YouSaid · the spoken record

AMERASINGHE

lines on the record: 359
first: 1967-09-24
most recent: 1975-09-24
sittings or episodes: 8
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

“We cannot but agree with the proposition, as stated in the Soviet memorandum regarding the inclusion of this item in the agenda [A/8793], self-evident as that proposition is, that the prohibition of the use of both nuclear and conventional weapons is fully in keeping with the principle of ensuring an equal measure of security for all States. But it appears to us that in the conditions that exist in the world today such an approach is lacking in realism. We very much wish that the assumptions underlying it were justified.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“We cannot but help observing that the Conference of the Committee on Disarmament has not kept faith with the General Assembly. 172. Our general approach to the question of international peace and security and to disarmament, which is that it must seek to remove the causes of war, dictates our attitude to the question of the non-use of force in international relations and the permanent prohibition of the use of nuclear weapons. There is an appealing touch of idealism in the contention that if the question of the non-use of force calls for prohibiting the use of weapons of all types, all States will be in a position of equality and none will receive unilateral military advantages.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“We have no right to condemn any country which conducts atmospheric tests, especially if it has only an embryonic nuclear armory, while we leave others free to conduct underground tests to add to an already existing nuclear armory of phenomenal proportions. 171. We must express our disappointment at the failure of the Conference of the Committee on Disarmament to produce a draft agreement on the prohibition of the development, production and stockpiling of chemical weapons and on their elimination from the arsenals of all States. We recall that there was an implied assurance on the part of those major Powers that were pressing for the adoption of the Convention on bacteriological weapons last year that, if it was adopted, we could expect to be rewarded with an agreement on the banning of chemical weapons this year.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“As regards the materialistic approach to disarmament, we have consistently maintained that the only guarantee of the avoidance of a nuclear war lies in a program of action to which all nuclear Powers would be irrevocably committed and which would comprise the following measures: in the first instance, a categorical undertaking by the nuclear Powers not to use, or threaten to use, nuclear weapons against non-nuclear States, combined with an unequivocal and total renunciation of the right to use nuclear weapons; second, the conclusion of a complete or comprehensive test-ban treaty by the prohibition of underground tests; third, the cessation of the manufacture of nuclear weapons and the freezing of the existing stockpile of nuclear weapons; and fourth, the gradual dismantling of the total apparatus of nuclear terror. 170.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“Possessing the capacity to destroy each other and even the world several times over, the super-Powers cannot expect the world to be overwhelmed with relief over agreements which merely curtail the multiple lethal capacity that they already possess. We would suggest that what we need is a world conference on the removal of the causes of war through the total elimination of injustice and the adoption of positive measures for the removal of social and economic inequalities between nations. That is the true meaning of peace and progress. 169.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“Yet another preposterous fallacy is that nuclear testing is regarded essentially as a matter of pollution; hence the excitement displayed at the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment over atmospheric tests. We work ourselves into ecstasy over the two super-Powers' treaty limiting the number of anti-ballistic missile systems that they may retain and their agreement on limitations on strategic offensive weapons. The limits that those Powers still permit themselves for the development and the further sophistication of nuclear weapons will not reduce in the least the threat of annihilation that faces the world as long as nuclear weapons are held by any State or States.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“As for the World Disarmament Conference, we do not object to the participation of all States in the discussion of this vital subject, but it is an admission of the failure of the Conference of the Committee on Disarmament, after all these years of its existence and after an enlargement of its membership, that it is now considered necessary to hold a world conference on disarmament. The approach to disarmament continues to be materialistic rather than moralistic: the approach of reducing armaments and outlawing certain types of weapons of mass destruction rather than examining the circumstances that impel countries to engage in an arms race and the causes of war and making an effort to eliminate them.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“We have on our agenda again this year the items relating to the implementation of the Declaration on the Strengthening of International Security [item 35] and a World Disarmament Conference /item 26]. In addition, we have a new item assigned for discussion in plenary meetings and entitled "Non-use of force in international relations and permanent prohibition of the use of nuclear weapons" [item 25J. 167. The Secretary-General's report [A/8775 and Add. 1-4] does not disclose any original suggestions from any State regarding the implementation of the Declaration on the Strengthening of International Security, nor has the Security Council itself so far succeeded in presenting a report on performance, though drafts have been presented which are no more than a restatement of our obligations. 168.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“We have already referred to the vicious practices of apartheid in Africa and Portugal's ruthless suppression of the freedom movement in its African territories. There are disturbing signs that on the most specious of pretexts, but prompted solely by material considerations of economic advantage, certain Western Powers, in reckless and unconscionable disregard for moral principle or legal obligation, are providing encouragement, solace and support to the regimes and policies of the white minorities in Africa, which have been universally condemned. Nobody could have taken seriously the argument that a denial of foreign investment to South Africa would only injure the interests of the black Africans. 166.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“To the credit of the Secretary-General, it must be stated that at the first opportunity he did bring the question before this Assembly [A/8791 and Add.lJ, but the record of the voting at the 2037th meeting on the eminently fair, reasonable and objective amendment moved by the representative of Saudi Arabia [A/L.673], which chose to put the problem in its proper perspective and to focus attention on the causes of terrorism rather than on the condemnation of individual acts, clearly shows that what is still needed is a more widespread sense of impartiality and justice in the treatment of this problem. Thanks to the representative of Saudi Arabia, we shall now be able to go to the root of the problem and to deal with it in a manner which we hope will prevent future Munichs and Lods. 165.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“As Chairman of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Population of the Occupied Territories, I have been deeply disturbed by the attitude of many Members of this Organization when the reports of the Special Committee are considered, Members who think it fair and proper to abstain in the vote on draft resolutions protesting unmistakable and proven violations of the human rights of the population of the occupied territories, but who suddenly find themselves roused out of their torpor by the senseless savagery displayed at Munich and at the Lod airport. Had this Organization acted in a responsible manner, the events at Munich and Lod would not have stained the pages of contemporary history.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“The causes are despair and frustration- despair at ever getting justice from the Organization chiefly responsible for the injustice. Despair of this type is no different from lunacy and finds expression either in melancholy brooding or in insensate violence. The several hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who have lost their homes, who daily witness the demolition of their houses and the expropriation of their property with meaningless offers of compensation and without the dimmest hope of proper restitution, have been forgotten by the Organization responsible for their fate and their plight. 164.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“William Rogers, showed admirable statesmanship and fair-mindedness in his treatment of this explosive question when he addressed the General Assembly /2038th meeting]. His objectivity and perceptiveness were in luminous contrast to the approach of others to a problem that should take both humanitarian and political factors into account. 163. There are too many inclined to imagine that terrorism began in Munich. We have no hesitation in condemning terrorism, irrespective of those who resort to it, but if we are genuinely interested in putting an end to terrorism, and not merely in seeking in a spirit of partisanship to make political capital of acts of terrorism, we must examine, and strive to extirpate, the causes of terrorism and the situations which drive men to such acts.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“The misunderstandings that separate these nations, whose cordial relationship with one another once offered the brightest hope for Asian progress and unity, must be overcome without the least delay, not merely in the interests of the Asian continent alone, but in the greater interest of international peace and security, thereby releasing the energies and resources of their peoples for the more constructive task of economic development. 162. In the Middle East a tenuous ceasefire has been rudely disturbed by a sudden eruption of acts of terrorism and violence directed against innocent persons and these acts have served as a pretext for savage reprisals no less grotesquely brutal and terroristic than those which they seek to punish. The United States Secretary of State, Mr.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“Although the world had been led to believe that a search for a military solution had been disclaimed, it does not appear to have yet been abandoned. What is needed is an immediate cessation of hostilities and the establishment of a fully representative Government of national unity which will have both the political will and the capacity to repair the havoc of war and release the people of Viet-Nam from the terror that has haunted them for three decades. 161. We in Sri Lanka view with increasing anxiety and concern the present state of relations between the Soviet Union and China and the lack of progress towards a reconciliation between China and India.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“The war in IndoChina continues a war without mercy and a war without end-heaping misery and devastation on an area already bled white by more than 30 years of continuous warfare and ruined and devastated by a policy of relentless bombing surpassing in scale anything experienced during the Second World War. Is it not possible to profit by the lessons of history and to accept the reality that the human spirit, in the defense of what it considers to be its legitimate rights, is indomitable and indestructible and that no weapon has yet been discovered that can reduce it to submission? An entire people may be flattened into eternity, but that spirit will survive. We hope reason and realism will prevail. 160.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“If agreement is reached on these measures, if action to implement them is synchronized and if there are reliable guarantees -against the breach of the obligations assumed under such an agreement, the main obstacle to the creation of peace and harmony throughout the subcontinent would be removed. The Simla Agreement has already provided a favourable climate for a final solution, and other outstanding issues such as the question of assets and liabilities, which have been satisfactorily resolved in the past on the Indian subcontinent, should present no insuperable problem. 159.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“Our appeal to all the parties concerned would be to work for a settlement the principal and indispensable elements of which would be the release of all prisoners of war, excluding those liable to trial for crimes committed in the prosecution of the war, and the repatriation by Pakistan of the 30,000 Bengalis who were members of the Pakistan armed forces and of the approximately 10,000 Bengali civilians in Pakistan, most of whom are administrators, provided they wish to return. There is a third element, the mutual recognition of Bangladesh and Pakistan, which we would commend to them.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“There are many here, we are aware, who treat the prisoner-of-war issue as the crux of the problem, rather than the recognition by Pakistan of Bangladesh-however devoutly we may wish such recognition to be accorded. It would not be consonant with the spirit and the letter of the third Geneva Convention of 1949 to make the recognition of Bangladesh by Pakistan a condition of the release of the prisoners of war. The third Geneva Convention is patently clear on the conditions that should govern the release of prisoners of war. At the same time we must point out that the admission of Bangladesh to the United Nations cannot be made subject to the release of the prisoners of war. 158.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“Bengalis who belonged to the Pakistan armed forces and the approximately 10,000 Bengali administrative personnel now in Pakistan will be permitted to exercise their option to build their future in Bangladesh and help in the reconstruction and development of that country. 156. We make these observations, not in any spirit of criticism, but from a desire to see peace and friendly relations established and maintained throughout the entire subcontinent. We are inclined to believe that this result could be achieved if the parties concerned were left to their own devices without any interference from outside other than encouragement and assistance in attaining agreement. 157.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“We would draw particular attention to Security Council resolution 307 (1971), which "calls upon all those concerned to take all measures necessary to preserve human life and for the observance of the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and to apply in full their provisions as regards the protection of the wounded and sick, prisoners of war and the civilian population". We trust that, if there are impediments, legal or practical or even political, which obstruct the implementation of the Geneva Conventions regarding the repatriation of the prisoners of war, they will be speedily removed, due regard being given to articles 118 and 119 of the third Geneva Convention. At the same time, we hope that the 30,000.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“Unfortunately, it is a mark of human frailty that the ends we seek to achieve are too often imperiled by the means we choose to adopt. The interests of Bangladesh would be best served at this juncture if the efforts of the international community were concentrated on removing the obstacles to the establishment of good relations between Pakistan and Bangladesh and on effecting a reconciliation between the two countries which must result inevitably in not merely the recognition by Pakistan of the existence of Bangladesh but also recognition in the full diplomatic sense. 155.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“It is to be hoped that the same spirit will prevail so that a firm and lasting friendship may be established between Pakistan and Bangladesh. For our part we have, like the vast majority of Members of the United Nations, extended diplomatic recognition to Bangladesh and have supported its admission to the specialized agencies. We, therefore, support its application for admission to the United Nations [A/8754S/10759J. We are, however, far from satisfied that the initiative taken to include this item in the General Assembly's agenda under the general title "Admission of new Members to the United Nations" [item 23] is in the best interests of Bangladesh, as it might have exactly the opposite effect from what the proponents of the item intended. The very procedure is of dubious constitutionality.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“The Simla Agreement of 3 July 1972 between President Bhutto of Pakistan and Prime Minister Indira Gandhi of India contains the principal elements that can put an end to the mutual suspicion and sullen hostility that have separated India and Pakistan ever since the partition, provided the implementation of the Agreement accords with the spirit of its terms. Given such conscientious implementation of the Agreement, not merely will the risk of future armed clashes be avoided, but there will be a definite assurance that any disagreement that may arise hereafter will be settled amicably and that lasting friendship and enduring co-operation will replace the implacable enmity of the last 25 years. Nothing, therefore, should be allowed to defer such a final implementation of the Agreement. 154.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“The exchanges that have been taking place between North and South Korea through the medium of the Red Cross organizations of the two divided parts of that country will, we hope, be the starting-point in a process that will lead to a final composition of their differences and ultimately bring about the reunification of that country. 152. These moves towards reconciliation between former foes show a proper respect for the principles of the Charter and disclose a healthy attitude of enlightened self-interest on the part of those concerned. They will help promote conditions conducive to co-operation, stability and progress in Asia. 153.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“Another development of profound importance is the declared intention of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and Japan to commence negotiations leading to a peace treaty between the two countries. The success of these negotiations must have a powerful impact on the political and economic future of Asia. 150. The leaders of China and the United States are to be congratulated on their endeavors to resume friendly contacts between their Governments and peoples endeavors which were punctuated in dramatic manner by what I believe was the first visit of a United States President to China. Equally welcome and praise worthy are the signs of increasing co-operation between the United States and the Soviet Union in spheres of common interest and especially in regard to the control of armaments. 151.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“The decision of the Governments of China and Japan to establish diplomatic relations with each other will erase the grim and sombre memories of past antagonisms and will, by bringing to an end 35 years of hostility and estrangement, provide the foundation for political, economic and cultural co-operation between two of the most powerful countries in Asia. My delegation would like to pay a tribute to the leaders on both sides for their bold and imaginative statesmanship and especially to the Government of China for its magnanimous gesture in waiving all claim to war reparations. History has shown that peace with penalty is only a respite for revenge. We are confident that in this instance the Chinese Government's decision will prevent a repetition of Europe's unhappy experience after the First World War. 149.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“We would only hope that, while justifiably and understandably concentrating on the improvement of relations between themselves, the architects of European security will not consider themselves relieved of any responsibility for assisting in the creation of similar conditions of peace and stability in other parts of the world and that they will do their utmost to remove the causes of violent conflict and almost incurable enmity in the Middle East, to end the fratricidal war in former IndoChina and also to eradicate the vicious practices and repressive policies that are still pursued by white minority regimes and Governments in Africa and by the Government of Portugal in its African Territories. 148. In Asia, too, there have been developments in recent times which augur well for the future.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“These measures, and the complementary stage of the same process that would be a conference on European security and co-operation held between the western and eastern parts of Europe and including the United States of America and Canada, an important element of which would be an agreement on a mutual and balanced reduction of forces in that "art of the world, are a tribute to those national leaders who have worked tirelessly for their realization. We applaud these efforts and are gratified by the success that has so far attended them and express our sincere wishes for their final consummation, which would make Europe the envy of the rest of the world and an example worthy of emulation.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“Since we last met, there have been many dramatic changes and developments in international affairs and international relationships which cannot but enhance the prospects of international peace and security and help mitigate or eliminate the tensions that have afflicted the world ever since the end of the Second World War. Along with the numerous speakers who have preceded me in this debate and who have made reference to those trends, we welcome the improvement in the relations between the Federal Republic of Germany on the one hand and Poland and the Soviet Union on the other, through the signing of the Warsaw treaty and the Moscow Treaty, and also the progress towards the establishment of a fraternal understanding between the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“Waldheim has already demonstrated a sturdy independence, an unflinching initiative and an unfaltering determination to exploit to the limit the scope and authority of his high office. Anyone who displays a vigorous initiative in an organization of such diverse and conflicting interests and policies faces the risk of criticism, often of a captious and destructive nature. I am sure it will not take long for the Organization to realize that It owes as great a duty to the Secretary-General as the Secretary-General himself owes to the Organization, and that duty is to co-operate in a constructive manner in the pursuit of the high ideals to which we have pledged ourselves. 147.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“For the first time after about nine years we are without the serene personality of UThant, our former Secretary-General, whose shining attributes of compassion and unassailable moral and intellectual integrity captivated the minds and hearts of all those who had the privilege of being associated with him during his tenure of office. With an endearing humility of spirit and a total lack of ostentation, speaking with courage and acting with discretion and restraint as the occasion demanded, he made a lasting imprint on international relations. 146. We had an opportunity last year [2031st meeting] to welcome his successor, Mr. Kurt Waldheim, whose long experience in foreign affairs and international relations will prove an invaluable asset to the Organization. Mr.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“Adam Malik, the Foreign Minister of Indonesia, to whom we owe a word of deep appreciation for the manner in which he directed the work of the twenty-sixth session of the General Assembly. That session witnessed the triumph of justice and reason over prejudice and partisanship with the restoration of the lawful rights of the People's Republic of China in the United Nations and thereby brought us closer to the ideal of universality, which is an indispensable condition for the fulfillment of the purposes and principles of the Charter. 145.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“In congratulating your country and you, we are also congratulating the General Assembly on having selected a President who has already given ample evidence of his adroitness and ability in steering the work of the Assembly and especially in the delicate handling of highly contentious issues. A session that started in a tempest of dissension and acrimony has, through your able captaincy, been placed on an even keel. The weather may turn inclement once again, but at least we feel sure that we are in safe hands. My delegation will at all times be ready to extend to you without reservation its fullest co-operation. 144. As your predecessor we had an eminent Asian, Mr.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“Therefore, today-for the first time—I address you, Mr. President, and this Assembly as the permanent representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations. 142. The change of Constitution, which took place on 22 May and made us a Republic, severed our link with the British Crown-a link which had lasted for 157 years but Sri Lanka remains within the Commonwealth and will continue to maintain and even endeavor to strengthen the friendly relations that have existed between our country and Britain. This is the spirit that Walt Whitman had in mind when he spoke of that fervent element of manly friendship that is more binding than treaties. 143. Mr. President, on behalf of the delegation of Sri Lanka and on my own behalf, I extend to you our cordial felicitations on your election as President of the twenty-seventh session of the General Assembly.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“On 22 May of this year a change of historic significance occurred in my country: our political status was altered to that of a Republic. At the same time the name of the country, which under Portuguese occupation of the maritime provinces in the fifteenth century had been changed to Ceylon, was dropped and we resumed the name of Sri Lanka, by which my country was referred to in the ancient chronicles and in Valmiki's epic, the Ramayana. The change of name from "Ceylon" to "Sri Lanka" or "the Resplendent Isle", to give it its closest English translation was not merely a romantic evocation of the past: it was a recognition of the value of our cultural heritage and an affirmation of our cultural affinity with our neighbors in South and Southeast Asia, where the Ramayana is a literary and cultural masterpiece of imperishable value.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“In concision, the Foreign Minister of India reminded us that today is the 101st anniversary of the birth of the noblest apostle of peace and justice this modern age has known, Mahatma Gandhi. The world has long forgotten the weapon he forged and used with such telling effect, the weapon of satyagraha or nonviolence. If we can revive the Mahatma's message of peace and justice we can still bring out the best in ourselves and make the principles of the Charter a living reality.”
1970-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 25 (1970)
“We would hope that something of the strenuous diplomatic energy that is being displayed in regard to the problem of hijacking would be diverted towards a search for a satisfactory solution of the Palestine problem. The United Nations believes injustice. Here is its opportunity to prove itself. This is only a part, though a very important part, of the whole Middle East problem for which we hope a just settlement will soon be found a settlement just to all. 206. My Government continues to support without qualification the form of settlement contemplated in Security Council resolution 242 (1967) of 22 November 1967, which is founded on the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by force and the withdrawal of Israeli armed forces from all Arab territories occupied after 5 June 1967. 207.”
1970-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 25 (1970)
“They have been condemned to live in squalid shacks and tattered tents in a wasteland of ruined hopes and empty dreams, most of them for almost 22 years. They are without a State, without a community and without an organization in which they can lead a decent human existence, rear their children as other humans rear theirs and rise above the degrading necessity of living on an international dole. 205. There are people all over the world living in huts below subsistence level, but they belong somewhere. Not so the Palestinians. They are being held up to ransom in a much cruder and more brutal form than the airline passengers of hijacked planes. Their tribulations are a life sentence from which only the United Nations can grant them a reprieve.”
1970-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 25 (1970)
“A few months ago I had occasion to visit some of the refugee camps in the Middle East. Here the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East and other humanitarian organizations are performing a heroic mission with severely limited resources. Those who contribute towards the maintenance of these according to reliable estimates more than a million refugees deserve our warmest thanks and appreciation. But that is no answer and gives the United Nations no absolution. Here are the human remnants of a people who once had a country of their own the British mandated Territory of Palestine. It was created at the end of one war only to be destroyed after the next. Their experience is without parallel even in the shabbiest records of the human race.”
1970-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 25 (1970)
“There are several outstanding issues relating to the law of the sea which require the urgent attention of the international community. To mention some of them: the establishment of the maximum breadth of the territorial sea; the navigation of international straits; preferential fishery rights for coastal States; measures to combat the growing menace of pollution in the marine environment and the limits of national jurisdiction over the continental shelf. 203. My Government would like to see an early start made on preparations for a conference on the law of the sea at which those interrelated issues could be discussed and resolved. 204. Let me refer, in conclusion, to one of the most tragic problems of our day, a problem for which the United Nations bears a responsibility and which is a blot on the United Nations record.”
1970-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 25 (1970)
“I should like to stress that the Lusaka statement is not exhaustive of the elements that should find a place in the declaration of principles. 201. We believe it to be essential for the development of the resources of the seabed and the ocean floor that the area be reserved exclusively for peaceful purposes and that its use for military purposes be prohibited. We are glad to note that the first step towards that end has been taken by the coChairmen of the Committee on Disarmament, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the United States, with the preparation of a draft treaty on the prohibition of the emplacement of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction on the seabed and the ocean floor and in the subsoil thereof, which is expected to come before the General Assembly at this session. 202.”
1970-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 25 (1970)
“We have not abandoned our efforts to reach agreement on a draft declaration, and even now consultations are in progress to resolve our remaining differences. 200. It is my hope that the Committee on the seabed and ocean floor will be able to place before the First Committee and General Assembly at this session a draft declaration which will command the support of all groups. Those of us who belong to the nonaligned group of nations have been enjoined by the Conference of Heads of State or Government of NonAligned Countries that met in Lusaka last month, specifically to exert efforts towards the adoption of a declaration of principles at this session. A special statement adopted by that Conference sets out five essential elements which should, among others, be incorporated in such a declaration.”
1970-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 25 (1970)
“During the two sessions it held this year, the Committee was unable to reach agreement on a comprehensive and balanced statement of principles that would provide the framework of the new regime for the exploration and exploitation of the resources of the area. My delegation would like to see a regime supported by appropriate international machinery, established through an international agreement open to adherence by all States which would provide for the orderly development and rational management of the area and its resources as the common heritage of mankind and for the equitable sharing by States of the benefits so derived, special consideration being given to the interests and needs of developing countries, whether landlocked or coastal. The draft declaration of principles will be the first stage in this process.”
1970-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 25 (1970)
“At the Twenty-fourth session the General Assembly called upon the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of the SeaBed and the Ocean Floor beyond the Limits of National Jurisdiction to expedite its work of preparing a comprehensive and balanced statement of principles designed to promote international cooperation in the exploration and use of the seabed and the ocean floor and the subsoil thereof beyond the limits of national jurisdiction and ensure the exploitation of their resources for the benefit of mankind, irrespective of the geographical location of States, taking into account the special interests and needs of the developing countries, whether landlocked or coastal. 199.”
1970-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 25 (1970)
“All developing countries are aware of the risks, but I am sure that they would be quite prepared to accept from the developed countries even 1 per cent of their gross national pollution if thereby they could diversify their economies through industrialization. 198. The question of the peaceful uses of the seabed and the ocean floor and the subsoil thereof beyond the limits of national jurisdiction and the use of their resources for the benefit of mankind has been before the General Assembly for almost three years. It is recognized that arrangements must be made for the orderly exploration and exploitation of this new source of seemingly limitless wealth.”
1970-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 25 (1970)
“It creates serious problems of debt servicing which impose a heavy and recurring burden on the country's foreign exchange budgets for successive years. We believe therefore more in trade and better trade than in aid. Foreign aid should be no more than a temporary means of financing development. Increased trade on better terms, on the other hand, would help developing countries to build up their own external reserves for the financing of development and would give them a greater degree of self-reliance which is one of the best guarantees of steady and self-sustained economic growth in the true sense of the term. Developing countries have of late been warned of the price that has to be paid in the form of environmental pollution for industrial development.”
1970-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 25 (1970)
“The agreement recently reached within the International Monetary Fund to create an addition to international liquidity in the form of special drawing rights, amounting to $9.5 thousand million over a period of three years, could be turned to the fullest advantage in the service of the international development strategy if the developed nations agreed to augment their contribution to programs of economic development in developing countries by releasing a portion of their share of the special drawing rights or its equivalent in national currencies, depending on the mechanics of the operation, for the purpose of financing development in developing countries. 197. Ceylon's experience has proven that foreign aid as a means of financing development has severe limitations and many disadvantages.”
1970-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 25 (1970)
“The best informed opinion has found that although the total volume of the net flow of financial resources from the developed to the developing countries increased in 1968 over the previous year, it represented a smaller percentage of the gross national product of the developed market economies than in 1967 and that the share of the developing countries in the world export market was declining, a sign of the widening gap between the developed and the developing sections of the world. The international development strategy, if it is to be successful, requires a firm commitment on the part of each economically advanced country to adhere to the quantitative and temporal targets that are proposed for the net transfer of financial resources to the developing countries. It is not necessary here to go into the details of these targets, 196.”
1970-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 25 (1970)
“The draft international development strategy acknowledges that the primary responsibility for development rests with the developing countries, but also recognizes the need for assistance from the developed countries in the form of an increased flow of financial resources to the developing countries and the adoption by the developed countries of more favorable economic and commercial policies towards the developing countries.”
1970-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 25 (1970)