas far beyond the boundary of the territorial sea of its testing site. This is a dangerous encroachment of the long-standing principle of freedom of the high seas, and when States continue to show a total disregard for accepted international legal norms, it is the world community as a whole that suffers. Only last week, the South Pacific Conference, meeting in Guam, passed a strongly worded resolution in condemnation of these tests and all other nuclear tests. The Secretary-General of the South Pacific Commission was asked by the Conference to transmit the resolution to the Secretary-General of the United Nations for the information of its Members. 84.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“The international community has shown its strong opposition to nuclear weapons and nuclear testing in numerous resolutions and various international treaties and in the recurring appearance on the agenda of the General Assembly of items dealing with disarmament and the creation of nuclear-free or peace zones. This year marks the tenth anniversary of the partial test-ban Treaty, whose basic aim is to end the nuclear arms race and thus eliminate the need for nuclear weapons and their testing. Yet France has ignored the call of the international community for the halting of all atmospheric nuclear-weapon testing in the Pacific or elsewhere, and its call for all States that have not done so to adhere to the partial test-ban Treaty. It has chosen to disregard the terms of an interim injunction granted by the world Court.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“But it is for the same reason that the Government and people of Fiji have taken very seriously the resumption by France of atmospheric nuclear testing in the South Pacific. 82. We appreciate that the primary concern of a country must be to safeguard its national security against external aggression, but it must be equally recognized that we are all members of a world community and action taken by one member can impinge on the rights of others. It is, therefore, to be regretted that, as a responsible member of the international community, France has continued to conduct nuclear testing in the atmosphere at a point far removed from its own metropolitan territory, thus endangering the marine resources, health and lives of peoples of the South Pacific region. 83.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“Fiji has on numerous occasions voiced in this Assembly and in other international forums its strong opposition to the continuation of all nuclear-weapon tests in any environment, and in particular nuclear testing in I the atmosphere in the South Pacific. With 300 scattered islands and with limited land resources, Fiji regards the sea and its resources as matters of vital importance in its efforts to improve the quality and standard of life of its people. It is for that reason that Fiji is seeking, at the forthcoming Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea, the recognition by the international community of the special needs and interests of mid-ocean archipelagic States.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“We refer to the hijacking of commercial aircraft, kidnapping, the use of letter bombs- and other such devices. Fiji will continue to support any internationally agreed preventive measures, and regards this as a matter of the highest priority for the United Nations. However, here again, measures to combat illegal terrorist activities and, indeed, to promote universal respect for international law and order will work only if all nations co-operate in observing them. The sense of urgency and the strong desire to rid the world of terrorist acts should not be permitted to be blunted by the supporters of their perpetrators. 81.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“It is, therefore, a matter of serious concern that some responsible Members-while declaring in this forum their support for the principles of the United Nations Charter and for the rights of self-determination and independence of dependent peoples, and their opposition to the policy of apartheid-have not in practice adhered to international measures designed to help the oppressed peoples in the area. They have in fact directly and indirectly encouraged the very Governments the United Nations is trying to persuade to abide by internationally accepted principles which we are all pledged and charged by the Charter to pursue. 80. Another form of injustice which calls for urgent effective and concerted international action is the increasing incidence of acts of politically inspired terrorism against innocent individuals.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“We would counsel that we watch for and exploit to the full any signs of readiness to talk, of softening of hearts and of the slightest change in known positions. In our view, it would be unproductive, and indeed highly dangerous, if we were to consider the use of force as the only means of achieving self-determination and independence in southern Africa. We believe that the United Nations has made and can continue to make a real contribution towards bringing about this beneficial change.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“Political domination based on the perpetration of racial injustice and economic exploitation can only heighten tensions and instability in the area. 79. The problems of race relations in southern Africa are complex and not easy to solve. It is my delegation's view that a solution based on dialogue and peaceful change can and should be found. In regard to United Nations work relating to southern Africa, my delegation urges that we do not lose patience in the pursuit of solutions by dialogue and other peaceful means. If the South Africans, the Portuguese and the illegal Smith regime appear to have hearts of stone, we would counsel patience, persistence and perseverance as against threats and the use of force.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“It is, therefore, a matter of great importance to Fiji to look to this world body not only for sympathy and understanding of its problems but also for its determination to set, and to promote the universal observance of, certain practical standards for the benefit of the international community. Surely these standards must include freedom to decide one's destiny, racial equality and harmony, respect for international law and order and a greater realization of the fact that we are all, large and small, interdependent. 78. Yet it is a sad reflection on the state of world affairs today that, 25 years after the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the dignity of man and basic human rights are still being denied in southern Africa.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“The expulsion of Asians across frontiers, armed conflicts involving Moslem and Hindu religious communities, and racial tensions in predominantly white communities-these threaten and undermine the success of our policy of multiracial harmony. You, Mr. President, and the representatives present this afternoon need not be reminded of the disruptive effects of the economy of a country such as mine of currency devaluation and revaluation decided on by others without consultation with and apparently without concern about other countries which are likely to be adversely affected. So interwoven are our interests and welfare in an ever-shrinking world that the need for devising and observing agreed international standards in all fields of human endeavour is absolutely vital. 77.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“We believe that differences in race, religion, language and custom can add richness and variety of texture to our composite society. All sections of our multiracial community are accordingly agreed that our future must lie in developing a relationship based on equality, mutual respect, tolerance and understanding. These values are enshrined in our Constitution. 76. Situated in the South Pacific, Fiji seems remote from the international scene. Indeed, we in the South Pacific have sometimes felt that ours is a neglected region of the world. As world leaders travel to and fro on important missions, one does not hear of them visiting the South Pacific, although our problems are just as varied and as complex as those one may find anywhere. External events can and do have disturbing effects on race relations in Fiji.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“As a small country, we are fully appreciative that the greatest virtue of this world forum is that, despite differences in size, wealth and political systems, all countries can come together freely to discuss and consult on a wide range of problems of common concern and to take appropriate measures to resolve them. We have also learned in the short time of our membership that the collective will and wisdom of this world forum can sometimes be frustrated by self-interest, national pride and other weaknesses among its members. With those weaknesses eliminated, the potential for success of this Organization is incalculable. 75. The demonstration by the United Nations of the advantages of diversity and co-operation is particularly important to Fiji because we have a multiracial society.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“Mr. President, on behalf of my delegation may I, like the representatives who have preceded me at this podium during this session, express congratulations to you on your well-deserved elevation to the presidency of the General Assembly and pledge to you our whole-hearted support and co-operation. 73. My delegation would also like to take this opportunity to extend a warm welcome to the two German States and to the Commonwealth of the Bahamas on joining the United Nations. It is only three years since Fiji, immediately on attaining independence, joined this august body, but from our brief experience we are convinced that the United Nations will be able to discharge its responsibility under the Charter more effectively the more fully representative it is of all mankind. 74.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“It is the main contribution which we in the South Pacific have to offer to the world at large, and it is the main contribution which my delegation will be offering to the deliberations of this Assembly during this twenty-sixth session.”
1971-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 26 (1971)
“The Pacific voice in world affairs will always be a small one, but there are encouraging signs that it will become increasingly harmonious and at least distinctly audible. These endeavors are all directed towards solving our problems by self-help and mutual assistance through a process of consultation and discussion. We, and those of our neighbors which have emerged as sovereign States, have all achieved our independence through this process. 207. Our Prime Minister, Sir Kamisese Mara, when addressing the Assembly at the commemorative session last year, referred to the philosophy underlying the process as the "Pacific way" [1876th meeting, para. 205], I humbly commend the "Pacific way" as a philosophy deserving of wider application. It is one which distills into a simple phrase the ideals upon which the United Nations was founded.”
1971-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 26 (1971)
“There is the Pacific Islands Producers' Association, which is concerned with fostering commercial cooperation and in solving joint inter-island shipping and transportation problems. 206. A most significant development was the meeting in August this year in Wellington of the South Pacific Forum. The Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, as members know, referred to this body in his -statement earlier this afternoon. This was an inaugural meeting of the leaders of independent South Pacific countries, and it was kindly hosted, at the request of the Pacific countries, by New Zealand. This was the first meeting of its kind, but was so successful and revealed so many new avenues for consultation and co-operation, that it will be repeated next year when Australia has kindly offered to be the host.”
1971-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 26 (1971)
“It has been deeply satisfying for us to renew these relationships as independent modern States and to rediscover our common heritage and the community of interest that we share. Regional co-operation is not new in the South Pacific; the South Pacific Commission has been in existence since shortly after the Second World War and is developing more and more as an institution representative of the interests of the Pacific territories rather than those of the founder metropolitan Powers, namely, Australia, France, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States of America, which none the less continue generously to bear the main burden of its budget. 205. We are pursuing the aim of regional co-operation in other fields also. We have in Fiji the regional University of the South Pacific serving 10 English-speaking countries iii the region.”
1971-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 26 (1971)
“The past year has seen the doors of many great international organizations, both inside and outside the United Nations family, opened to membership by Fiji. Because of our limited resources, one of our tasks has been to try to distinguish those which are relevant to us and in which we can usefully participate. It is no easy task, and it is one which must continue to occupy us for some time to come. Important as our membership in some of these organizations may be, our sense of geographical identity has led us to place great emphasis on the development of our relations with our immediate island neighbors. We have close relationships with some of these territories dating back many centuries before European entry into the Pacific.”
1971-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 26 (1971)
“We would, however, sound one note of warning. While we fully understand the need for such bodies to ensure that their funds are expended to the best advantage, nevertheless they should guard against a tendency to try to impose conditions which are incompatible with the independent sovereign position of even the smallest country. 203. Fiji has welcomed the growing tendency of late for a number of United Nations Development program projects, besides catering to Fiji's own needs, to be designed as regional ones, aimed at meeting the common needs of several South Pacific territories. Regional co-operation in the South Pacific is very close to our hearts in Fiji and it is a subject to which I should like to return later in these remarks. 204.”
1971-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 26 (1971)
“At a time when problems of pollution and environmental management are increasingly occupying the attention of the world, and when the vast majority of States have subscribed to the partial test-ban treaty of 1963, we are sure that the Members of this Assembly will not wish to «fve our confidence misplaced. 202. One of the most significant functions of the United Nations from the point of view of the developing countries must obviously be its role as a source of multilateral aid, Fiji has of course been receiving assistance from the United Nations developmental organs for a number of years. Through the agency of the United Nations Development program, a number of activities are being undertaken in Fiji. We are deeply grateful for this assistance, which is making a solid contribution to the solution of our problems as a developing country.”
1971-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 26 (1971)
“Fiji also associated itself with a joint protest made by our New Zealand friends on behalf of all independent South Pacific countries following a resolution at a meeting of Pacific Heads of Government, the South Pacific Forum held at Wellington from 5 to 7 August. We are, therefore, gratified that the French Government has now seen fit to call a halt to these tests, We are confident that France, which has in so many ways demonstrated its concern for the less privileged nations, will be sufficiently sensitive to the feelings which the tests have aroused that it will make this halt permanent and final.”
1971-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 26 (1971)
“A natural consequence of the importance of the sea to Fiji's people has been our deep concern-in common with many other Pacific nations and indeed with other United Nations Member States, great and small, whose representatives have spoken before me during this session on this vital subject -at the renewal by France in 1971 of atmospheric nuclear testing on Mururoa Atoll. On this occasion our independent status enabled us for the first time to protest in our own right at the contamination of the atmosphere and of the sea which these tests must cause and at the subjection of the peoples of the South Pacific, against their will, to increases in the levels of radio-activity which, no matter how small, must be regarded as potentially hazardous to health.”
1971-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 26 (1971)
“In all these matters it is Fiji's earnest hope that the greater developed nations will strive to achieve a true understanding and appreciation of the needs of countries such as Fiji and will not take advantage of their size and power to deny to the smaller developing countries the opportunity to make use of the marine resources which surround them. To do so would seriously prejudice the likelihood of these developing countries improving their lot by their own efforts and would perpetuate their dependence for aid on the developed countries, a situation which can be desired neither by the one side nor the other. 201.”
1971-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 26 (1971)
“Our representative addressed the Committee at its 62nd meeting and presented a statement setting out Fiji's aims and aspirations, Fiji hopes that the international community, through the 1973 conference, will at last give full consideration to the position of oceanic archipelagos, of which there are a considerable number, and will make adequate provision for them in the law of the sea. Fiji hopes that the moderate claims it is making in regard to territorial waters and to exclusive fishing rights will be sympathetically viewed in the light of their importance to it as a developing country. 200.”
1971-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 26 (1971)
“It has ever been a source of sustenance to our people, and to many of them it is the major one. As increasing population puts more and more pressure on our limited resources on land, we must look more and more to the development of marine resources, including submarine mineral resources, for the support of our people. 199. Fiji has accordingly been most interested in the preparations being undertaken by the sea-bed Committee for an international conference on the law of the sea which it is proposed to hold in 1973. Fiji attended the recent meeting of the sea-bed Committee in Geneva as an observer.”
1971-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 26 (1971)
“We in Fiji, with our multiracial society comprising two major races and a number of substantial minorities, feel that we have some practical experience in this field and by virtue of this may well have a useful contribution to make. We have attempted to make such a contribution and will continue to do so whenever a suitable occasion offers. 198. I have already mentioned the very special position of the sea in determining Fiji's outlook. We are an oceanic people dwelling in an oceanic archipelago. The sea and the land of Fiji are entirely interdependent. Our people look to the one as much as to the other as elements of their environment. The sea is conceived, not as separating the many islands of our archipelago, but as joining them. It is our roadway.”
1971-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 26 (1971)
“Another issue which underlies many of the questions which come before this Assembly is that of racialism. As we have all seen in its manifestations in many different parts of the world, it is an issue capable of arousing the deepest and it must be said-the most sincere of emotions. It is unfortunate, however, that these emotions, however sincere, often lead to a situation where it is impossible for any communication to take place between the two sides in the issue. 196. It is our firm belief that progress towards an amelioration of racial divisions and racial strife in the world can only come to pass when every effort is made to maintain contact and communication and to resolve differences on a basis of mutual understanding. 197.”
1971-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 26 (1971)
“Whatever may be the inherent evils of the colonial system, and whilst it must be the duty of this Organization continually to remind the metropolitan countries of their obligations and responsibilities towards the Territories under their control, the solution to the problems of these remaining Territories will not be easily found. They must be approached with the understanding of their very special and peculiar problems, and the pace of constitutional change must be in accordance with the wishes of the people themselves. That has been, and will continue to be, the burden of Fiji's submissions to the Special Committee whose deliberations on these problems, we venture to hope, we may have been able to assist in some small way during the past year of our membership. 195.”
1971-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 26 (1971)
“All live together harmoniously despite differences of race, religion and culture, and it was this happy state which was responsible for our peaceful transition from our colonial status to independence some 12 months ago. 194. In wishing to make a positive contribution to the work of the United Nations, we have therefore been glad of the opportunity to take part, as a member, in the work of the Special Committee on colonialism. With our recent direct experience as a colony and as a small nation ourselves, we feel that we may have some little insight into the problems of the remaining colonial Territories, many of which are even smaller than us and have populations which are already placing a great strain on their meager natural resources. In addition, a considerable number of them are situated in our own part of the world.”
1971-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 26 (1971)
“Fiji's view must also spring, of course, from the two inescapable elements of its geography and history. Comparatively speaking, we are an isolated nation, a group of islands set in mid-Pacific. Although we are not so poor in land resources as are some of our Pacific neighbors, our more than 300 islands comprise but 7,000 square miles. The ocean which surrounds us therefore exerts a dominating influence on our environment and our outlook. 193. Our recent history is one of more than 90 years as a colony of the British Crown. That has left many legacies, one of which is a society composed of several races. Besides the indigenous Fijians and Rotumans, there are Indians. Europeans, Chinese and people from other Pacific Islands.”
1971-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 26 (1971)
“With the object of better acquainting this Assembly with the role which appears to be emerging for Fiji after just one year of independence and of membership in the United Nations, I should like to dwell briefly on some of the issues where my country feels it might have a small contribution to offer and on some where it feels it has a definite interest to pursue. 191. Fiji is very conscious of being not only a small nation but also one of the smallest States Members of the United Nations. It is conscious too of being among those countries commonly referred to as "developing countries" whose constant preoccupation must be the development of their economies, a task often complicated by rising population and the rising expectations of their people. 192.”
1971-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 26 (1971)
“In a world where many of the great international issues can be expressed in their most simple terms as conflicts of interest between just two or three of the great Powers, the opportunity which this Assembly gives to small nations to speak on these issues in the course of debate, the need of the main protagonists to pay heed to the equal voice which the Charter of the United Nations accords to each Member regardless of size and the moderating influence which even small nations can thus bring to bear to minimize the possibility of these conflicts of interest degenerating into open hostilities those are all factors which point to the small nations as being an important element in the preservation of international stability. 190.”
1971-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 26 (1971)
“In spite of the difficulties-some of which I have mentioned- which confront us in participating fully in the activities of the Organization, the answer from the small nations and, we are pleased and encouraged to note, from many of the major Powers as well must emphatically be that there is a place for us and that there is a role which we can play. 189. The great virtue of this Organization, from the point of view of the small nations, is that it is the one international forum in which our voice can be raised on terms of equality with all others. The great strength of this Assembly must reside in the esteem in which it is held and in the respect which its resolutions command, an esteem and a respect which it is in the interests of us all, both great and small, to strengthen and preserve.”
1971-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 26 (1971)
“This Assembly has welcomed in its midst a number of small nations in the past few years, including Fiji, We have already had the opportunity at this session of welcoming three new Members, Bahrain, Bhutan and Qatar, which, by the areas of their territories and the numbers of their populations, must also be classed among the small nations of the world. Fiji had the very great honor and pleasure of co-sponsoring the candidature of one of them, Bhutan, and of supporting the candidatures of them all. 188. The question has often been raised whether there is truly a place in this Assembly for us, the small nations.”
1971-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 26 (1971)