YouSaid · the spoken record

Lenihan

THE RECORD WRITES THIS SPEAKER AS LENIHAN

lines on the record: 142
first: 1980-09-24
most recent: 1988-09-24
sittings or episodes: 3
sources: un-general-debate

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

“The Interrelated issues of resources for development, commodities, international trade and the problems of the least-developed countries were considered at the seventh session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), in July. The discussions at the Conference showed welcome evidence of a readiness on the part of all countries to work together to improve the environment for accelerated and sustained development. The Final Act of the Conference reflects the broad understanding that was reached on the need for a number of policy approaches and concrete measures to address and deal with these problems. The successful outcome of UNCTAD VII has also contributed to the restoration of confidence in our ability to tackle development questions within the framework of the United Nations.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“The unfavourable economic environment affects us all. In my own country, the slow-down in world trade has contributed to high unemployment. A heavy debt-service burden has forced our Government to impose severe cut-backs on public expenditure. However, no country or group of countries has been as seriously and severely affected by the slow-down in world growth as have the least developed countries, particularly those of sub-Saharan Africa. In this regard I welcome the initiative which the Secretary-General has taken in establishing an advisory group to study and report on the balance-of-payments and debt crises as obstacles to the economic recovery of many African countries.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“We urge the Governments Involved to maintain their efforts and call on all other States in a position, to do so to facilitate the peace process undertaken and now under way. I have mentioned some of the regional conflicts which are the cause of particular concern. However, for millions of people, the immediate threat to their security and well-being is not a military or a political one. Their well-being is being continuously threatened by a lack of development. Many millions still lack the basic conditions for a decent life. Their condition is as much the concern of this Organization as is any other aspect of its purposes and principles. The present Insecure world economic environment - characterized by slow growth, sluggish trade and low commodity prices - provides a sombre background to our deliberations on global issues of development.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“The agreement signed by the five Central American Presidents in Guatemala City in August has greatly enhanced the prospects of peace in that region and has given very real hope that the urgently needed improvements in the areas of human rights and social justice will be undertaken. We congratulate the Governments concerned on taking this Important step towards achieving national reconciliation and the strengthening of democracy and on their renewed commitment to the objectives of the United Nations Charter and of the draft Contadora Act. We look forward to the full implementation of the agreement while being keenly aware of the extent of the difficulties that have yet to be overcome.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“- We remain convinced that the basis for a just and lasting solution to the conflict in Kampuchea is contained in the Declaration of the International Conference on Kampuchea, which calls for the withdrawal of Vietnamese troops and the exercise by the Kampuchean people of their right to determine their own future. In the event of a withdrawal, effective steps should also be taken to prevent any armed group from seizing power by force or resorting to the threat of force to intimidate the Kampuchean people and thereby deprive them of their right to choose their own destiny. Kampuchea must be free both of foreign troops and of any prospect of a return to the appalling activities of the Khmer Rouge.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“The Introduction of extraneous elements linking progress towards a Namibian settlement with developments elsewhere in the region is not acceptable. The rapid withdrawal of Soviet troops, in accordance with an irrevocable timetable, remains the essential pre-condition if the long conflict in Afghanistan is to be brought to an end. A political solution must guarantee the Afghan people's right to self-determination, allow the return of the refugees and the re-establishment of Afghanistan's status as an independent and non-aligned country, we reaffirm our support for the efforts of the United Nations Secretary-General and the principles set out in successive United Nations resolutions.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“The steps which have been taken to maintain the apartheid system have had a malign influence elsewhere in the southern Africa region. Ireland has frequently condemned the continued activities of South Africa in seeking to destabilize its neighbours whether through armed incursions into their territories by its security forces support for paramilitary movements opposed to the Governments of its neighbours, or the application of economic pressure. On Namibia, I call again on South Africa to desist from further obstructing progress towards Namibian independence in accordance with Security Council resolution 435 (1978). This resolution remains the basis for Namibian independence and the world community should continue to demand its implementation by South Africa.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“South Africa remains a source of serious concern to the whole international community· The events of the last year have brought no comfort to those who hope to see the apartheid system dismantled and the emergence in South Africa of a multiracial democracy in its stead· Massive repression continues unabated and censorship, in fact, has been greatly strengthened. Many thousands have suffered loss of freedom under the state of emergency, in addition to the iniquities that are inflicted daily on them by the apartheid system. The Government of South Africa continues to defy international opinion and has yet to demonstrate clearly that it is prepared to engage in genuine reform and to commence meaningful political dialogue with the authentic leaders of the majority community.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“We are among those countries whose citizens are innocent victims of the hostage-taking and kidnapping, which has been a particularly deplorable characteristic of the continued violence in that country. We unreservedly condemn this practice and appeal to all parties and forces in Lebanon to co-operate in securing the immediate release of all innocent victims· We urge all parties to show restraint so that reconciliation, national dialogue and reconstruction can commence. The cycle of violence must be broken as a necessary pre-condition for a peaceful solution based on respect for the sovereignty, unity, independence and territorial integrity of Lebanon.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“We have followed with deepening concern the mounting toll of death and destruction as well as the growing threat to international peace and security posed by the conflict between Iraq and Iran. We appeal to the two belligerent countries to recognize the futility of continuing this war. We urge them to respond to the call of the Security Council for a cease-fire leading to a negotiated settlement. I would recall that we, the Members of this Organization, have conferred on the Security Council the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. We support the efforts of the Secretary-General in the exercise of his good offices, with the aim of ensuring compliance with the Security Council resolution. Elsewhere in that region, in Lebanon, religious and communal antagonisms continue.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“We were greatly encouraged in the course of this year by the growing momentum towards the convening of an international conference, which we believe is the most timely and effective approach to bringing about a comprehensive and enduring peace in that area. We, in common with our European partners, have made clear our commitment to such an international conference under the auspices of the United Nations and our readiness to play an active role in assisting this process so far as we can. We urge all the parties concerned to renew and intensify their efforts to overcome those obstacles and difficulties which still stand in the way of the convening of a conference. We appreciate and support the Secretary-General's efforts to this end and with this purpose in mind.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“We call for a renewed commitment of effort on the part of all Member States so that each individual can effectively enjoy those rights to which he is formally entitled. In his statement to the Assembly on 22 September the Foreign Minister of Denmark, speaking on behalf of the Twelve member States of the European Communities, addressed many of the regional conflicts with which we are confronted. I should like today to comment on the situation in those areas which, in the view of my delegation, give cause for particular concern. First, the divisions and instabilities of the Middle East, on which I have already touched, remain a matter of consistent concern and high priority.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“An area of United Nations activity with which public opinion in my country has strongly identified is the work undertaken in the field of human rights. On the eve of the celebration of the fortieth anniversary of the proclamation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we recall the great debt owed to the framers of that document. Its assertion of inalienable rights to which every human being may lay claim represents a landmark in the struggle to secure freedom and justice for all. On the basis of that foundation, much valuable work has been done in the intervening years in the preparation of international instruments designed to expand and deepen the scope of the human rights canon. Despite the existence of this impressive framework, violations of human rights, often on a serious scale, continue to occur.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“Along with our European partners, we have repeatedly and unambiguously condemned all acts of international terrorism, irrespective of the identities of those responsible, or their motivations. We must all ensure that the obligations we have assumed under international conventions are fulfilled; we must also pledge ourselves further to intensify existing bilateral and multilateral co-operation on practical anti-terror ism measures. Much of this can be carried out within the framework of the United Nations and its agencies, as exemplified by the work currently under way in the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) . It behoves us all to do our utmost to see that terrorism ceases to be a threat to the orderly conduct of international relations.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“The subjects of disarmament and development are at the very core of the concerns o£ this Organization. Ireland is persuaded that the need of all States for security can be met by progress in both disarmament and development. The international community should be alive to every opportunity to make use of resources freed by disarmament measures, undertaken for whatever reason, for the purposes of development. Despite widespread condemnation by the United Nations and other international organizations and improved co-operation in implementing measures to deal with it, the serious threat posed by terrorism to human life and to international peace and security remains. Ambivalence with regard to terrorism and its perpetrators still persists.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“The conclusion of a comprehensive test-ban treaty would be an obvious and practical step in inhibiting the further technical development of these weapons, thus helping to reduce reliance on these particular weapons by the nuclear-weapon States. A ban on testing, accompanied by the reduction in nuclear weapons that now appears imminent, would provide important and timely reassurance on the intentions of the nuclear-weapon States. Ireland is convinced that there are no technical obstacles in the way of such a ban, if the will exists. The International Conference on the Relationship between Disarmament and Development has only recently concluded its deliberations in these very halls and we are happy that the participants agreed on a Final Document by consensus.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“The agreement in principle to the global elimination of intermediate-range nuclear weapons is welcome in itself, but also as a step which will, we hope, lead to more general disarmament, and we must regard it as a first step in that direction. We hope, therefore, that it signals the beginning of a process conducive to the easing of international tensions more generally throughout the world. There is, I believe, a universal and deeply felt desire that these negotiations should continue with a view not only to preventing an arms race in space and terminating it on earth but also to bringing about a further reduction of nuclear weapons in all categories.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“My Government hopes to see further developments in the process, leading to greater contacts between the peoples of Europe, more sustained co-operation at the level of States, and more effective recognition of human rights, so that the impact of agreements reached can be felt by all Europeans. We hope to see a successful outcome in the course of this year, in the shape of a balanced and substantive final document as a follow-up to the meeting taking place at present in Vienna. Successive sessions of the General Assembly have underlined the need for serious and sustained efforts to check the arms race. I have said already that we welcome the improved prospects of agreement for the first time between the United States and the Soviet Union to reduce the number of nuclear weapons on both sides.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“Ireland welcomes these indications and hopes that a secure foundation for a lasting dialogue will now be laid, in the belief that more secure and stable International relations can result from a process of comprehensive and realistic dialogue between the super-Powers. We attach importance in particular to the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE) process as a significant aspect of East-West relations. This established framework for dealing with security and co-operation between East and West in Europe has brought notable improvements in the conditions of all of the people of Europe, East and West, as well as facilitating relations between the participating States.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“If troop contributors are to continue to undertake these onerous responsibilities, all concerned must decide to act in full conformity with the Security Council's mandate to the Force. Since the founding of this Organization, East-West relations have been a central preoccupation of the international community. The capacity of the Security Council to discharge its primary responsibility for International peace and security is clearly influenced by the state of super-Power relations. This is a reality. Recent indications of positive developments In East'-West relations are therefore of considerable interest to all Members of the United Nations.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“My, Government continues to call for the complete withdrawal from southern Lebanon of Israeli troops, the dismantling of the so—called security zone and an end to harassment of United Nations peace-keeping troops by irregular forces. The Secretary-General, too, has repeatedly called for the necessary co-operation to be extended to UNIFIL so as to allow it to complete a mission which has been undertaken in the interests of peace and with the backing of the international community. My delegation strongly endorses that call and supports the Secretary-General in that particular matter. The Secretary-General has also pointed to the unsatisfactory financial position of the Force caused by the continued withholding of contributions due in respect of both the present and previous mandate periods.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“That support is essential if the mandate of an operation is to be implemented in full and if its financing is to be assured. In addition, a peace-keeping force can, of course, succeed in its tasks only if It enjoys the full co-operation of the parties to the conflict. Judged against those criteria, the situation of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) gives cause for some disquiet. Over the past 14 months three members of the Irish contingent have lost their lives while on duty in south Lebanon. Other contingents there have also suffered casualties. It is unacceptable that co-operation continues to be withheld from the Force and that the mandate which has been renewed at regular intervals since it was first adopted in 1978 remains inoperable.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“All Member States have, in subscribing to the Charter, committed themselves to meet their mandatory financial obligations in full. The payment of such contributions Is therefore a legal requirement, binding on the Member States in the same manner as their other international obligations. My Government attaches a central importance to the peace-keeping activities of the United Nations and is proud that Ireland has been able to contribute to most of the Organization's peace-keeping operations. Responsibility for the establishment of a peace-keeping force rests with the Security Council. It is therefore in the first instance to the members of the Council that troop contributors look for support in the discharge of the tasks which they have been mandated, and have agreed, to undertake.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“It is important that the unity and spirit of compromise shown then should not be a transient phenomenon but should influence the ongoing implementation of these measures of reforms. Those measures safeguard the essential functioning of the United Nations as an organization of sovereignty equal States committed to the purposes and principles of the Charter, The role played by the Secretary-General in promoting the updating and streamlining of the Organization has been a key factor in the progress made to date· It is essential that he be given the fullest possible support in managing the financial and human resources of the Organization, While a beginning has been made in establishing a basis for sensible budget-making within the United Nations, the financial situation of the Organization remains precarious.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“The recent initiative taken by the Council, with the support of all its members, in the long-running conflict between Iran and Iraq has shown a willingness on the part of the members of that body to discharge the responsibilities vested in them by the Charter. The unity of purpose manifested on that occasion offers the hope that those provisions of the Charter conceived as central to the functioning of the United Nations as a world Organization can be implemented for the effective maintenance of international peace and security. Secondly, in a somewhat different order of ideas, the adoption by consensus at last year's session of a comprehensive resolution on the reform of administrative and budgetary procedures in the United Nations marked a significant stage in the Organization's development.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“In this regard the major Powers, which have been given very special rights under the Charter, have a particular responsibility. If they take the lead in co-operating to make the United Nations systems work more effectively and live up to the hopes of its founders they can be confident that they will have the support of the great majority of the Members of the Organization. There are grounds, especially in recent times, for cautious optimism. In particular, developments in the past few weeks encourage my delegation to the view that the United Nations will continue to occupy the central place in the conduct of world affairs assigned to it by its Charter. First, I would refer to the Security Council.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“How can one ignore the contribution of the United Nations to the process of decolonisation; its part in the protection and promotion of human rights throughout the world; its work and that of the specialized agencies within its framework for development and for the eradication of disease and hunger; its efforts to promote the goal of disarmament, including in particular the nuclear non-proliferation Treaty; and the part which its peace-making and peace-keeping machinery has played in resolving or sometimes defusing conflicts which could have escalated much further? The value of the mechanisms offered by the United Nations to Member States as an alternative to the threat or use of force should not be underestimated.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“Friends of the United Nations, among which my Government would wish to be regarded, must admit that there has been and remains an element of truth in those claims. We are just as conscious of the flaws in this Organization as any, but we are dedicated to remedying those flaws. At the same time it is also essential to emphasize the genuine achievements of the Organization.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“In addition to regional conflicts we are faced with a lack of respect for human rights; the emergence, or in some cases re-emergence, of famine conditions and ever increasing expenditure on armaments Including in particular expenditure by those nations which can least afford it· These remain the sad realities for far too many of the world's inhabitants. How well equipped is this Organization to tackle this particular agenda? We are all aware of the criticisms which are made of the United Nations and its affiliated bodies. It is said that the United Nations is selective in the topics with which it chooses to deal, that it is partial in its criticisms and that it has been wasteful of its resources. Of course it is an imperfect institution operating in a very imperfect world.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“We were reminded very recently at the Conference held here on disarmament and development of the extent to which the existence of excessive armaments across the whole spectrum is a burden on the international community as a whole. It is a burden which must be reduced. We are encouraged by the readiness of the super-powers to begin the process of disarmament, which we believe will serve as a step towards a more general easing of international tensions. We cannot, however, lose sight of the many elements of instability which continue to mar the international scene. The agenda for this session is composed of as long a list of conflicts unresolved and disputes unsettled as any of its predecessors.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“I should like to express my congratulations to Mr. Peter Florin on his election as President of the forty-second session of the General Assembly. I am sure that our work will benefit greatly from his Presidency, I should like also to avail myself of this opportunity to thank his predecessor for his able leadership of the forty-first session- This forty-second session of the General Assembly convenes at a very important juncture in world affairs. For the first time for many years there is the prospect of significant arms control· Agreement between the two super-Powers is now under way. The agreement in principle that was announced last week is very welcome as an important first contribution to what we hope will be a continuing disarmament process.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“We commit ourselves to apply in our own case the principles we commend to others and which underlie the Charter of this Organization. 309. Many of those who have come before me to this rostrum in the general debate have spoken of the world situation at present in sombre terms. I do not know if this view of the international situation today is wholly justified; but it is certainly true that the international climate is more difficult now than a year ago. At this time, it is, I believe, more important than ever that we uphold and abide by the principles of this Organization as set out in the Charter. My delegation has tried to do this since it became a Member 25 years ago. 310. Here at this rostrum today, I pledge on behalf of my Government and country that we will continue to do so to the best of our ability.”
1980-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 35 (1980)
“Clearly, this common membership of both countries in a wider community committed to closer integration of its peoples provides a good background against which the two Governments can hope to resolve the apparently intractable problem which a common history has left to their two peoples. 307. I need hardly add that this new arrangement in Ireland which my Government wants to see emerge must be based entirely on agreement and consent. We have no wish to coerce or dominate, and we totally reject violence and will continue to act vigorously against it. 308. In summary, our approach to this problem, which is close to us, is essentially that which I commended to our Organization here at the outset of my speech. We commit ourselves to efforts to bring true and lasting peace to our island, and we reject those who have recourse to violence.”
1980-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 35 (1980)
“Thatcher, in the communique which they issued following their talks in London in May this year. They agreed on that occasion to develop new and closer political cooperation between their two sovereign Governments and to hold regular meetings on a continuing basis, and they agreed to further that unique relationship between their peoples in the interests of peace and reconciliation. 306. Finally, there is the wider dimension set by the common membership of Great Britain and Ireland within the European Community. Linked together within the wider grouping, the two countries, together with their other partners, have developed new forms of co-operation which complement and extend the already close bilateral relations between them.”
1980-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 35 (1980)
“Accordingly, it is our belief that a declaration by the British Government of their interest in encouraging the unity of Ireland by agreement and in peace could open the way towards an entirely new situation and help us, in Ireland, to devise new structures, by agreement and with consent, which would bring lasting peace to the whole island of Ireland. 305. It is clear that discussion of this question must be raised to a new plane between the sovereign Governments of Ireland and Britain and be set within the second and wider dimension of which I spoke—the unique relationship between the peoples of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the peoples of the Republic. That this relationship is indeed unique was explicitly recognised by the Irish Prime Minister, Mr. Haughey, and the British Prime Minister, Mrs.”
1980-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 35 (1980)
“My Government is willing to discuss with all the representatives of Northern Ireland what arrangements would be needed to safeguard their interests and traditions. My Government has no doubt that they can be accommodated. We would be willing to go far—very far—perhaps further than they realize, in order to reach agreement on new arrangements, looking not to the past but to the future to bring peace and stability to an area which has known trouble for far too long. 304. Having said that, I must add that attitudes struck up to now have been influenced by the unqualified guarantees given by successive British Governments to the unionist section of the people in Northern Ireland. This has encouraged them to veto any proposals, however constructive, in advance.”
1980-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 35 (1980)
“The framework for a solution must take full account of three other vital dimensions: that of relations between North and South in the island of Ireland; the relationship—now so close in so many areas— between Britain and Ireland; and the common membership of both countries within the European Community. 302. The relation between North and South in Ireland is fundamental; it is a matter of geographical, historical, political, economic, social and cultural reality. Time has shown that division in Ireland simply has not worked. Accordingly, my Government wishes to see an arrangement evolve where-by Irish men and women would manage the affairs of the whole of Ireland in a truly constructive partnership, without a British presence but with active British goodwill for any arrangement in Ireland which may be worked out by agreement. 303.”
1980-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 35 (1980)
“We are determined to seek a lasting and comprehensive settlement to this question. 300. As we look back at the past 10 years, it is hard to avoid the conclusion that much of the political effort in Northern Ireland has been directed at the symptoms only. Successive efforts to work out equitable Government structures within the existing framework of Northern Ireland have come to nothing because they failed to get to grips with the fundamental problem. I would not wish in any way to be dismissive of the most recent attempt, which is still in progress, but it is difficult, from what we know of the positions and the expectations of those involved, to be optimistic as to the result. 301. It is necessary, in my view, to go beyond the efforts now under way to devise structures of government solely confined to Northern Ireland.”
1980-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 35 (1980)
“My Government cannot look upon these conditions as something affecting Northern Ireland alone or remote from our daily life in the rest of Ireland. They are happening in our country. They affect the people of all traditions in Ireland. Indeed, as a result of what is happening in Northern Ireland, my Government now spends on security alone proportionately more than the United Kingdom on similar measures. It is said that prosperity is indivisible. So also, unfortunately, is instability. The conditions I am referring to may affect not only Ireland, but places outside it. Trouble in any country today can mean trouble for many countries. 299. This is the background that has led my Government to fix the peaceful resolution of the problem of Northern Ireland as our primary political priority.”
1980-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 35 (1980)
“Perhaps even more disturbing are the social malaise and economic stagnation which have come about in Northern Ireland. Because of the continuing instability, valuable opportunities for economic development have been lost. Industrial and agricultural outputs are now lower than in the early 1970s. The population, which had been increasing up to the 1970s, is now static or declining. Overall unemployment stands at 15 per cent. In some areas it is as high as 28 per cent. 297. For the young, especially, the picture is sombre and distressing. Many have come into a society where violence and deprivation are the norm. Their chances of finding a job and securing a decent, standard of living are small. These social conditions provide a rich breeding ground for further disorder and extremist politics. 298.”
1980-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 35 (1980)
“Even now, 60 years later, new efforts are still being made to establish suitable structures of regional government to accommodate the interests of all sections of the community within Northern Ireland. Many past injustices have indeed been corrected in recent years. But fears and insecurities continue and the forces of violence and extremism on each side of a divided community have taken advantage of the situation for their own narrow ends. 296. The toll of violence in such a very small area is indeed appalling. Over the past decade more than 2,000 people have been killed and 25,000 injured. There have been 27,000 shooting incidents and almost 7,000 explosions. Translated into human terms, the figures represent a society that is virtually under siege, with whole areas and neighbourhoods which can scarcely remember peaceful conditions.”
1980-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 35 (1980)
“Instead, the very existence of Northern Ireland itself has always been the issue, so that normal politics do not exist; and that has been the only basic issue for over 60 years. The majority were always insecure and fearful that the settlement which made them a majority would be upset; the minority, on their side, were frustrated in their basic aspirations to Irish unity, discriminated against because of this and excluded in practice from effective political participation in an area whose very existence they called into question. 294. The result is that normal political life has been distorted and community divisions based on historical or religious differences have been accentuated rather than diminished. 295.”
1980-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 35 (1980)
“In that time, even though the vast majority of the population of Ireland—North and South—wants peace and abhors violence, and even though both British and Irish Governments act vigorously against violence, almost every decade in that period has seen violence erupt within Northern Ireland. It is clear that Northern Ireland as an entity and the settlement that brought it into being have failed. It is apparent that there is a fundamental instability in the very structure of the region which has inhibited the development of normal political and social life there and which all too frequently has found expression in violence. 293. The area is fundamentally unstable because there has never been within it the kind of political consensus which in more normal societies underlies party differences.”
1980-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 35 (1980)
“Instead of resolving the difficulty, however, that settlement simply concentrated it within what then became Northern Ireland. The area was artificially devised not on a geographical or historical basis but to create a unit in which people of unionist leanings would have a permanent inbuilt majority. As a consequence, it also included a newly-created and substantial minority of nationalists who shared the aspiration to unity and independence of the majority of the population of Ireland, an aspiration that was frustrated by the new arrangement. 292. Sixty years have now passed since Ireland was thus divided.”
1980-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 35 (1980)
“In approaching that fact, as with any other problem, we must distinguish between symptoms and causes. The symptoms in Northern Ireland are evident but the causes are deep seated, and they will not be solved by security measures alone. 290. The division of Ireland 60 years ago and the establishment of Northern Ireland as a region within the United Kingdom was a misconceived attempt by the British Government to resolve a major problem of the day, On the one hand, it faced the need to come to terms with the demand of the majority of the people of the country as a whole that Ireland should be independent. On the other hand, British interests and sentiment called for arrangements to meet the wish of a unionist minority to remain united with Britain. 291.”
1980-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 35 (1980)
“Given our own stage of development and the many social and economic demands of a young and growing population, our progress may not be as rapid as we would wish. None the less we intend to maintain a steady increase in the flow of our transfers during the course of the present decade. 287. Drawing on our own recent developmental experience, we in Ireland aim in our co-operation with the people of developing countries to help them free themselves from the trap of under-development. 288. In looking at those parts of the world where there is unrest and turmoil, I may be forgiven for being particularly concerned about an area close to home. The tragic violence that has come to be part of everyday life in Northern Ireland has endured now for more than 10 years. 289.”
1980-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 35 (1980)
“However, my Government regrets that the eleventh special session was unable to finish its tasks and that work on the procedures and agenda for the global negotiations was not completed. That must now be done at the present session of the General Assembly, so that the new round of global negotiations can be launched early in 1981. We believe that global negotiations can be vital and. by promoting growth and development, can benefit not just the developing world but the entire international community. 286. Ireland is determined to play, both nationally and internationally, its full part in promoting a revitalized North-South dialogue. I can reaffirm that Ireland, although not a rich or powerful nation is committed to progressing towards the 0.7 per cent target for official development assistance as rapidly as our resources will allow.”
1980-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 35 (1980)
“We must not only provide aid to help those who suffer from the effects of under-development but we must attack the very root causes of underdevelopment itself. 284. The recently concluded eleventh special session of the General Assembly was concerned essentially with seeking to concentrate our energies towards achieving that end. The agreed text of the new International Development Strategy for the Third United Nations Development Decade sets out the general framework for our actions over the next 10 years establishes our priorities and provides that the outcome of future United Nations and other relevant conferences, including the global negotiations, can be incorporated into it as the decade proceeds. 285.”
1980-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 35 (1980)
“Underlying many of our current problems are the gross disparities that continue to exist between rich and poor nations, such disparities are not only unacceptable in themselves but can constitute a real threat to peace and stability. The millions of our fellow human beings who, through no fault of their own, exist in an apparently unending cycle of poverty and hunger, cannot be expected to acquiesce in that condition indefinitely. Justice demands that their situation be changed urgently and effectively. 283. The international community, through the United Nations, has taken the lead in helping to promote such change and over recent decades some progress has been made to improve the lives of the less well off in developing countries. But the situation continues to be critical and much remains to be done.”
1980-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 35 (1980)
“While on the subject of human rights, it is incumbent upon me to refer to the continued holding of members of the staff of the United States Embassy in Teheran as hostages, in flagrant breach of international law and of humanitarian principles. Ireland fully respects the independence of Iran and the right of the Iranian people to determine their own future. But in their own interest, and that of the world community as a whole, I would again call on the Government and the people of Iran to respect the rights of others with whom they may differ on a political or religious basis and to uphold fundamental and humanitarian principles and established tenets of international law by releasing the hostages. 282.”
1980-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 35 (1980)