YouSaid · the spoken record

Paz Barnica

THE RECORD WRITES THIS SPEAKER AS PAZ BARNICA

lines on the record: 158
first: 1982-09-24
most recent: 1985-09-24
sittings or episodes: 4
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

“martyr of the unity of Central America, the creator and President of the Federation of the five States, -who spurned the lure of dictatorship in order to establish a democratic government and who engraved in the bronze of history the visionary warning that freedom must recover its rules in the world.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“XIV) In the four decades that have passed since its founding, the United Nations has represented in the history of mankind, an instrument available to all for the building of peace, as the supreme ideal of man and of nations. While in San Francisco we were able to meet the challenge of the post-war period, it is now our obligation to attack with equal strength and resolution our task of building a world of peace and freedom. It was for those ideals that General Francisco Morazan, who was born in Honduras 193 years ago today, fought and died. General Morazan, born on 3 October 1792, was shot on 15 September 1842 by the die hards of conservative reaction, just when the twenty-first anniversary of the political independence of that turbulent region was being celebrated. He is the most outstanding hero and.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“There is too much support among the peoples of the world for the United Nations and too much constructive work being carried out under United Nations auspices to permit any of those who bear the burdens of authority in the Governments of Members or in the Secretariat of the United Nations to relax for an instant in the determination to do everything possible to save the united Nations as a universal Organization standing firmly against war and to make it a stronger instrument for peace and progress. "If the United Nations is able to emerge intact and successful from the present crisis, its strength and influence will be immeasurably enhanced, and the world will be much closer to lasting peace than at any time since 1945." (A/1287, Introduction, p.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“The breach of values of the human being looms like a specter roaming the dark alleys of absolutism, while violations of the attributes of the sovereignty of the people strike at the very essence of our collective desires at a time when we should all be concentrating on our internal obligations and international commitments. When submitting the fifth annual report on the work of the United Nations on 12 July 1950, barely five years after the foundation of the Organization, the then Secretary-General, Trygve Lie, said: "At the time that this report is written it is not possible to be confident about the future of the United Nations and the prospects of world peace. But it is equally impossible to be hopeless.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“Natural and political tragedies, in violent and destructive form, have struck the destiny of our peoples. The earthquake which caused such damage in Mexico has greatly saddened us. The international community has expressed its solidarity with this Latin American nation, where the republican voice of Benito Juarez was once heard saying that among men as among nations, peace lies in respecting the rights of others. The kidnapping of the daughter of the President of El Salvador is a barbarous act which deserves to be strongly condemned by all countries which seek, through dialog and democracy, systems of civilized and pluralistic coexistence. There are other actions which downgrade the noble aspirations of man on this continent.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“In this tumultuous region in which we live - and live together - attempts are being made to supplant our aspirations for a better future. This is the region which has so long been under discussion by the Contadora Group, which seeks to replace our collective plight by dedication to peace and democracy, to justice and security, so that men can work together as brothers and flourish. If we fail to understand this situation, which speaks for itself like a cry of protest at an unhinged world, we shall be failing to interpret properly a fundamental aspect of the preamble to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, drafted in this Organization, which warns us that human rights should be protected by the rule of law, so that men should not be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“The constant effort to secure freedom as an instrument for a better destiny for man; the unrelenting desire for justice as a principle that gives each one what is his due; the struggle for democracy as a pluralistic expression in the political and economic sphere; and the dedication to the cause of peace as constituting a state of understanding and not an artificial truce, all find in Central America a fertile seed-bed in which to germinate in the furrows of human activity; but this is a land abandoned because "it has been waiting in vain for the gardener". Those at the level of world-wide confrontations must not forget that man is part of society and that society is part of the State, and must respond to Christian and spiritual values so that all human beings may coexist on a basis of co-operation and solidarity.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“Honduras, my country, belongs to a part of the world that in the last few years has been subjected to the distressing harassment characteristic of international relations. In Central America it would seem that the ideological hegemonies have turned a deaf ear to the cry of despair of the poor and oppressed which are so moving as to strike a responsive chord in the heart of Central American man. In this region of the Western Hemisphere a struggle is going on that is sometimes very much out in the open, and other times less so, aimed at imposing designs contrary to the dignity of the human being in order to give free rein to a totalitarianism that is incompatible with our peoples' desire to redress injustice.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“Suffice it for me to refer to a few striking and disturbing examples cause us some concern: the case of the bloody struggle going on for the independence of Namibia; the foreign occupation of Kampuchea and Afghanistan; the bloody war between Iraq and Iran; the prolonged absence of South Korea from this Organization, a fact that strikes at the principle of the universality of the united Nations; the violence that is shaking the Middle East; the uncertainty as to the future of Cyprus; the crisis afflicting the Central American region; the conflict of the Malvinas, and the odious policy of racial discrimination in South Africa, which is an illustration of the dominance of the force of might over the force of law.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“The United Nations now faces a challenge of knowing whether man will prove able to perfect a system to govern himself and to exercise the right to self-determination inherent in the purposes of the United Nations. The main issues on which the United Nations capacity to fulfill the purposes and principles of the San Francisco Charter are being challenged today have been demonstrated by a series of peripheral conflicts which are detrimental to international stability and the security of States. These conflicts, most of which are local in nature, have been before the Organization for many years and in some cases for decades. The fact that pending conflicts remain unresolved is also a new test for the world system of peace and security.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“In this connection I wish to draw the attention of delegations to the problems arising from the lack of implementation of the provisions for collective security provided for in the Charter, the lack of a harmonious relationship between the principal political bodies of the United Nations, the use of those bodies as spheres for confrontation and rostrums for propaganda, and the importance of guaranteeing the political independence and initiative of the Secretary-General in pursuit of the purposes and principles of the Organization. We also cannot fail to refer to the need for greater, more effective co-ordination among the organs, bodies and institutions of this international entity and the urgent need to establish priorities to solve the basic problems and to discuss subjects of fundamental importance.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“Experience shows that there will be a need for great determination and firmness of purpose in order to achieve structural changes that will be just and of mutual benefit." We must not leave out of account in our thoughts the machinery necessary to keep the peace. We see that the United Nations has to cope with problems of efficiency and means for action essential for it to do its job.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“We live in a world where poverty and hunger continue in vast regions on earth, in which weapons are manufactured and sold as never before, and in which the destructive capacity to blow our world to smithereens has been built up. "What can now be seen on the agenda is the reordering of international relations, the establishment of a new order and a broad approach to development problems. A similar process of reconstruction and renewal should be guided by the principle of equality of rights and opportunities. It should seek just settlements in order to put an end to grave injustices. It must put an end to pointless disputes and promote the common well-being of nations.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“We cannot continue to allow delays in the necessary reforms in the international monetary system that should permit greater participation by the developing countries in decision-making that directly affects them, a participation that should become particularly evident in the processes of adjustment of their economies but which will not mean greater social sacrifices that might destabilize their political and economic systems. The United Nations has an agenda that is crucial for the years ahead. The report of the Independent Commission on International Development Issues put it as follows: "At the beginning of a new decade, just 20 years from the millennium, we must rise above disputes and routine negotiations and face the problems that threaten us over the long term.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“We cannot continue to allow the massive efforts to develop production in the third world to be frustrated by restrictions imposed by international trade designed to protect the most advanced economies. We cannot go on tolerating a situation in which, through an imbalance in the terms of trade, our countries continue to transfer wealth to the richer countries, thus widening the enormous gulf that already separates them from us.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“The United Nations should give proof of the political will of its Members and the ability to innovate and show imagination. We cannot continue to allow millions of human beings to die of hunger from inanition, nor can we continue to tolerate the present high rates of infant mortality when measures such as universal immunization, proposed by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), can effectively reduce them before long. We cannot continue to allow arms expenditures to grow in inverse ratio to the decline in international development aid. We cannot continue allowing the absurdity of having the poorer countries being major capital exporters despite their heavy burdens resulting from the overwhelming weight of servicing foreign debt, given the onerous conditions in which financing has taken place.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“There are so many needs that we must establish a system of priorities and it will be necessary to review the categories of countries which should receive international assistance in accordance with the particular features of their economic and social situation. In order to be successful it is essential to incorporate in this task of salvation the efforts of the populations of the countries themselves. In this regard, the United Nations should establish an international development strategy that would give concrete expression to assistance in well-structured programs based on proper priorities. We need precise plans and goals, the achievement of which necessitates also a commitment on the part of the most privileged countries to contribute a sufficient quantity of material and human resources.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“The United Nations has devoted much of its efforts and resources to this task, through its specialized agencies, in areas such as food, population, trade, education, refugees, children, industrialization, technology, development finance and monetary questions. This titanic task requires a new political impetus. There is an urgent need for motivation, which will be derived from the feeling of humanity and the need for the survival of the international community, for without any doubt international injustice is the greatest threat to international peace and security. Nearly 900 million human beings are in a situation of extreme poverty.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“By virtue of their very universal essence, human rights cannot be the privilege of one country or group of countries or to any system of government. Human rights, in addition to being a collective obligation, constitute an ethical obligation that must be fulfilled in each and every one of our societies. He shall discover that the true essence and nobility of democracy lies precisely in respect for and the promotion of human rights, and in those States where the systematic violation of those rights tarnishes our primordial commitment to the Creator we shall find the most cruel expression of offensive and degrading absolutism. Perhaps the greatest challenge facing the United Nations is that of meeting the most pressing demand of our time - the demand for international justice.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“This is all the more important in that it has been universally recognized that the highest expression of man and the advent of a world in which human beings, freed from fear and poverty, enjoy freedom will derive from those rights. He are also deeply convinced that, through world and regional institutions, one of the primary obligations of the community of nations is to protect those rights and condemn those who, inexcusably, violate them and trample them under foot. The concept of human rights has spread from the original individual and public rights to rights in the economic, social and cultural spheres which should be enjoyed by all men and worsen. Such a concept indicates that we should also strengthen our struggle against discriminatory practices which, unfortunately, still prevail against certain human groups and minorities.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“As fat as the mechanisms of peace are concerned, the task facing us is such a pressing one that we must make greater progress than has been made in the machinery for extermination through war. Within the broad and fundamental chapter in the history of peoples concerned with human rights, it has been one of the primary purposes of the United Nations to promote respect for the dignity of man. None the less, the world witnesses with indignation and horror continuing disregard of and contempt for human rights, which has given rise and continues to give rise to acts of barbarity which are an outrage to the conscience of mankind.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“It is truly a source of concern that the international legal order, notwithstanding the noteworthy progress made in the development of its codification, might in fact fail, even in certain specific areas to become a common law of mankind applicable on a mandatory basis as the only way of exorcising the bellicose spirit. A common law of mankind which would give practical expression to the maxim of Thomas More that "nothing is less glorious than glory won by war". With that in mind, we must work hard to banish the use of force as a means of settling disputes between States. As long as the system of the peaceful settlement of disputes is applied universally, to that extent also we shall be serving the essential purpose of the united Nations, which is the maintenance of international peace and security.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“Lowes Dickinson explained this, showing a striking grasp of the facts, when he said: "As long as the States of the world go on arming themselves with a view to war, as long as they continue to follow policies which can be carried out only by means of war and as long as they enter into alliances with the expectation of war and conduct their relations in secret because of war, there will continue to be war, until that war puts an end to mankind; and throughout all that time anything alleged to be a reason for the continued existence of the State - the prosperity of the people, the quest for knowledge, the practice of art and religion - will be sacrificed to Moloch, which in turn will offer nothing back except the expectation of sacrificing it all yet again." We may well wonder whether the twenty-first century will find us without an institutional system that will truly get rid of the use of force as a means of resolving conflicts between States, without a system for the prevention of conflicts, without a collective system capable of suppressing acts of aggression or other breaches of the peace.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“It is that "it is highly desirable for the improvement of the material and moral well-being of mankind that there should be a restriction of military expenditures, which at the present time constitute a heavy burden on the world". We are today confronted with the same problems as yesterday, without having committed ourselves to freeing mankind from the sinister specter of the balance of terror, death and destruction.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“We should never have to repeat the words of Sir Charles Webster, who said, deploring the situation which gave rise to the second world conflagration: "There were so many enmeshed links between nations that some, with excessive enthusiasm, felt they were sufficient to check the forces that were capable of leading to war. None the less, when they were put to the test those intermeshed links turned out to be no stronger than a spider's web across the mouth of a cannon." The United Nations is today facing a whole range of problems that will have a great bearing on our future. We note with justifiable concern that little or nothing has been done by us towards disarmament, the reduction of the arsenals of war. The principle enunciated at the Hague Peace Conference in 1899 remains valid.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“The "first and most important step towards peace is to desire peace sincerely"; and this sincere desire does not allow for reserving spheres of competence, which would be detrimental to the dynamic and effective activity of the United Nations in building peace on the solid basis of collective interest rather than of isolated and exclusive interests. We should not be top confident that the worst will not in fact come to pass. At die present time there are political, strategic and security conditions which are so dangerous that they constitute in themselves an appeal to common sense and compromise. There are economic and social conditions which, like open wounds, are clamoring not just for compassion but also for justice and equity. Let us not commit the error of relying unduly on our development and underestimating our weakness.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“Perhaps this capacity for accommodation and flexibility has enabled it to survive moments of immense confusion and turmoil. But essentially it is necessary that the United Nations should cease to be peripheral to the vital interests of the Member States, particularly the super-Powers. It must assume shared responsibility based on a pattern of national policies which will not interfere with the fundamental objectives of the United Nations, policies which will not challenge its authority but which will, on the contrary, strengthen its prestige.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“The United Nations as an Organization cannot be merely a debating society in which the sufferings of our peoples and the sorrow of mankind is described. As well as being a forum for exchanging views, the United Nations must increasingly be a meeting-place for finding collective solutions to the problems facing this age of unknowns and expectations. There is also a growing requirement for the United Nations to be known more for its achievements than for its failures in the effective maintenance of international peace and security. This requires that Member States should strengthen their political role and their means of action in order resolutely to confront the dangers that lie in wait for us. There is a need for the United Nations to have the ability to change with time and in time.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“This impressive network of agencies also leads us to inquire whether we have been capable of meeting with the urgency required the fundamental needs to which they are addressed: hunger, illness and ignorance, which afflict to an equal, extent millions of persons languishing in despair and anguish in "a world divided for all". The States Members of the United Nations are confronting this reality, which is, at the same time, what we have done and what we have failed to do to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, to promote fundamental human rights, to maintain justice and respect for international obligations and to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“Now more than ever are we duty-bound to close the gap between wealthy and poor nations. In this century, which is now drawing to a close, we have experienced a period in which the fundamental idea of economic and social progress has been focused on the construction of increasingly egalitarian national societies. The challenge of the future is this: Will we be able to build a more just and more humane world society? Today's world tells us also that we have set up a genuine international system with a series of specialized agencies which are working to fulfill their responsibility to bring men closer together as brothers through co-operative efforts for common understanding and common well-being.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“Now we are living in a world in which the concept of war equates with total annihilation. The development of thermonuclear weapons and the strategy of deterrence have left the destiny of mankind hanging by a thread. This is a sword of Damocles, which may deliver a mortal blow to the whole of mankind and plunge us into chaos. Today we see a world in which tensions have shifted away from the old centers of power towards new zones of instability located outside the territories of the major Powers and concentrated in developing countries, in which the various ideologies and sources of hegemony pursue their own interests. Today we third-world nations cannot be indifferent to the imperative need for understanding among the strongest in order to prevent, as Bertrand Russell said, open confrontation and the oppression of the weak nations.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“The impressive development of communications and the resulting realization that many subjects in international affairs affect the life of ordinary citizens has led to an unaccustomed publicity being given to diplomacy which still cannot replace the efficacy of methods of private negotiation in order to reach working compromises. He are now experiencing a world which has left behind the old systems of colonial and imperialist domination, a world which is caught between nationalism and the constant human need for political freedom. The struggle for national independence cannot make liberty irrelevant. None the less, the United Nations, which has contributed so greatly to the process of decolonization, which started at the end of the Second World War, notes the increasing frequency of the imprisonment of man by the State.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“Today's world is one in which interchanges of all kinds between nations have been intensified and multiplied, a phenomenon that runs counter to the fragmentation of the world into numerous sovereignties, national and absolute. These interchanges are at once a reason for the integration of the most dissimilar societies and a source of previously unknown conflicts, which are none the less always risky and dangerous. But we cannot act today without taking into account the fact that international issues are no longer the preserve of an elite of initiates. There is a genuine international debate in which the citizens of democratic countries take an active part in the formulation of national foreign policy and, what is more, in the pattern of continuing relations between third States.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“Peter, or from governing the international community on the basis of the principle of magnanimity advocated by Burke; but it is equally true that today's world is far removed from the realities confronted by our forefathers, the builders of a past which still has its repercussions on the historical development of peoples and States. The fortieth anniversary of the founding of the united Nations invites us to ponder dispassionately on the most appropriate way of meeting the challenge of today's world. International relations have become universalized with the dizzying increase in the membership of the international community. The list of the protagonists on the world stage has grown more diverse, thus complicating the development of this Organization and the attainment of its purposes: international peace and security.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“Before this century the world had a very weak political framework, based on a precarious balance of power. In our age, international relations are based rather on interaction between power and morality. Power expressed through the use of force in relations among States has been gradually curtailed by the new responsibilities imposed on the monopoly of power. Even the super-Powers have been obliged to adjust to the restrictions on the use of force imposed by considerations of their own survival. No State in our age can invoke the use of force in moral terms without previously availing itself of the means of negotiation and international law. We are still far from achieving the Plan for Perpetual Peace of the Vicar of St.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“The challenge faced by the United Nations at this time is matched only by the responsibility assumed by the founders of the Organization four decades ago. We are fortunate that an experienced diplomat has been elected President of this Assembly. We are certain that he is fully familiar with every aspect of the work of this Organization, because of his years of outstanding service and his personal dedication to the cause of peace, and his election as President of the Assembly is also a tribute to Spain. That noble and admirable country gave birth to us and nourished us, and is permanently committed to the lofty purposes and principles of the Charter. The phenomenon of the world Organization has become possible only in the twentieth century. The old world empires were only an expression of expanded sovereignties.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“It was said that men at long last had learned through bitter experience that the Tower of Babel could be built, and it was hoped that this time it would reach to the sky. At the conclusion of that Conference Lord Halifax expressed the yearnings of the people of 51 nations, vested in the United Nations Charter which they had created in order to bring a future of peace and security, co-operation and democracy: "Let us pray, keeping equally in mind the needs of the world and our own weakness, that what we have done, assisted by the hand of God, here in the past few weeks will be worthy of the faith that gave rise to it and the human suffering at the cost of which it was achieved." In this general debate most of the eminent speakers have quite rightly agreed that the President at this session of the General Assembly bears an enormous responsibility.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“On 25 April 40 years ago a close observer of the city of San Francisco related how there was a gathering of representatives of various states, some of which had a proud past, while others had been in century-long isolation, with cultures that had changed little; some had been overwhelmed by the chaos of war, while others had just begun to move along the paths of history. The differences between the countries, both spiritual and material, were reflected in the flowing robes of the desert, the saris and the turbans. They were meeting under the aegis of peace and the most generous hopes for the building of a new and different world which would draw inspiration from the shattering experience mankind had lived through until then.”
1985-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 40 (1985)
“We might see the true and final design of peace, visible thus far only as an incomplete outline, but taking shape as the message of the United Nations is brought to the world. The disbelievers will see how many hearts are echoing the words of Saint Paul to the Corinthians: "For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries".”
1984-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 39 (1984)
“We have also been invited to imagine what a revelation it would be "if we could in some way form a joint impression of what is going on in those many minds at that extremely important moment" when the General Assembly is beginning or ending its sessions. "What hopes are contained therein, what determinations, what destructive intentions and what legitimate calls for assistance and guidance? A glance would be enough to reassure the fearful minds outside of the sum total of patience, valour, loyalty with respect to what is right and pure integrity that go into this common effort which perhaps represents the sole hope left to mankind." 238. It has also been said that that "would be the faithful reflection of the United Nations, but only God sees that".”
1984-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 39 (1984)
“We hope that that deep feeling of faith in our ability to overcome our problems will illuminate the work of the President, as head of the General Assembly, so that the purposes and principles decided upon almost four decades ago will give strength to our debates, thus increasing understanding and hope. 236. Let us therefore reflect on assessments that have been made by experts on the historical development of the United Nations on the essence and importance of this forum of universal debate. 237. Thus, it has been said that the two minutes of meditation or prayer at the beginning and the end of the session every year are too short "to acknowledge how much this vast undertaking, with all its complications and difficulties, must rely on divine assistance".”
1984-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 39 (1984)
“In this he can rely on his efficiency and skill, as well as the support of the international community. 233. As we review the present state of international relations, our spirits are indeed troubled. There is hardly a region in the world which is not affected by the scourge of war, by lack of respect for human rights, by the negation of the right of peoples to self-determination, by hunger, injustice and oppression. 234. We must together undertake the task of regaining the faith that has been lost—faith in mankind, faith in its future, faith that history will be able to forge nations free from blindness and hatred. 235.”
1984-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 39 (1984)
“This is war which must come to an end, a war between two partners in the Movement of Nonaligned Countries which, instead of opposing each other, should strengthen their cooperation, for the benefit of the third world countries. This struggle of unheard-of fanaticism leaves fields desolate and interferes with important strategic channels of communication and international supplies. 232. The President of this session of the General Assembly is an outstanding representative of Africa, that vast region of the world which is still experiencing the fever of emancipation which derives from the establishment of the United Nations. A representative of Zambia, he will have the responsibility of guiding our debates at what is a dramatic time for the human race.”
1984-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 39 (1984)
“I refer to the attack on United States diplomatic staff in Teheran by armed elements, who occupied the embassy and held the officials hostage in the building for many months, making their release conditional on the payment of an infamous ransom. This was a challenge to the most fundamental principles of diplomatic law and conduct. There has also been a wave of international violence against the embassies of Honduras in different countries. The embassies have been dynamited, causing material damage and physical injury to diplomatic officials. Such cruel acts must be severely condemned by the community of nations. 231. The causes and extent of the reckless war between Iraq and Iran are incomprehensible.”
1984-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 39 (1984)
“The United Nations plan for the independence of Namibia is the basis for a lasting, peaceful solution. 228. Similarly, we reject the racist policy of apartheid applied in South Africa and deplore the recent violence that caused further loss of life in that tormented region of the world. 229. Our conscience has been shocked constantly by the bloody and irrational struggle that continues in Lebanon. The recent tragic, senseless acts of terrorism against the forces entrusted with maintaining the peace and against diplomatic representatives in Beirut cost hundreds of lives, creating an international problem to which the United Nations should pay particular attention and which should be repudiated by all its Members. 230. In this context, I remind the General Assembly of an event that shocked the entire civilized world.”
1984-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 39 (1984)
“With regard to the question of Korea, my country believes that the remaining manifestations of the cold war must be ended calmly and fairly. The Republic of Korea, like any other State that meets the conditions set out in Article 4 of the Charter of the United Nations, has a right to be admitted as a Member of the Organization. The South and the North of Korea should resolve their differences purely by peaceful means and direct negotiations. The international community should encourage an approach designed to establish trust and bring about reconciliation between the two parties so that the barriers of fear and controversy may be overcome. 227. Honduras rejects the presence of foreign troops in Namibia and deplores the delay in establishing an independent, sovereign State.”
1984-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 39 (1984)
“We share the anguish and suffering that conflicts cause to other peoples and nations. 224. My Government reiterates the need to find a just solution, negotiated in good faith, to the South Atlantic conflict. It is of the utmost importance for the strengthening of peace that comprehensive negotiations be resumed in respect of the sovereign, historic claim of Argentina to the Malvinas Islands. We ask the Secretary General to persevere in the use of his good offices to promote understanding on the basis of justice. 225. We reiterate our forceful condemnation of the foreign occupation of Kampuchea and of Afghanistan. Their peoples must be enabled to exercise their right freely to determine their own destiny. We appeal to all free nations to repudiate the barbarous foreign intervention in those suffering regions of the world. 226.”
1984-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 39 (1984)
“This will be done with respect for the relevant criteria and norms established at the international level. None the less, Honduras will keep its borders open to all human beings who feel insecure and seek protection outside their own territory. 222. I should like to express just and well-deserved appreciation to the United Nations for its invaluable assistance, to the specialized agencies and to the Governments that have supported us in meeting the needs of refugees. I appeal to all Members of the United Nations to maintain and increase their economic and moral cooperation with the agencies that assist in mitigating the plight of these unfortunate people. 223. We have followed with concern the development of situations of tension that threaten peace in other regions of the world.”
1984-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 39 (1984)
“These are being cared for by Honduras, with the valuable assistance of international organizations and specialized agencies, such as UNHCR World Relief Refugee Services, Caritas Internationalis, Medecins sans frontieres, Catholic Relief Services, the Mennonite Church, the International Red Cross, the Intergovernmental Committee for Migration and many others that are contributing directly or indirectly to improving the living conditions of the refugees and displaced persons. My Government is deeply appreciative of all these efforts. 221. In recent days, and because of political change in El Salvador, which now has a democratic, freely elected Government, my Government has provided for the voluntary repatriation, under international supervision, of 18,000 Salvadorians now in my country.”
1984-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 39 (1984)
“We urge those States that have not yet signed the Convention to do so and to respect its contents and its unity. 220. For some years, Central America has been experiencing a distressing phenomenon caused by prevalent instability and violence in the region. This has led to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of persons from their places of origin. In view of the tragedy dividing families in our region, my country and my Government have accepted the obligation, imposed by humanitarian feelings, which have always characterized Hondurans, to give refuge to more than 50,000 refugees and displaced persons of various nationalities.”
1984-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 39 (1984)