YouSaid · the spoken record

Fares Bouez

lines on the record: 42
first: 1996-09-24
most recent: 1997-09-24
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

“If restoring peace seems difficult, its demise would close the door to any attempt to rekindle the process in the foreseeable future, thus putting world peace in jeopardy and sparking an uncontrollable conflagration, which will be difficult to contain. May God guide the steps of those who are working for a peace that is just and not unfair, equitable and not biased, consensual and not imposed, a peace that honours the memory of those martyred, that does justice to those who struggle, and that would put an end to darkness in the land of the prophets and the messengers of God.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“17 When southern Lebanon and western Bekaa are liberated, when Lebanese sovereignty extends to all its territory, when the United Nations credibility is confirmed by the authority of its resolutions, when Israeli jails are emptied of their innocent detainees and resistance fighters, when an end is put to bloodshed which soaks our land, then and only then will the wound be healed. The tears will then stop and confidence will be restored to all in a genuine, just, permanent and comprehensive peace, a peace that can restore to the land of civilizations, religions and cultures the place it deserves now and in future, as it has always been throughout its long history. The choice of peace will not always be available to us. The peace that the Assembly supported is in the throes of death today.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“This is because the conflict is fundamentally a comprehensive one. It has never been a conflict between one single Arab State and Israel, but has always been between the Arabs and Israel. As long as a single track is excluded from the solution, peace will remain impossible. The tracks are all intertwined, which shows how indivisible and interconnected the cause is. Nobody should think that one track can survive, even for one hour, while other tracks remain excluded. Because Lebanon is at the heart of the conflict, it has suffered a great deal. Today, however, it is confounding all forecasts and expectations that presaged its demise by proving to the world once again, as it has done throughout its long and time-honoured history, that it is too strong to wither away, and that a right that is claimed by its people will never disappear.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“The time has come for Israel immediately to cease all settlement activities; to resolve the status of the city of Jerusalem; to withdraw from the Palestinian territory and recognize the political rights of the Palestinian people; to withdraw from the Syrian Golan to the line of 4 June 1967; to fully withdraw from southern Lebanon and its western Bekaa to the internationally recognized boundaries in order to enable the Lebanese State to exercise its authority, in accordance with Security Council resolution 425 (1978). Opting for a peace that ignores these fundamentals is a choice that is doomed to failure, a choice that could ignite the entire region. An isolationist policy that separates the various tracks would run counter to the principle of a comprehensive peace and will never achieve it.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“On many occasions, the United Nations has delegated this question to others, hoping that a solution could be found. It has consistently refrained from enforcing its resolutions, in contrast to its recent behaviour vis-à-vis many other States. The time has come for the United Nations to reclaim its role. The time has come to return to the basics of peace as agreed in Madrid, to the principle of land for peace, to the need to implement Security Council resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973) and 425 (1978), and to resume negotiations on all tracks from the point where they stopped.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“Though development plans for the Middle East region were being formulated, and the world manifested interest in its peaceful future, caution and pessimism began once again to prevail, and hopes were dashed. No sooner had the Government of Israel drawn strength from the veto power used against Security Council resolutions on its settlement policies, it has continued to challenge Council resolutions, thereby undermining whatever is left of the peace process. The international community, which stands to be affected by the situation in the region, either directly or indirectly, must hold the defiant accountable. The international community has not only the right but also the duty to take action through the Organization of the United Nations.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“Furthermore, Israel is attempting to impose control over the Lebanese Army, which could be deployed, as well as other conditions that challenge any presumed Lebanese sovereignty when withdrawal takes place. I should like to pay tribute to our fallen heroes, members of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) — most recently four Italian soldiers and an Irish sergeant. Their blood was spilled in defence of southern Lebanon, mixing with that of Lebanese citizens. I should also like to pay tribute to the Force itself, whose commanders and troops are discharging a difficult task under the most difficult and most trying circumstances. No sooner had the people of the region begun to adapt to the anticipated climate of peace than they were thrust back into an era of confrontation, violence and inevitable defiance and resistance.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“Thus Israel sustained huge losses which is prompting it to rethink the viability and usefulness of its continued occupation of southern Lebanon. Against this reality, we heard, through misleading media reports, of an Israeli readiness to withdraw. We have to bring the truth forth. Lebanon’s firm stance has always been for a complete Israeli withdrawal to internationally recognized borders so as to enable the Lebanese State to exercise its sovereignty over its territories through its own forces. But Israel does not wish to withdraw; it is still camouflaging its unwillingness to withdraw completely by relocating or redeploying its forces. It continues to cast a smoke screen by asking to maintain inspection and control posts, by imposing conditions that limit the State’s authority and by giving the upper hand to the militias that it created.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“Destruction and demolition continued, as did the detention of Lebanese citizens in Israeli military camps — all of this without the United Nations international institutions being allowed to visit them. They were not permitted the enjoyment of elementary human rights: the right to counsel and the right to a fair trial. Some of them were returned to us as corpses, while others were tortured or maimed — and this in the era of respect for the rights of environment, of plants, and of animals. 16 Nonetheless, the more the occupation endured, the more Israel became increasingly bogged down in the quagmire of the south which became an inferno to it. The occupier has become a prisoner, and the aggressor a hostage in the face of a valiant people’s steadfastness and the resistance of its sons and daughters.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“Faced with heightened internal crisis, the Israeli Government resorted to stirring up tension along its borders and in areas under occupation, to divert attention away from the peace it had scuttled. Thus, the principle of provocation and confrontation was re-established in order to create unity internally. Israel continued to carry out its acts of aggression against southern Lebanon and the western Bekaa, once with the goal of mobilizing Israeli public opinion against peace, and another time for the purpose of emptying international initiatives of their political content. The attacks continued, through artillery shelling, air raids, operations inside our territories — against villages and cities — against children, women, the elderly and homes.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“Instead of making progress towards peace — the only worthwhile objective — the Government devoted itself to destroying what had been done, even if the steps previously taken were limited. Instead of being able to work towards a genuine peace, we have had to endure propaganda manoeuvres aimed at numbing and misleading public opinion, along with meetings that were designed just to give the impression that a dialogue was continuing. Instead of trying to find a solution to the basic conflict, the emphasis shifted to the normalization of relations through economic conferences — as a precondition, even before solving the legal and political problem — instead of having normalization occur naturally as a crowning of the basic solution.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“The principle of land for peace was thrown out, to be replaced by a new formula. The Israeli Government reneged on the need for implementation of international decisions, and thus demanded their reinterpretation. That Government did not want to find a solution to the question of Jerusalem, so it went ahead and annexed it. The Israeli Government reneged on its commitments with regard to the occupied Syrian Golan, so it stressed its annexation. The Israeli Government demolished the principle of halting settlement activities and vastly expanded their efforts at settlement. The negotiated commitments of the previous Government were abandoned, as if there were no continuity from one Government to the next.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“The initiative was also supposed to put an end to Israel’s building and expansion of settlements in the occupied territories and lead to the recognition of the political rights of the Palestinian people. It was supposed to be followed by a discussion of regional arrangements to settle security, social and economic questions, in particular the question of the Palestinian refugees, thereby paving the way for the economic development of the region. We entered into the peace process convinced that the basic elements had been accepted at Madrid and that they had become commitments of the participating States. We thought that all that remained for the delegations was to begin negotiations on implementation. However, the advent of the present Israeli Government and its head totally dashed our hopes, given the practices of this new Government.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“This would have been an attestation to the success of the Madrid peace process, which was launched six years ago to which should be added one year of preparation. This international peace initiative began auspiciously. We believed in both its letter and its spirit because the initiative was international, the sponsorship was effective and the contents were based upon an equitable, just and permanent peace. We were very hopeful, because we thought that peace would be realized on the basis of Security Council resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973) and 425 (1978), on the basis of the principle of land for peace and on the basis of finding a consensual solution to the question of Jerusalem.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“15 This would be a step towards liquidating the refugees’ case for return. It is also a means of pressuring the host countries into accepting unacceptable political terms. The international community, represented by the United Nations and the donor countries, is duty-bound to continue to render assistance to the Palestinian refugees awaiting a political resolution of their status in accordance with the right to return, as decided upon by the United Nations and, in particular, the principle of reuniting families. This is one of the pillars of the peace process, and thus it is essential that the international community persevere until a solution is attained. We had hoped that this session would be an occasion for us to express our gratitude for the restoration of peace in Lebanon and the Middle East.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“Under the rubric of reducing costs and the budget, many United Nations agencies, in particular the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), have lost much of their ability to adequately provide social, health and education services to refugees in their host countries. This increases the burden on host countries, Lebanon among them. It is difficult for us to shoulder these responsibilities under these conditions. The responsibility of the international community in redressing the injustice inflicted on the Palestinian refugees must be made apparent. This bitter reality, which cannot be free of hidden intentions, aims at times at attempting to pressure these countries and force them to assimilate the refugee population they are hosting.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“The Council must also be reformed to dissipate the misgivings some have about the way it performs its role. Lebanon subscribes to the principle of rotation of the permanent seats in the Security Council. We reiterate our support for the position of the Arab Group, as expressed in the paper it presented on this subject. We welcome the Secretary-General’s proposals for the reform of the United Nations. We have given them our full attention and are carefully studying them. We believe it is necessary to enhance the role of the General Assembly and to make the issue of development a high priority for the Organization, while attaching great importance to the work of regional economic and social commissions.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“This is why we must increase the effectiveness of the United Nations mechanism and renew confidence in its justice, credibility and effectiveness, the freedom of its decision-making processes from hegemony, and the absence of imbalances in its measured ways and in the enforcement of its resolutions so that no one remains above international law. These steps are essential if we want to prevent the collapse of the United Nations, and if we want it to retain the moral authority necessary to resolve disputes and remain an alternative to hot and deadly confrontations. Therefore, Lebanon enthusiastically supports the reform of United Nations institutions, particularly the Security Council. We call for enhancing the numerical and geographical balance of the Council so as to reflect changed realities.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“By means of the United Nations, mankind aspired to put an end to an era of war and usher in an era of peace and tolerance, of respect for national sovereignty and people’s freedom and of independence of States; an era in which people would be free to fulfil their dreams and aspirations and to maintain their identity. Never in the course of human history have we needed the United Nations more than we need it today, in this era of communications and contacts, when frontiers are disappearing under the force of the technological revolution. This is an era of demographic explosion and deadly, destructive weapons; an era when the environment is no longer capable of meeting mankind’s demands. Today we are truly in need of a basic means of containing conflicts and resolving disputes.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“Allow me to extend our thanks to the outgoing President, Ambassador Razali Ismail, and to congratulate him on the way in which he fulfilled his mandate. I would also like to congratulate Mr. Hennadiy Udovenko on his election and wish him complete success in his efforts to strengthen and increase the effectiveness of the United Nations in these historic times, which more than ever demand our application, perseverance, determination and good faith. More than half a century has elapsed since the United Nations was founded. When the United Nations was born, mankind wanted it to lead to the creation of a world of justice, law and peace. The United Nations was supposed to be able to defend human rights when they were violated and promote justice.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“The failure of our endeavours to achieve peace will close the door to any new attempt in the foreseeable future. If reviving peace is a difficult job, the ramifications of failure will be even more difficult for the whole world. The days when problems were confined to national boundaries are well over, and so are the days when boundaries were walls keeping crises contained. We hope that peace is still possible. But it must be a just peace, not a despoiling one; a real peace, not a theatrical one; an equitable peace not an iniquitous one. It must be a peace that calms rather than one that fans the anger of peoples. May God forever guide the steps of those who seek and work for peace, and inspire those who still oppose it.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“When Lebanon regains its sovereignty over all of its territories now under Israeli occupation, when the United Nations has restored its credibility by implementing Security Council resolution 425 (1978) on an equal footing with resolutions relating to other parts of the world, when Lebanese citizens are released from Israeli detention camps where they are imprisoned with only minimal human rights, then and only then will the bleeding stop and the wound heal. The Middle East is tired of being an active volcano threatening world peace. We have for too long been robbed of peace to the detriment of the entire world. Opportunities will not forever remain for those seeking peace. The peace which we sought and for which we have long appealed is threatened today.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“Today, through domestic political measures, security, development and economic achievements, Lebanon is once again proving that it can confront difficulties and face challenges. Lebanon is showing that its national unity, the restoration of full sovereignty over its territory and respect for its independence are inevitably more solidly inherent in its existence than some might believe. In the future, if peace is safeguarded, Lebanon will prove that its history is larger than its geographical borders and that its role by far exceeds its size.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“They will foil the efforts of the United States, which we supported even though these called for a continued and somewhat iniquitous tolerance of Israel, despite the fact that Israel’s excesses had always been covered by assurances for the sake of peace. We must return to the foundations of peace as announced at Madrid, resume the negotiations from where they were interrupted and realize that the opportunity for peace which had started to crystallize still presents a historic opportunity. It must be recognized that what was achieved at Madrid is the only foundation acceptable to the people of the region. If peace is ever to be salvaged in the Middle East, this is the only way to achieve it. Lebanon has for many years suffered the aftermath and consequences of the Middle East crisis and has paid 18 a heavy toll.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“The United States sought to reassure Israel by all military, material and economic means available, even to the detriment of the Arabs, with the idea of reviving the confidence of the Israelis. Then the United States imposed concepts to increase guarantees given to Israel to consolidate the peace process, which were provisionally accepted, despite the fact that they were unsound. Today, these efforts are threatened by the party that benefited from them in the first place. Today, the President of the United States will try to bring together the parties concerned, pursuing his responsibility to salvage the peace. Israel will continue to manoeuvre, and will exploit the occasion provided by United States presidential elections to undermine the steps that were already in place.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“No sooner had the historic opportunity for the realization of a great dream begun to crystallize than this opportunity started to fade, leaving the peoples of the region with only one alternative — to confront occupation, arbitrary rule and obstinacy — since all international peace efforts are failing. Today’s violence in Palestine and in southern Lebanon is a direct result of the negative positions of the Israeli Government. It presages dire consequences should the peace process collapse. Since the Madrid Conference, the United States has tried, through two successive presidencies, to push the peace process forward towards settlement. In order to do so, the United States requested that the peace process be taken out of the context of the United Nations and the Security Council and be confined to the mechanisms defined at Madrid.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“Just as the world was on the verge of believing that peace had become possible in the Middle East region, here we are facing the unknown, facing the worst. Some States in the region wanted to precipitate the earlier optimism by moving to normalize relations. Now they bear the burden of Israeli logic. Now the peoples of the region have been thrust back into an era of inevitable confrontation, violence, and resistance. No sooner had the development plans of the Middle East region been put into place and the world was showing interest in a future of peace than mistrust and pessimism returned to prevail.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“We first heard the “Lebanon first” slogan, but this too was void of any meaning except as an attempt at isolation and to serve the purposes of the media campaign. We then heard of the meeting between the Palestinian and Israeli presidents. Once again, the occasion was exploited, but meaning remained absent. It has become clear that the objective of the Israeli Government was to numb world public opinion and undo what was agreed upon at the peace conference and the ensuing negotiations. It is perfectly clear that Israel does not have a policy for peace. It only has a policy of changing formulas, a policy of threats and challenges, a policy that Israel can use to further its expansionist and settlement schemes.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“A tunnel is now being built under the Al-Aqsa Mosque, in a clear act of provocation to the people’s sensitivities. We were asked to shake hands, to offer recognition and to normalize relations without knowing what will happen to our rights. We, the victims of aggression, are asked to give security guarantees to the aggressor. Those who do not possess weapons are asked to give assurances to those who have one of the largest nuclear arsenals in the world and who could not be convinced to accede to the NPT when other countries have been forced to accept its indefinite extension. Since the new Israeli Government came to power, it has backed away from the peace process, although occasional misleading steps are made. The new Government of Israel has resorted to a meaningless media campaign to disguise its rejection of peace.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“But years have passed, and instead of moving forward towards implementation, Israel has reneged on its commitments and has tried to move away from what was already done. As soon as the new Israeli Government was in power, it adopted its manifesto: “The four No’s” — no to the withdrawal from the occupied Syrian Golan; no to 17 the withdrawal from the occupied West Bank; no to the settlement of the question of Jerusalem; and no to recognition of the national rights of the Palestinian people in a State of their own. To the contrary, the principle of land for peace has been replaced by the principle of peace for security, meaning refraining from waging a new war. Instead of fulfilling commitments, formulas must be changed. Instead of Madrid, there is the unknown. Instead of putting an end to settlements, settlements are being expanded.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“Five years have passed since the Madrid peace conference, not counting the preparatory year. At the time, we welcomed the initiative and believed in the sponsorship and the subject matter of the conference. The sponsors were two influential Powers, and the substance was geared towards the achievement of a comprehensive, just and lasting peace on the basis of the implementation of Security Council resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973), and with regard to Lebanon, Security Council resolution 425 (1978), as well as the principle of land for peace. We accepted the invitation and thought that the others who accepted it had also agreed to its substance, and that the only pending issues would be implementation, scheduling and mechanisms.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“Despite the obstacles, his accomplishments are many and the world bears witness to them. This continued course, as seen in a renewed mandate, would be a basic guarantee of the stability of United Nations policies. Lebanon believes that the renewal of the Secretary-General’s mandate would make it possible to complete many projects and measures undertaken during his first term. We therefore call upon States to support his bid for a renewed, strengthened mandate. We would have very much liked our participation in this session, several years following the Madrid conference, to be an occasion for gratitude for the restoration of peace in the Middle East. We had hoped to express our gratitude to the countries, peoples and organizations which have tried to bring about this peace.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“Lebanon believes that all proposals in this regard must be carefully studied, particularly those that are compatible with the approach I have outlined and that enjoy broad support among States. I am thinking in particular of the proposals of the non-aligned countries and of Italy. In recent years, and despite the many difficult circumstances that have accompanied his years in office, the Secretary-General, Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, has made commendable efforts to further global peace, security and stability. He has worked to solve problems of social and economic development as well as those of health in many parts of the world. Furthermore, he has undertaken numerous reforms within the Organization. His term has been distinguished by dynamism towards the achievement of the Organization’s primary goals.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“The effectiveness of the Organization depends on the equal treatment of all States, and the United Nations remains the means to implement such policies. In this context, Lebanon enthusiastically supports enhancing the functioning and management of the Organization in all areas, particularly with regard to the scope of representation of the world’s peoples and the countries in the Security Council. Recent changes and new requirements demand more realistic geographic and numerical representation in that body. We need to eliminate the perception of hegemony that some have developed about the role and decision-making power of the Council, which they seem to believe has been seized by certain major Powers.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) has been extended despite the reservations expressed by some States, including Lebanon, on the circumstances of its extension, including Israel’s refusal to become a party to it. Israel is allowed to maintain a formidable nuclear arsenal in one of the most sensitive and volatile regions of the world without any safeguards or controls; this poses a threat to all the peoples of the region. The cessation of nuclear testing has been presented as an alternative to the NPT. Despite the many promises made prior to the extension of the NPT that Israel would ultimately accede to it, this has yet to happen. Using double standards in dealing with States can only create imbalances, which in turn increases the number of exceptions to the rule.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“If a breach were to be opened in Iraq, the consequences would definitely extend to other extremely sensitive regions, which would further complicate the situation. Our support of the sovereignty of the State of Kuwait over all its territory prompts us to appeal for a permanent guarantee of its sovereignty and security so that we can turn the page on this bitter chapter of history once and for all. The credibility enjoyed by international law is based on its ability to find just and complete solutions to important questions. This is the mission of the United Nations and it therefore should be spared from having to intervene in less important crises. The credibility of the United Nations is still called into question and this, in turn, undermines the role of the Organization in the field of the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“Lebanon likewise supports the Republic of Cyprus in its efforts to build unity and sovereignty over all its territory to put an end to the suffering of its people and to the effects of the problem on the Government of Cyprus with respect to the reunification of the island. Lebanon has been following with grave concern the recent deterioration of the situation in Iraq and the suffering of the Iraqi people, who still lack food and other basic needs. We do not believe that the recent events 16 represent the best way to address the Iraqi problem. We call rather for the implementation of Security Council resolution 986 (1995), and for a commitment to the unity and sovereignty of Iraq, which would guarantee the inviolability of the geopolitical map of the Middle East.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“The world has witnessed a succession of local and regional crises. Lebanon, which has suffered immensely, plagued by the wars of others on its soil, follows with concern the developments in different parts of the world. The crisis over the sovereignty of the United Arab Emirates on the Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa islands has not yet been settled. We hope referring the case to the International Court of Justice will result in a settlement reaffirming the United Arab Emirates claim of sovereignty. We also support arbitration of the case of the Greater and Lesser Hanish islands between Yemen and Eritrea; both parties have agreed to such arbitration. Support for the unity, security and stability of Liberia and Angola remains a primary objective to put an end to the suffering of their peoples.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“These societies may not be ready to assimilate and absorb this flow of information, so they react by isolating themselves, by withdrawing into seclusion, or by hiding behind the veil of tradition to protect their identity. This manifests itself in the extremism and fundamentalism these societies use to shield themselves from what is often perceived as a threat to their identity. These and other problems and challenges require invigorating the United Nations machinery and renewing confidence in its credibility, justice and efficiency, to free its decisions from hegemony, eliminate its imbalances and bring consistency to the standards it uses for the implementation of its resolutions. We must do this if we want the United Nations to remain a valuable global authority and the alternative to destructive and violent confrontation.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“The world population explosion and the concomitant ecological degradation have made the environment incapable of meeting rising demand. Competition for natural resources and for the protection of vital interests have risen sharply. The increased number and growing sophistication of lethal nuclear, chemical and bacteriological weapons of mass destruction and the further development of their intercontinental delivery systems heightens the threat of annihilation for many countries and peoples, especially when some of the countries which possess them lack even minimal credibility. Some societies are overwhelmed by the degree of sophistication of the media, by its role and by the speed with which political, economic, social, cultural and scientific news flows through it.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“In founding the United Nations, mankind wanted to put an end to wars and usher in an era of peace, of respect for the principle of State sovereignty and of safeguarding peoples’ independence and their right to self- determination and to the fulfilment of their aspirations. With the telecommunications revolution and the fall of political, economic, demographic, cultural and security boundaries and barriers, States and their peoples need an effective machinery for consultation and constructive dialogue. The scientific and technological revolution has increased our need for a greater synergy to face the complex problems of our time and to bridge the gap between the countries and nations of the world so as to enable them to implement jointly subregional and interregional projects that none can do alone.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“At the outset, allow me to congratulate Ambassador Razali on his election as President of this session of the General Assembly and to wish him success in his noble task of enhancing and strengthening the role of the United Nations. I would also like to express our thanks and appreciation to the former President of the General Assembly, Mr. Diogo Freitas do Amaral, for his efforts during his presidency. Half a century has elapsed since the birth of the United Nations. Mankind wanted the United Nations to be a bastion of justice, peace and human rights. It is meant to be an authority where problems are solved and truth upheld, where mankind can find an organization to defend its rights when they are usurped and stand by its side when it is threatened.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)