YouSaid · the spoken record

Compton

lines on the record

61

first

1982-09-24

most recent

1984-09-24

sittings or episodes

2

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un-general-debate

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1. “But the social order of "the rich man in his castle, the poor man at his gate" can no longer be tolerated in our hemisphere. It must be accepted, too, that social and economic problems are not amenable to military solutions. Nations in which such manifestations of social and economic injustice exist must seek through structural changes in the society to deal with this by conciliation and mediation within their own societies, and no nation should seek, by the introduction of arms and military advisers into the region, to extend its sphere of influence by taking advantage of this tragic situation.”

   1982-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 37 (1982)

2. “This restraint is not apparent, however, in the claim by Guatemala against the territorial integrity of Belize. The Government of Saint Lucia notes with regret the bellicose attitude which Guatemala continues to exhibit with reflect to the sovereign State of Belize and urges other States to give no aid, comfort or assistance concerning such intentions against a State Member of the United Nations. 106. In the very bosom of the Americas, a region for over a century protected by the ocean from great- Power conflict, there are now ominous rumblings and this must cause us some concern. The problem of unequal distribution of land and wealth, a legacy of the colonial past, cannot be solved by the introduction of armed conflict into the region.”

   1982-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 37 (1982)

3. “On the specific case of the Falkland Islands, the position of the Government of Saint Lucia is that there must be the right of self-determination, as has been frequently restated in resolutions of this body, and further, that international disputes should be settled by peaceful means. From this position we shall not waver. 104. This means of mediation and restraint we commend to all Member States and in particular those within our hemisphere. Although the territorial dispute between Guyana and Venezuela has not yet been satisfactorily resolved, the Government of Saint Lucia notes with approbation that both countries have been most restrained in the pursuit of their competing claims and have expressed their willingness to seek resolution through mediation. We urge them to continue on this course of conciliation. 105.”

   1982-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 37 (1982)

4. “Garcia Robles, the Permanent Representative of Mexico, for his efforts in the Committee on Disarmament. 103. Within recent times, members of this body, in violation of their obligations under the Charter, have resorted to or threatened to resort to the use of force in the settlement of disputes; in some instances, as in the case of the Falkland Islands, while the dispute was under the mediation of the Security Council and within sight of a peaceful solution. Such action will find no support from the Government of Saint Lucia but on the contrary will be visited with swift condemnation.”

   1982-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 37 (1982)

5. “With all these warning signs of economic collapse and with the instruments and devices for averting this catastrophe within our control, we nevertheless appear to stand transfixed and helpless waiting for the collapse, waiting for the new depression before we take action to avert it. 102. Saint Lucia is convinced that nothing short of a halt to this senseless expenditure on arms and armaments can avert the severe economic crisis which faces us, as we hold most steadfastly that therein lies the root cause of our current economic difficulties. The Government of Saint Lucia will therefore support with zeal any initiative to bring the World Disarmament Conference to a successful conclusion. And we note with joy that the crown of honor has been placed upon the work of one of the most persistent workers in the cause of peace, Mr.”

   1982-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 37 (1982)

6. “As so much of the world's resources are sucked into this insatiable vortex, the economies of the world stagger drunkenly under the excessive burden of armaments. Countries are forced to borrow not for development, but to pay interest rates that have now risen to unprecedented heights; inflation rages through economies with the speed and destructiveness of forest fires; the debt burden of nations reaches staggering proportions; the lines of the unemployed cast an ever-lengthening shadow; and nations producers of primary products are pushed to their very knees as the value of their exports reaches its lowest levels since the 1930s. 101.”

   1982-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 37 (1982)

7. “But what are the immediate consequences of this widespread irrationality? The economies of the world are so burdened with the cost of arms, so starved of resources that are deflected to the purchase of weapons of destruction that we are now faced with the looming spectacle of a depression which shows signs of being wider and deeper than that of the 1930s, and for scores of nations and hundreds of millions of people nothing short of catastrophe looms. While nations continue upon this irrational course, while the treasures and the blood of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Iraq are poured out upon the desert sands, while the refugee camps of Africa swell with the ever- increasing tide of human misery, the arms race continues and the merchants of death prosper. 100.”

   1982-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 37 (1982)

8. “While the specter of famine is a constant and ever-present companion of millions in the Sahel and in sub-Saharan Africa, the weapons of war pour into the Horn of Africa. The arms trade between the industrialized nations and the nations of the third world now reaches the obscene proportions of billions of dollars annually and much of that trade is with the poorest of the poor nations, to whose relief much of the work of the specialized agencies of the United Nations is directed. The arms bazaar teems with merchants of death, eager to place sophisticated weapons in the hands of mere children. Generous credits are extended to the purchasers of weapons, while such agencies as UNDP are left short of funds to support programs designed to lift the poor out of the bondage of poverty. What a saH harvest we sow for our children. 99.”

   1982-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 37 (1982)

9. “The report on the work of the Organization produced by the Secretary-General in so short a time and in times punctuated with such anxiety for the process of peace amply justifies the confidence that was placed in him when he was chosen as Chief Executive of the Organization. It is the duty of all of us who are dedicated to the cause of peace to ensure that the guidelines laid down in the report are followed and that the conclusions of so excellent an analysis do not lose their fragrance in the desert air of barren rhetoric. 98. Throughout the world the war drums continue to throb. Throughout the world the production, stockpiling, sale and distribution of weapons of war and destruction continue at an ever-escalating pace. The hungry furnaces of armaments suck in and consume enormous and ever-increasing proportions of the world's treasures.”

   1982-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 37 (1982)

10. “The universal character of this body is no more exemplified than in the fact that a distinguished son of another region our region, the Latin American and Caribbean region has been honored and with him the entire region to hold the office of Secretary- General during this most crucial and exacting period in the history of the Organization. The delegation of Saint Lucia not only congratulates Mr. Perez de Cuellar upon his election to that high office, but notes with commendation the imprint of his dedicated personality, which is already in evidence on the Organization. 97. The Secretary-General has assumed office at a time when peace-makers the world over need the consolation that they are called blessed and we all hope that by his efforts and those of other peace-makers, man will continue to inherit the earth.”

    1982-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 37 (1982)

11. “95. I should like to join those who have preceded me in placing one more flower in the bouquet of congratulations that the President has received and with justification. I do so with the confidence that the vast experience and skill that he possesses will be put to the service of this parliament of nations which he now heads. Upon his shoulders now lies the mantle worn by many distinguished statesmen, the latest being his worthy and immediate predecessor, Mr. Kittani, who led the Assembly safely through the turbulence of the thirty-sixth session. 96.”

    1982-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 37 (1982)