YouSaid · the spoken record

HAMEED

lines on the record: 292
first: 1977-09-24
most recent: 1993-09-24
sittings or episodes: 11
sources: un-general-debate

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“However, alongside the advocacy of separation by the Tamil United Liberation Front, a terrorist group pursuing the same aims employs violence—including arson and damage to public property, armed robbery of Government and private financial institutions and murder of political personalities opposed to its views and of Government law-enforcement officers from the police and the armed services—for the purpose of establishing a separate State. It was against this violent background that on 23 July this same terrorist group ambushed and killed 13 army personnel on patrol and provoked the communal violence that followed during that week. That week's violence, which we see as an aberration in our civil and political life, we condemn without reservation.”
1983-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 38 (1983)
“The identity of the minority communities does not appear merely symbolically on the national flag of Sri Lanka; the Tamil language has deceived a recognition not seen or heard or experienced by Tamil-speaking communities settled in any other country. The Tamil language and the Sinhala language of the Sinhalese majority that constitutes 74 per cent of the population are both national languages. The Tamil language appears on Sri Lanka's stamps, on its currency and in all official publications. The Moslem community and the substantial section of the Tamil people residing in the northwest, the east, the northeast and the south of the country are, as demonstrated in repeated elections, vehemently opposed to separatism or a division of the country.”
1983-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 38 (1983)
“After independence, the status of that group was resolved through a series of consultations which led to an agreement with our neighbor, India, under which a formula was accepted by which my country would abstain a number of them while a certain number of others were to be repatriated to India. While we do not wish to make pronouncements on the problem of immigrant labor elsewhere, we believe that the arrangement we have reached for absorbing such large numbers from a non-indigenous community into the mainstream of the country's national life has no comparable precedent. As far as language goes, the two main minorities in Sri Lanka—the Tamils and the Muslims—both speak the Tamil language.”
1983-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 38 (1983)
“I seek your indulgence to make a reference to the recent events in my country which have been publicized in the media and have received the attention of the international community. Let me at the outset say what has been widely acknowledged even by our critics, namely, that Sri Lanka is a parliamentary democracy with over half a century of universal adult franchise, with a multiparty system and with every citizen having his individual and constitutional rights guaranteed and made justifiable in the Constitution. When we speak of the Tamil question in Sri Lanka, a distinction must also be made between the Sri Lanka Tamils who have settled in the north and the relatively more recent Tamil immigrants from India, who were brought to Sri Lanka by the former colonial administration to work on tea and rubber plantations.”
1983-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 38 (1983)
“Sri Lanka supports the initiative of Malaysia and others to have the General Assembly undertake a comprehensive study on Antarctica with a view to widening international co-operation in the area. It is our hope also that the many initiatives being taken to bring an end to the tragic conflict between Iran and Iraq will bear fruit. For Sri Lanka, which has excellent relations with both these countries, the continuation of the conflict is a matter of very great concern, and we hope that the international community will be able to contribute in some way towards peace between these two countries. The mounting tension in the region of Central America causes us concern. Initiatives for a peaceful settlement by the Contadora Group deserve our every encouragement.”
1983-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 38 (1983)
“Here, too, a co-operative endeavor within the United Nations system could provide a response to those needs through a central co-ordination of information, advice, assistance and services at the global and regional, as well as national, levels. From the deep frontiers of the oceans, man has turned his gaze to the outer reaches of space. We hope that this last frontier of mankind will be used exclusively for peaceful purposes and for the common benefit of all mankind. Sri Lanka supports all initiatives to prevent the militarization of outer space and the extension of the arms race to its reaches. The vast continent of Antarctica has great economic potential and should not become the scene or object of international discord. This area should be used exclusively for peaceful purposes, in the interests of all mankind.”
1983-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 38 (1983)
“These include arrangements for the non-use of force and the peaceful settlement of disputes among regional States. We were ushered to the threshold of a new era of international co-operation in ocean development with the conclusion, a year ago, of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The task before us now is to translate the concepts of that multilateral framework into reality through appropriate programmes for implementation. To many developing countries like my own, the full benefits of the Convention on the Law of the Sea can be reaped only if we are able to develop capabilities for exploiting the oceans and their unbounded resources. This can be done through the advancement of marine affairs capabilities in developing countries, particularly in the field of marine science and technology.”
1983-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 38 (1983)
“The States of the region have called for the co-operation of the great Powers in establishing the peace zone, and we have endeavored within the framework of the Committee on the Indian Ocean to finalize all preparations for convening the Conference on the Indian Ocean early next year at Colombo. This Conference would bring together the Indian Ocean States, the great Powers and other States that are major maritime users of the ocean. We do not expect the establishment of a peace zone overnight; but the Conference at Colombo would be a first step in a bold venture in international co-operation which would benefit not only the States of the region but also the great Powers and, indeed, the world at large. The regional States have achieved a major degree of agreement on seven principles for the implementation of the peace zone.”
1983-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 38 (1983)
“Although the two questions are not identical, Sri Lanka calls for a comprehensive political solution to these two questions on the basis of the withdrawal of foreign forces, strict respect for non-interference in the internal affairs of the two countries and satisfactory guarantees to ensure full respect for their independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity and freedom from foreign interference. In the region of the Indian Ocean, it was the determination of the peoples of the littoral and hinterland States to preserve their independence and to resolve their problems in conditions of peace and tranquility which led in 1971 to the Declaration of the Indian Ocean as a Zone of Peace.”
1983-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 38 (1983)
“My delegation considers it utterly deplorable for any State to use its armed forces to interfere in the internal affairs of any neighbouring State, however much compassion and feeling there may be for a fellow ethnic or communal group in that neighbouring State. Such action cannot be justified in any circumstances." The internal upheavals in two fellow Asian States, both members of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries—Afghanistan and Kampuchea—have not been completely eased by the introduction of foreign forces.”
1983-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 38 (1983)
“Sri Lanka does not in any way condone the fragmentation of a unitary non-aligned State which has been recognized by the United Nations. We call once more for the withdrawal of foreign forces from Cyprus. We support all efforts, particularly those of the Secretary-General and the contact group of non-aligned countries on Cyprus, to find a lasting solution to the question of Cyprus. Sri Lanka's position on Cyprus was stated in the Assembly in November 1978, during the thirty-third session: "... the Government of Sri Lanka does not subscribe to the principle that any State is justified in using its armed forces, however justifiable it may itself believe that to be, in the settlement of international disputes.”
1983-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 38 (1983)
“The Arab peace plan adopted at Fez, at the Twelfth Arab Summit Conference,' as well as the Programme of Action of the International Conference on the Question of Palestine, held last month at Geneva, provide blueprints that would guarantee the peace and security of all States in the region, including the Palestinian State. Without the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Palestinian and other occupied Arab territories, peace will remain a stranger to that region, the Middle East. The continued presence of other foreign forces in the northern section of the Republic of Cyprus has been, for that troubled State, the major obstacle to the full exercise of its independence and the preservation of its territorial integrity.”
1983-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 38 (1983)
“Claiming it is in a state of siege, Israel has arrogated unto itself the right for its armed forces not only to strike deep into the territory of independent Arab States like Syria, Lebanon and Jordan, but also in effect to colonize large areas of these countries. The inalienable national rights of the Palestinian people have been accepted by virtually all Members of the United Nations, and a series of peace plans has accordingly been put forward with a view to reaching some form of negotiated settlement on the basis of the relevant United Nations resolutions and the principles of the Charter.”
1983-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 38 (1983)
“Security Council resolution 435 (1978) gave promise of a unique exercise in co-operation involving the peoples of Namibia, the United Nations and even the South African regime, which had sought to force its own unilateral and illegal solution to the Namibian question. However, resolution 435 (1978) and the collective enterprise spelt out in it remain unimplemented, and the Secretary-General's recent visit to South Africa, I am sorry to say, does not offer much new hope. In the Middle East ironies abound. Israel, itself a creature of United Nations fiat, dishonors the Charter of the very Organization which gave it birth.”
1983-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 38 (1983)
“The Charter must remain the basic framework within which Member States must conduct their relations with other States and with the international community as a whole. The apartheid regime of South Africa continues to cling to its pernicious privileges in cynical contempt of the Charter and all it embodies. The regime's ruthless suppression of the freedom struggle of the majority population has frequently swollen into desperate wars of aggression conducted with impunity against the independent front-line African States of Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The regime continues to control neighbouring Namibia, despite decisions of the International Court of Justice and the United Nations which have clearly declared such control to be illegal.”
1983-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 38 (1983)
“Unfettered national interest, which had been pushed to its arrogant extreme during the Second World War, is today being pursued in a multitude of forms and constitutes a major obstacle in many areas of international co-operation and the search for peaceful solutions. The Charter of the United Nations enshrines at once mankind's noblest collective aspirations and the limits to which the national options of Member States need to be subject if we are to be sensitive to wider concerns. Member States, however powerful or sovereign they may be, cannot be permitted selfishly to pursue narrow sectarian interests if this infringes on the sovereignty and concerns of other nations or runs counter to obligations assumed under the Charter.”
1983-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 38 (1983)
“There was then an essential unity of purpose in the determination to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war. While the world has, since then, been spared the horrors of another universal war, conflicts nevertheless rage in various parts of the world, and the threat of a global conflagration has never been too distant. In fact, the nuclear aspect has now added a terrifying new dimension to every threat or potential threat to international peace and security. The need for massive economic regeneration was a prime imperative in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War. Three decades later strategies for global economic recovery still languish, unfulfilled, on our agendas and the world continues to remain remote from real economic prosperity.”
1983-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 38 (1983)
“I extend to Mr. Illueca the felicitations and good wishes of Sri Lanka on his election as President of the thirty-eighth session of the General Assembly. It has been my personal pleasure to have known him. His achievements, first as representative of Panama to the United Nations, then as Foreign Minister and now as his country's Vice-President, leave no doubt that this difficult session is in very good hands. The thanks of my delegation are also due to Mr. Hollai of Hungary for the admirable manner in which he conducted the thirty-seventh session as its President. I should also like to associate my delegation with those who have welcomed the State of Saint Christopher and Nevis into the United Nations. When the United Nations was first established over three decades ago the world was recovering from the ravages of the Second World War.”
1983-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 38 (1983)
“This is inevitable, because politics and economics are so closely related. When political issues are unresolved, they create social and economic repercussions. Where economic disparities persist, political upheaval follows. The real guarantee of international security, therefore, lies in a balance of political and economic justice, domestically, regionally and internationally. Let us pledge ourselves to securing that balance.”
1981-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 36 (1981)
“Jayewardene of Sri Lanka for the establishment of a world disarmament authority [4th meeting, paras. 1719] will be considered favorably. The proposed authority could serve as a much needed catalyst for slowing down the arms race. 65. We would also like to see all matters pertaining to the law of the sea resolved next year. As an island State, we are particularly concerned about orderly, equitable and legitimate access to the sea's resources. The United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea has passed through the complicated phase of detailed Negotiation. Only a formal adoption of negotiated agreements is required. We hope that all countries will join in working towards this end at the session of the Conference to be held in March 1982. 66. The agenda before us is heavy. It contains a fair mix of political and economic issues.”
1981-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 36 (1981)
“Therefore, we hope that all interventionist forces will be withdrawn from both countries. 64. The arms race dominates all other issues. The tenth special session of the General Assembly, convened on the initiative of the nonaligned countries, gave some impetus to moves towards disarmament, but that movement has been so slow as to be all but unrecognizable. Despite the repeatedly stated desire of the international community for genuine progress towards disarmament, much of the world seems to be progressing in the opposite direction. Can we not reverse that trend? We will be presented with the opportunity to do so at next year's special session devoted to disarmament. In this connection, we are hopeful that the proposal made at the tenth special session by President J. R.”
1981-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 36 (1981)
“That Conference is, in our view, the next logical major step towards the implementation of the Declaration of the Indian Ocean as a Zone of Peace. 63. We are equally concerned about the entrenchment of interventionist forces in two Asian States, Afghanistan and Kampuchea, both members of the group of non aligned countries. The situation in both countries has been exhaustively examined here and we have made our views very clear. We believe that the people of every State must enjoy the right to determine their own destiny free from any foreign interference. We believe that the continued presence of interventionist forces in the territory of sovereign States is contrary to the accepted norms of international conduct. We fear too that their continued presence increases domestic instability and sharpens regional tensions.”
1981-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 36 (1981)
“At the eighth emergency special session, on Namibia, recently concluded, the Assembly addressed itself to the various options before the international community. 62. In Asia, the region to which Sri Lanka belongs, several unhappy trends exist. The increasing military buildup by the great Powers in the Indian Ocean is a source of grave concern to all littoral and hinterland States. Throughout history the region has been the hunting ground of contending Powers. We do not want to be embroiled in such Power rivalry or to be the scene of such rivalry. Sri Lanka urges, therefore, that all States, including the permanent members of the Security Council, should cooperate with the Ad Hoc Committee on the Indian Ocean to convene the Conference on the Indian Ocean at Colombo not later than the first half of 1983.”
1981-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 36 (1981)
“The racist regime in South Africa is so contemptuous of persuasion, so aggressive in its outlook, that it unashamedly resorts to military onslaughts even against independent countries adjoining Namibia to shore up its own illegality. At the same time, it remains dedicated to barbaric policies of racial discrimination against the people within South Africa itself. South Africa's racist policies and its brutal militarism are both abhorrent and have been rightly condemned in the Assembly. The international community must now decide whether continued condemnation alone is sufficient to free the people of Namibia from illegal domination, and to liberate the people of South Africa from racism. If condemnation is inadequate, all measures required to bring South Africa to its senses must be diligently sought and applied.”
1981-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 36 (1981)
“Until that unalterable truth is accepted, peace moves will fail to produce results, or will produce . only piecemeal results. Sri Lanka has recognized the Palestine Liberation Organization [PLO] as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. To believe that issues affecting the integrity of the Palestinian people and their inalienable rights can be resolved without Palestinian participation in the process is very unrealistic. 61. In another area of the world, the rights of another group of people remain grievously unfulfilled. Despite assurances that various forms of persuasion are being directed at South Africa, the people of Namibia remain subjugated, and Security Council resolution 435 (1978), which held so much promise, remains unimplemented.”
1981-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 36 (1981)
“But this should not blind us to the need for sustained effort if we are to break through the barriers that hold us back from mutual progress. Nor should it lead us to ignore the very real threats to international peace and security that continue to imperil the world. The area broadly and popularly described as the Middle East continues to be a threat to international peace and security, burdened by tensions and uncertainties. An area which has given civilization so much of its wisdom and so many of its benign impulses is threatened by potentially explosive trends. We categorically assert, however, that a final settlement bringing lasting peace, justice and stability to the region will remain elusive until the inalienable national rights of the Palestinian people are fully restored.”
1981-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 36 (1981)
“The rationale for such a meeting was that if these issues needed political action based on an exertion of political will, then it was logical for matters to be discussed by the only people with the power to take far-ranging political decisions. Despite initial delays, agreement has now been reached on holding a summit meeting. Nobody expects miraculous breakthroughs to result from the meeting at Cancun. But there is every possibility that views will be harmonized, and that the stage will be set for a genuine attempt to refashion the North South relationship. Agreement on the mountaintop can lead to real activity on the plains below. 60. Optimism and euphoria are dangerous bedfellows. There are, as I have pointed out, a number of indications that should give rise to optimism.”
1981-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 36 (1981)
“I was privileged to participate in preparations for the Conference and, of course, in the Conference itself. Because participation was at a high level it was possible for agreement to be reached on a number of principles which can govern the use and development of energy sources. This activity can mesh within the United Nations with the program of science and technology for development. We are pleased to note that some developed countries have already acted on the pledges made in Nairobi. 59. Secondly, I would draw attention to the forthcoming NorthSouth meeting to be held at Cancun, where a small group of heads of State will meet informally to review NorthSouth issues.”
1981-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 36 (1981)
“This proposal was made in the knowledge that providing the homeless with adequate housing an essential component of an effective global assault on poverty, I repeat the Prime Minister's call, and express the hope that in this, as in other aspects of the assault on poverty, there will be no stalling. Time aggravates and does not heal. 57. It is only too easy to be discouraged by slow progress. Pessimism beckons readily. Nevertheless, there are also positive aspects in the situation and these deserve restatement. I will now turn to two areas of activity which give rise to hope, however slight they may seem. 58. First, I would draw your attention to the recently concluded United Nations Conference on New and Renewable Sources of Energy, held at Nairobi.”
1981-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 36 (1981)
“Are we content to allow history to judge us as lacking in the political will required to sort out one set of procedural options from' another? If so, we will be untrue to ourselves, and unfair to those millions we represent. For the fact is that those differences over procedure masked a much more important divergence, a divergence of commitment to a global compact. 56. Such a compact requires commitment not only at the broad level of global management of resources but also in terms of specific sectors such as trade, transfer of technology, energy and housing, for instance. Sri Lanka's Prime Minister, Mr. R. Premadasa, made a special plea in the Assembly at its preceding session on behalf of the homeless [14th meeting, para. 59]. He specifically proposed that the year 1981 be declared the international year of shelter for the homeless.”
1981-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 36 (1981)
“The people's needs can be realized only by concrete measures which will sustain human will, measures which we had all hoped would emerge from the global round of negotiations which the eleventh special session of the General Assembly was meant to set in motion. A great deal of effort went into the search for agreement on basic preconditions. Many of the distinguished representatives here today, or their colleagues, participated in that exercise. Men and women of goodwill and prescience outside this Assembly joined in. Despite several setbacks, a remarkable area of agreement was identified. Nevertheless, disagreement cm mere procedures slowed down the momentum towards global negotiations. Can we be satisfied with leaving it at that?”
1981-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 36 (1981)
“53. The Group of 77 has pursued with passion the goal of a NorthSouth compact. More recently we have been joined by several spokesmen of the North. Indeed, a great NorthSouth assessment of global challenges and global responses was provided for the international community by the report of the Brandt Commission, which was unveiled here. What do we have to show for those efforts? 54. Last year the General Assembly convened its eleventh special session, which was devoted exclusively to an examination of international development issues. That session produced a program of targets for the strategy for development. We were pleased by the adoption of those targets; but development targets cannot be reached by declarations of intent. 55. Development is about people.”
1981-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 36 (1981)
“On the contrary, it is our view that human rights in their fullest sense, as defined by the documents of the Organization, come alive only when man's rights within society are treated as a whole. That is our approach. It is an approach which requires commitment, skill and sophistication, qualities that can come only from within society. At the same time, we continue to hope for complementary support from the international community in the spirit of the Charter. 52. The interaction between domestic effort and external cooperation which I have described takes us to the heart of the NorthSouth relationship. I have pointed out that the proper definition and reshaping of this relationship was the focus of attention at the very first meeting of nonaligned countries and has continued since to attract the attention of all developing countries.”
1981-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 36 (1981)
“We recognize, however, that the present structure of parliamentary government in Sri Lanka was set in place with the granting of universal adult franchise in Sri Lanka 50 years ago. During that half century we have fashioned political forms and practices which keep the fundamental tenets of democracy strong and meaningful in our country. We have also set in motion a process by which the aspirations of all communities in our country will be satisfied through constitutional means, without in any way sacrificing our national identity or integrity. 51. In the social and economic fields, no less than in the political and constitutional, we have pledged to give substance to the concept of human rights in all its dimensions. We do not believe that different sets of rights can be compartmentalized.”
1981-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 36 (1981)
“We are hopeful that before long all those peoples of the world who are as yet in a state of subjugation or displacement will eventually take their due place in the Organization, making it truly universal. 50. Permit me for a few moments to refer to the domestic situation in Sri Lanka, a situation which should be of both interest and significance to the international community. This is a particularly important year for us,, because it marks the fiftieth anniversary of the exercise of universal adult franchise in Sri Lanka. Our democratic traditions were established long before modem parliamentary democracy was introduced in phases by a departing colonial administration. We are proud of our own traditions.”
1981-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 36 (1981)
“Other speakers have commented on the assistance that has been received from the SecretaryGeneral. I add my felicitations to theirs. I wish to place on record, too, our appreciation of the responsibilities and workload of the staff of the Secretariat. They are the world's generally unsung and often unnoticed warriors of peace. They provide the continuity that gives our own efforts more than passing effect. We thank them. 49. Sri Lanka is pleased to welcome Vanuatu as a Member of the Organization. Each new Member strengthens and sustains the universality of the Organization, which is an objective laid down in the Charter of the United Nations.”
1981-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 36 (1981)
“The creation of a new social and economic order in the world has thus been as consistent a theme of the Movement as that of establishing a new political order. Today, when the impetus of anti-colonialism, spearheaded by the nonaligned movement, has ended colonialism except in a few stubborn pockets of vicious resistance, it is our responsibility to struggle even harder for political and economic justice. 47. Having in mind our current quest for social and economic goals, I should like to pay a tribute to the outgoing President. He tried hard to move North and South towards a mutually beneficial accommodation. The fact that those efforts did not produce the final results we all desired was not for want of trying on his part. The international community's gratitude and respect are due to him. 48.”
1981-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 36 (1981)
“A process of moral or judicial intervention before confrontations erupt could help to eliminate the causes of friction or at least to buy time in which the political environment could change. It is in this context that Sri Lanka's proposal for the establishment of a border disputes commission is being studied within the nonaligned movement. We very much hope that that proposal will be given serious consideration by the international community. 45. However, politics is not the only source of friction and insecurity in the world. Economic imbalance is an equally important factor. This was recognized by the non aligned countries as far back as their first Conference in 1961. The Declaration issued at the end of that Conference drew specific attention to the NorthSouth imbalance and made specific proposals for correcting that imbalance.3 46.”
1981-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 36 (1981)
“Moreover, they provide small countries with the foundation on which to build a structure of positive relationships with all countries, without becoming drawn into bloc rivalries. 44. Those principles have even greater relevance today than when they were first articulated in a political sense, for today it is necessary for us to be nonaligned not only in relation to the great Powers but also in relation to disputes between and among other States, where efforts to reach accord can be exerted on a principled, impartial basis. Many disputes concern border issues, and it is a matter of great concern that existing United Nations mechanisms allow the international community to intervene in such disputes only when they have reached the point of armed confrontation.”
1981-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 36 (1981)
“It was in Colombo that the word "nonalignment" entered the vocabulary of international politics. The word was used with a foreign policy connotation for the first time at the Colombo Powers Conference in 1954, which decided that the Bandung Conference should be held. With other participants at Colombo and Bandung and wi'Ji all others who have added strength to nonalignment through the years, swelling the movement's numbers, we have a special commitment to preserving the fundamental principles of nonalignment. Those principles are not to be looked at in the negative sense of fence-sitting. Rather, those principles have a profoundly positive connotation in that they permit adherents of nonalignment the privilege of independence of judgment.”
1981-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 36 (1981)
“The concept and practice of nonalignment are being increasingly acknowledged as relevant and important. 42. In a very real sense, nonalignment will return to its roots when the movement holds its summit meeting in Asia once again next year. The first stirrings of Afro Asian independence in foreign policy were heard in Bandung in 1955. Six years elapsed between the Bandung Conference and the first Conference of Heads of State or Government of NonAligned Countries, held at Belgrade. Some of the countries represented at Bandung were not at Belgrade. But there was a continuity between Bandung and Belgrade, and for all of us in Sri Lanka it is a matter of pride that our capital, Colombo, the venue of the fifth Conference of the NonAligned Countries, is in many ways part of that continuity, which will be reaffirmed in Baghdad next year. 43.”
1981-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 36 (1981)
“Next year, when it reaches the age of 21 an age associated with maturity in many societies our heads of State and Government are scheduled to meet at Baghdad. Therefore your country has an especially important role to play as we prepare for a renewal based on experience and understanding. For the three years following that meeting, your country will be chairman and coordinator of the movement. We have no doubt that your stewardship will help to strengthen the movement and its validity as a positive force in international relations. In this connection, we are pleased that, for the first time in the history of summit meetings attended by the heads of Government of seven industrialized countries, this year's economic Summit at Montebello, Canada, specifically referred to the significance of nonalignment.”
1981-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 36 (1981)
“On behalf of the Government and people of Sri Lanka, I extend to you, Mr. President, our congratulations on your election to the presidency of the thirty-sixth session of the General Assembly. Our commitment to cooperating fully with you and our pleasure at your election are both manifest. We come from the same region of the world and me heirs to similar traditions. Our two nations view many international issues in the same perspective. More intimately, we are aware of your personal attributes. As fellow members of the nonaligned movement we have been able on numerous occasions to observe and take pleasure in your dedication to our founding principles and your skill. We are confident that those attributes will benefit the Assembly and, through it, the global community as a whole. 41. The nonaligned movement is now in its twentieth year.”
1981-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 36 (1981)
“Or will special interests once again deprive the disadvantaged peoples of the world of their right to human dignity? If this is not achieved, we face the danger not only of a deepening economic crisis, but also of political explosion. To ward off this danger and to guarantee permanent peace is the responsibility of the political leadership of our times. We must make some constructive progress towards meeting the minimum economic needs of the underprivileged peoples. This is a duty and an obligation we owe to history.”
1979-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 34 (1979)
“We can very easily turn that session into yet another talking marathon in which we engage in cease-less recriminations or ceaseless platitudes, or we can use that session as a take-off point for action. The choice is ours. How will we decide? 72. On the part of Sri Lanka there is no hesitation about what choice should be made. We should like to see the entire membership of this Organization enter that session with a prior commitment to action. We should like that session to be the occasion for negotiation on broad lines, not for mere debates. And we should like to see that session end with the acceptance of a concrete programme of action which would then go to bodies such as UNCTAD for implementation. 73. Will the international community accept this challenge?”
1979-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 34 (1979)
“Sri Lanka's position on issues such as southern Africa, the Middle East, disarmament, the implementation of the Declaration of the Indian Ocean as a Zone of Peace and other important questions that will come up before the current meetings of the General Assembly has been repeatedly stated here and in other international forums quite clearly and in detail on many occasions. For this reason, I have chosen not to take up the time of the Assembly by restating it here. 71. Next year's special session of the General Assembly, when we will be taking up development strategy and other matters connected with the third United Nations development decade, will provide us with a golden opportunity to turn our intentions and thoughts into deeds.”
1979-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 34 (1979)
“Fourthly, equitability must be a key objective of the exercise, that is to say, not only equitability as between today's rich and poor nations, but within rich and poor nations as well. It would be a travesty if an international exercise aimed at reshaping the international order were undertaken purely to make the rich in both rich and poor countries richer. Better and more effective forms of income distribution need to be fashioned even as international economic restructuring takes place. 68. Fifthly, restructuring has to take place in an orderly manner, with agreed phasing, targets and appraisals as part of an agreed programme. 69. I do not claim either originality or exclusivity for the principles listed. They can be put in different ways. What is important is that they should be agreed on—and acted on. 70.”
1979-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 34 (1979)
“65. Secondly, and this flows from the first principle, it must be accepted all round that the purpose of reshaping the international order is not to benefit a single group of countries, but to improve the human condition as a whole. If this purpose is kept in mind throughout the negotiating process, then there can be legitimate trade-offs which result in all sides feeling the beneficial impact of a reshaped international order. 66. Thirdly, while the concept of basic needs is com-mendable, it is equally true that needs cannot be met until resources are adequate. Resources are not unlimited, but, within natural constraints, resources can be expanded through processes of economic growth in such a way that there is sufficient for sharing. Population planning is quite obviously an integral part of this equation. 67.”
1979-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 34 (1979)
“Producing this score is not beyond the bounds of human ingenuity in an age of manifest creativity. In fact, experts have been working in different forums at producing an agreed set of principles to guide North-South negotiations when they next get together. A composite of their views would provide us with at least the outline of the required framework. 63. It can be argued, for instance, that the framework for negotiation should consist of five broad principles, all of them designed to facilitate understanding and co-operation. 64. First, the need to reshape the international order is not felt only by a particular group of countries or peoples. The discipline of interdependence is being forced on us by circumstances, and that discipline cannot be applied within the existing order, which is largely based on the maxim 'Tm all right, Jack".”
1979-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 34 (1979)
“The North should enter the negotiations with a definite commitment to set up a new order that would accommodate the legitimate interests and aspirations of the poor nations. The South, on the other hand, should pursue its plan of action and substantive work proposals to back this up. Calm analysis will achieve results and prevent the kind of frustration that followed the end of the first phase of dialogue. 62. In other words, the second phase of the dialogue must go beyond mere discussion directly into the area of negotiation. And negotiation, of course, has to be conducted within an agreed framework. Negotiators cannot be like a musician who says, "Give me the piano and I will play the tune". Negotiations need the equivalent of a musical score as well.”
1979-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 34 (1979)