YouSaid · the spoken record

Rosario Green

lines on the record: 55
first: 1998-09-24
most recent: 2000-09-24
sittings or episodes: 3
sources: un-general-debate

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

“These are also the challenges that our Organization and its Members must respond to, by consolidating an international architecture that is sustained by democracy and not by the concentration of power; an international architecture based on respect for international law, and not on unilateral decisions; an international architecture that encourages the universal character of our community and not selfish individualism; in short, an international architecture that emphasizes solidarity and cooperation as the values that give sustenance and permanence to the Organization.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“I want to renew the appeal of our 13 nations to all the Members of the United Nations to support the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and to resolutely launch the common efforts that are necessary to fight this global scourge. As is well said in the report of the Secretary- General and in the Declaration of the Millennium Summit, the protection of our common environment, the fight against transnational organized crime, the promotion of human rights, attention to vulnerable individuals, including children, the fight for disarmament, and international aid to respond to the demands of the least developed countries these are the foundation for allowing the people of the world to live not only free of fear and misery, but also with hope.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“They deserve a world that is also free from the uncontrolled manufacture and trafficking of conventional arms. They deserve, without a doubt, a world where anti-personnel landmines cease to claim thousands of innocent lives. Our commitment to the protection and preservation of the human race extends also to 31 combating the pandemics of our time. Today, a fatal disease, AIDS, threatens to cut off the existence of millions of beings on the planet. This is why only two days ago, the women Secretaries and Ministers for Foreign Affairs of 13 countries sent a letter to the Secretary-General in support of his call to stop and reverse the spread of AIDS by 2015 and to provide special assistance to children orphaned by this scourge.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“With this trust we ratified, this year, the Convention on the Status of Refugees and its Protocol, as well as the Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons. With this trust, last week Mexico deposited its ratification instrument for the Kyoto Protocol. Some months ago, we did the same with regard to the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families. With that same trust, Mexico continues its fight to achieve the total elimination of nuclear weapons and tests, and reiterates the call made last April, by the group of countries, including Mexico, that are part of the new agenda for disarmament initiative, for the nuclear Powers to commit themselves to the total elimination of their nuclear arsenals. Future generations deserve a world free of nuclear weapons.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“Mexico stands ready to continue contributing to the ongoing process of codifying international law to which I have referred. We will do so with the same confidence with which, in recent years, we have adhered to a significant number of international instruments proposed by this, our most important world Organization. We will do so with the same will with which we Mexicans have committed ourselves to modifying our national legislation in order to comply with the obligations that derive from those instruments. Such is our trust in international law and its advancement. With this trust, only a few days ago my country signed the Statute of the International Criminal Court, as well as the Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“To the contrary, we have reiterated that the United Nations must be provided with a modern political structure that permits it to confront the new challenges to international peace and security brought by the end of the cold war. For this reason, we have insisted on the need to begin, as soon as possible, a broad process of consultation; a process that is absolutely democratic; a process that allows for the discernment of the mood of our community of nations in order to respond correctly and in timely fashion to humanitarian crises without weakening the Organization by doing so. I call upon the President of the General Assembly to formally begin, as soon as possible, this broad process of consultation that will allow us to reflect together on this issue of crucial importance for the United Nations.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“We must therefore move forward and begin a process of further codifying our international law; a process based on the sovereign equality of States as a living reality, not just a theoretical principle; a process in which the weak and the strong, the rich and the poor, and the small and the large can express themselves openly. A process that clearly establishes the rules of the game. A process that enshrines democracy as the only way in which to reach truly legitimate agreements. Because we believe in these democratic values, Mexico has always opposed the legitimization, in practice, of any type of interference, especially when it is based on unilateral decisions or the decisions of a small group of countries.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“These crises have made us see that it is imperative to find a balance between the urgent need to respond adequately to humanitarian emergencies and the need to respect the sovereign integrity of all States. These crises, in short, have alerted us to the need to transform ourselves into a true assembly that analyses and proposes new paths, and they have alerted us to what holds us back from becoming an authentic forum where different positions are heard and where answers that realistically reflect the possible consensuses are found.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“30 Based precisely on this unwavering faith in the universality of international law, which Mexico fully shares, my country has engaged in its most important battles in this world Organization. Mexico has always been ready to participate in codifying international law, but we have continually insisted that progress along this path should involve all of the countries that make up the community of nations. This is the only guarantee for preserving legality and for ensuring cordial, constructive and mutually beneficial relations between all of us. The humanitarian crises in Kosovo, East Timor and Sierra Leone, to refer to only a few recent cases, have made us reflect on the scope of and limits to current international law.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“It is for this reason that my country has repeatedly proposed that we undertake a profound reform of the Security Council; a reform that is not limited to modifications of its composition; a reform that also considers the Council's working methods and decision-making process; a reform that allows that important organ of the United Nations to reflect the plurality and diversity of our Organization; a reform that takes into account the transformations of the political landscape in recent times; a reform that does not lead to the creation of new centres of power and privilege; a reform that regulates and limits the scope of the veto, avoiding its abuse or selective application; a reform that institutionalizes the relationship between the Security Council and the General Assembly so that their links, contacts and exchanges of information are clearly regulated; in short, a reform that guarantees that the Security Council's decisions have the legitimacy that can come only from the universal assent of the General Assembly.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“We have also asserted that it is necessary to modify the structure and operation of the Security Council, so that it can fully shoulder its responsibilities in the maintenance of peace and international security.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“Today we find ourselves with an extraordinary opportunity to advance in that direction: to cover further ground in the democratization of our Organization; to achieve a level of democratization that allows the United Nations to successfully fulfil the mission with which we entrusted it in San Francisco, the validity of which we seek to renew today, a level of democratization that reinforces the legitimacy of our Organization and invigorates its initiatives, a level of democratization that supports the domestic processes that many of our countries are undertaking and will consequently be enriched by them. Mexico has stated on various occasions that strengthening the General Assembly, the international community's most representative universal forum, is indispensable to guarantee the full democratization of the United Nations.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“Mexico is also convinced that, just as the predominance of democracy within the membership of our Organization is imperative, it is essential that relations between nations follow democratic practices as well, and that these, in turn, be reflected in organizations such as the United Nations that we, the peoples of the world, have created to organize our coexistence.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“As the President of Mexico stated, we will do it confident that we Mexicans have the necessary foundation to do our share in achieving the targets contained in the report of the Secretary-General and the Millennium Declaration. My country is convinced that the practice of democracy is indispensable for the development of nations and to guarantee respect for individual freedoms. But we are also sure that democracy is sustained by the sovereign will of its citizens and is, therefore, a domestic process that cannot be imposed from the outside, although, without a doubt, it can and must be nourished by international dialogue between countries and by the cooperation that can be provided by the United Nations.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“Today, through me, the Mexican Government renews its willingness to continue working and participating constructively to strengthen the United Nations, the reason for those historic meetings. We will do this guided by our traditional policy in the multilateral arena: by encouraging dialogue, consensus, and unrestricted respect for international law. We will do this convinced, as well, that we must make good use of this opportunity to give renewed impetus to the United Nations, so that it can progress in solving the challenges that we confront, and can fulfil the goal of building, in this new century, a safer, more just and equal world for all.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“My country is pleased at the election of Mr. Harri Holkeri to preside over the work of the fifty-fifth session of the General Assembly. We are certain that, with his talent, ability and experience, the efforts of this extremely important Assembly session will be highly productive. My delegation would also like to extend its recognition to Mr. Theo-Ben Gurirab for his outstanding work as President of the Assembly at the session that has just concluded. Last Friday, during the Millennium Summit, the leader of the Mexican nation, Ernesto Zedillo, stated his personal commitment and that of the Mexican people to the values and principles that sustain the activities of our Organization.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“If we are really being overtaken by events in the global arena, we must strengthen our frame of action. If it is necessary to reform our Organization to guarantee its effective performance, let us do so. But let us do so collectively, with respect for the juridical principle of the equality of States. Let us not allow this forum to lose its prestige or its influence. Mexico will not retreat from its commitment to the letter and the spirit of the San 33 Francisco Charter. To the contrary, it will participate actively in the effort to guarantee the vitality of the United Nations in order to build a better world, both for ourselves and for future generations. This is the aim of the proposals I have made on behalf of the Government that I have the honour to represent.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“The United Nations must strengthen its position and its mandate as the principal forum of debate and for seeking consensual solutions that guide the work of the international community in the face of problems and situations that affect us all. It is essential to continue the task of establishing a more democratic and transparent Organization that fully reflects the interests and objectives of its Members and that is a forum that truly represents all of them. I am sure that all of us want a United Nations where fairness and justice reign. Looking towards the Millennium Assembly, we must continue to foster cooperation and closeness among nations in order to strengthen peace and security, push disarmament ahead, promote development and the struggle against poverty and ensure full respect for international law.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“Fifthly, we agreed that the United Nations must play a central role in promoting integrated social development through forging an international consensus that helps support and rebuild the global financial architecture. It is encouraging to learn that in the year 2001 the United Nations will sponsor a high-level meeting on financing development. That will be an ideal opportunity to address comprehensively the problem of social and human development, including its financial aspect. Thus, we will follow up on the conclusions and recommendations coming out of the meeting in Mexico, and on those from other meetings and forums, in order to include all actors in the design of the financial architecture for the twenty-first century. We will be attentive to efforts in this direction on the part of Secretary-General.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“In this respect, we expressed the need to advance towards a financial architecture that reconciles the economy with society and international finance with sustained social development. We reaffirmed in this sense our absolute conviction that sustained growth is the most effective way to reduce inequality and poverty. Fourthly, we agreed that the ultimate goal of the international development banks must be precisely human development. We deemed it fundamental for those institutions to give high priority to financial support for the formation of basic networks of social protection in times of crisis, without losing sight of the broader objectives of growth and development.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“The international financial agencies must redesign their policies in order to respond to the great challenges created by financial markets. They must develop early-warning mechanisms and expand their resources to help economies in trouble in a timely and appropriate way. For their part, countries must commit themselves to following macroeconomic policies that lead to growth and social justice. They must recognize, in order to remedy the problem, the part played in the crisis by the absence of adequate supervision and regulation of national banking systems. A solid banking system is essential to protect a country from speculative movements of capital. Thirdly, we recognized the devastating impact that financial crises have on the social situation and the prospects for development of our countries.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“The conclusions of that regional meeting have been conveyed to the Secretary-General, and I would like refer to just a few of them. First, we participants expressed our concern over the fact that once the most visible effects of the crisis are overcome, we observe a dangerous attitude of complacency. The countries of the region are convinced that a renewed effort is required in order to strengthen the global financial system, and we reaffirmed our commitment to actively participate in this task. Secondly, we emphasized the need to have a stable, transparent, predictable, organized and secure international financial system. To this end, we, the various participants must accept and fulfil our respective responsibilities.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“Earlier this month, in close collaboration with the Economic Commission for Latin America and the 32 Caribbean, we held a meeting in Mexico City under the heading “Towards a stable and predictable international financial system linked to social development.” High-level Government officials of the countries of our region participated, as well as specialists and prominent officials of multilateral institutions working in financial and social fields. At that meeting, we undertook an in-depth analysis of the international financial architecture and its connection to the social development of our peoples. We also reaffirmed our conviction that it is urgent and necessary to define a new world financial scheme that includes a social dimension.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“At that time, I proposed that the Member States, coordinated by the Secretary-General, should undertake to reflect on how to improve our early-warning capacity in order to prevent and confront in a timely fashion the occurrence and proliferation of financial crises. This initiative found support in resolution 53/172, entitled “The financial crisis and its impact on growth and development, especially in the developing countries”. Subsequently, we proposed to the Secretary-General the undertaking of an effort at the regional level in Latin America and the Caribbean as part of a broader endeavour that will have to involve other areas, including developed countries and the international financial agencies.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“The United Nations must play a central role in making this strategy international. It is urgent to have national listings of civil defence organizations with updated inventories of available resources to help in disasters, and handbooks to guide us in the effective management of international cooperation. In other words, the Organization must respond in terms of who will provide international cooperation when natural disasters strike, what they will provide, and how they will provide it. Lastly, I would like to refer to the financial architecture of the new century. A year ago, in this same forum, I voiced the concern of Mexico about the harmful effects that financial crises have on our societies.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“Likewise, during their summit, held in June 1999 at Rio de Janeiro, heads of State or Government of Latin America and the Caribbean and of the European Union decided to launch an important programme of cooperation in the sphere of environmental and natural disasters. Its goal is to help improve the capacity of the most vulnerable nations of both regions so we can prevent and deal with disasters. To that end, they agreed to establish an appropriate system of international assistance at all phases from prevention and early warning to emergency assistance and mitigation, without neglecting rehabilitation and reconstruction. My delegation is convinced that these experiences deserve to be considered by this Assembly so that their merits may be assessed and disseminated throughout the world.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“At the regional level, the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean have taken important steps that serve as an example of the proposed new division of labour to deal with natural disasters. In the declaration on technical cooperation for the prevention and relief of natural disasters adopted at the summit meeting of the Permanent Mechanism for Political Consultation and Concertation (Rio Group), held in Mexico City in May, we undertook the commitment “to promote permanent measures of technical cooperation on every phase of natural disasters”. This marks significant progress in the field of international cooperation. It aims not only to repair the damage but also to include preventive measures, and is designed to ensure assistance not only at the time of crisis but also during the reconstruction period.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“In view of the regrettable recurrence of natural disasters, it is urgent to think about a creative and effective international division of labour so that responses by countries, regions and organizations do not constitute isolated efforts or temporary relief. They should instead constitute a comprehensive strategy that will contribute to lasting stability. We have all witnessed the sad consequences of natural catastrophes. Recent experiences highlight the urgent need for an effective machinery to address more rapidly and more fully the needs of affected populations. These experiences show also that at the very outset of the tragedy it is essential to mobilize broader support efforts to contribute to full recovery in the shortest possible time.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“For these reasons, my delegation invites all Member States to begin an exercise in collective thinking that will enable us to solve the dilemma of humanitarian crises caused by internal conflicts on the one hand and of the capability of the United Nations to respond on the other. This must be an exercise in deep thinking that will lead us to lasting solutions, which will both preserve peace and protect the lives and human rights of those involved in conflicts. Allow me now to turn to another topic that I deem central to the future of the United Nations: international cooperation in the event of natural disaster.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“But my country has shown restraint when the Security Council has acted in strict compliance with Chapter VII of the Charter. Even so, the Mexican Government reiterates the value of the peaceful settlement of disputes and firmly rejects the existence of an alleged right to intervene, particularly when it is proclaimed outside the framework of international law. 31 This is one of the most pressing challenges that we must face as we move towards the new millennium. Essentially, we are striving to give the United Nations the political underpinning that will enable it to face new threats to peace and security in line with the thinking that inspired the authors of the San Francisco Charter. If we fail, we run the risk of eroding international negotiating tools and of doing precisely what we want to avoid: weakening the Organization.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“Given the absence of a new political contract that enjoys the support of all Members of the United Nations, Mexico will continue firmly to maintain that the search for solutions to conflicts, whether they be internal or international, must be in conformity with the letter and the spirit of the San Francisco Charter. Its principles cannot be subjected to interpretations varying with circumstances or to unilateral whims. We cannot allow the authority or the legitimacy of the Organization to be damaged. We cannot accept actions that openly contradict the intentions of the founders and that weaken the rights of the community of States. Mexico has always maintained that the use of force, even when motivated by the loftiest humanitarian impulses, is no solution; to the contrary, it generates further instability, uncertainty and violence.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“We note with growing concern that, far from disappearing, conflicts have multiplied and their nature has changed as a consequence of the reshuffling of forces in the international arena. Today, these ever-proliferating confrontations are to a great extent internal ones, presenting formidable challenges to an Organization conceived to resolve disputes between States. We still lack clear-cut mandates and a defined consensus on how to address this new state of affairs. This often divides us, not on the ultimate goal — peace — but on the means to achieve it.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“I wish therefore to focus my statement on three topics that I consider to be of paramount importance for the future of the Organization and of the community of nations: world peace and security; international cooperation in the field of natural disasters; and the financial architecture of the new century. The Preamble and Article 1 of the Charter state that fundamental aims of the peoples of the United Nations are to live together in peace and to solve their disputes without resorting to the use of force. The attainment of those aims is our only guarantee if we yearn for a stable and secure international community that reveres friendly relations and goodwill among all peoples and all nations.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“Mexico is proud of its multilateral outlook. My country has always seen the United Nations as the ideal forum to propose, negotiate and agree on solutions and common strategies that will enable us to face our collective challenges. We Mexicans are convinced that it is imperative to spare no effort to make our Organization the primary forum for generating comprehensive policies, policies that guarantee lasting peace and security, and the development and welfare of all peoples on earth. As it does every year, the General Assembly has a broad and complex agenda before it at this session.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“Their presence among us strengthens universality, the very essence of the United Nations. My delegation is participating in this session with the will to negotiate and the desire to cooperate that have always characterized Mexico's foreign policy. We are convinced that the proposals we make and results we achieve will contribute to designing the international order of the twenty-first century; we shall be an active participant in the debate. Now more than ever it seem essential that we review the system we devised at San Francisco in the light of our experiences over the past 54 years and of the progress achieved in the field of international law. In that review we must ensure that the interests of all Member States are taken into account in line with the Charter principle of the sovereign equality of States.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“My delegation welcomes the election of the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Namibia, Mr. Theo-Ben Gurirab, to the presidency of the General Assembly at its fifty-fourth session. Mexico knows him as an experienced diplomat whose contribution will guarantee that our work strengthens the ability of the United Nations to face the challenges of the next century. In welcoming his election, we pay tribute to the constructive role Namibia plays on the international stage. My delegation would also like to place on record its appreciation to the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Uruguay, Mr. Didier Opertti, for his outstanding guidance of the fifty-third session. I wish also to express the satisfaction of Mexico at the admission of the Republic of Kiribati, the Republic of Nauru and the Kingdom of Tonga to membership of the Organization.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“We must act together in order to encourage the necessary consensus as that will allow us to take advantage of the benefits of globalization and confront its challenges. We must fortify our individual and collective capacity in order to take advantage of the positive trends towards peace, stability, development and respect for law. Likewise, we must strengthen our ability to banish confrontation, violence, terror and inequality. The United Nations is the necessary forum for facing international problems and finding solutions to them. As we reaffirm our commitment to the purposes of the San Francisco Charter, we shall continue to promote the participation of the United Nations in the definition of the parameters of international coexistence.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“We appeal to the Secretary-General so that, under his leadership and guidance, we can share experiences and proposals that will help us work toward global financial security. By attaining that goal of preventive diplomacy, we will be contributing to the development and well-being of millions of persons who are victims of the financial uncertainty that today afflicts all economies, particularly those of a relatively lower level of development, and endangers the stability of all nations. In the face of an uncertain political and economic panorama, the role of the United Nations takes on new relevance. Recent changes on the international scene yield unprecedented opportunities but at the same time present challenges for which there are no easy answers.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“We must consider ways of implementing an early warning system that will allow us to detect financial crises in time and thus avoid their harmful effects. In the recent past, there have been warning signs which in isolation were not identified as a prelude to more serious problems. We must collect such experiences, learn from them and prepare ourselves better for the future. 10 No country is free from responsibilities, just as no country is free of the effects of international financial imbalances. It is therefore up to us together and with a clear sense of direction to seek the proper mechanisms to respond early to signs that larger problems are imminent. In this universal forum, I reiterate our conviction that we must act resolutely in the short term. We need to define an agenda for international economic stability.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“They made an appeal to the countries of the Group of 7 to immediately take the necessary measures to restore stability to financial markets and to ensure the growth of the world economy. The Rio Group also appealed to international financial institutions to be involved more quickly and effectively in finding solutions to the international financial crisis. Overcoming the present situation must be our priority. We must be creative in order to find formulas that make it possible for us to avoid recurring financial crises and banish the spectre of global recession. Just as the community of nations has recognized the wisdom of preventive action to protect international peace and security, it is now necessary to take that same course in order to prevent cracks in the fabric of the world economy.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“Given the vicissitudes of the international financial situation, we, the countries of Latin America, have endeavoured to maintain our economic strength through profound and sometimes difficult processes of structural reform. We reaffirm our commitment to continue to manage in a responsible way the economic policy mechanisms that ensure our stability and growth. It is clear that this is not enough and that concerted action is needed on the part of all countries and international financial organs. Heads of State and Government of the Rio Group meeting in Panama on 4-5 September urged the countries in which the financial crisis originated to adopt the measures needed to correct their imbalances.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“We hope to be able to submit to the Assembly recommendations that can receive widespread support, genuinely reflecting the collective aspirations of all the members of the United Nations. Our concerns about international security and the capacity of our multilateral forums to respond effectively to new challenges are compounded today by the uncertainty caused by the international financial crisis. It is obvious that the Bretton Woods system has shown its inability to respond adequately to the challenges of the current international financial crisis. We are undoubtedly faced with a situation of high risk which threatens to erode the important development attainments of our emerging economies.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“Under paragraph 1 of Article 24 of the Charter, the members of the Organization recognize that the Council acts in our name in carrying out these functions. It is therefore clear that the Security Councilâs attitude must be profoundly democratic and one of respect towards the General Assembly, in accordance with paragraph 3 of the same Article. Anything else would be a violation of the letter and spirit of the Charter, and would mean an erosion of the Councilâs legitimacy and its capacity to fulfil the responsibilities that we have entrusted to it. We must break this vicious circle and make serious progress in the design and implementation of the needed reforms. My country will continue to participate actively in the Working Group charged with reform of the Security Council.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“Let us not fall into the fallacy of believing that the Councilâs effectiveness resides in the right of veto. All rights bear responsibilities and these must not be abused. Otherwise, the necessary legitimacy which makes the Security Council efficient and effective is eroded. This is why I wish to reiterate our appeal to the permanent members to join in an open-minded way in designing a system to regulate the sphere of application of that privilege. Nonetheless, we recognize that structural reform of the Security Council will not in itself guarantee its effectiveness. Hence, we insist on the need to progress towards a thorough revision of its working methods and of the decision-making process. The community of nations has given that organ the high responsibility of ensuring international peace and security.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“9 In this context, I wish to stress the importance of achieving a better balance between the principal organs of the United Nations. The Security Council needs to be reformed in order to strengthen its legitimacy, representativeness, effectiveness, democracy and transparency. In considering its structure, we must correct the deficiencies in its present composition. It is not a matter of size; rather, the problem is the lack of balance in its representativeness. The Security Council must reflect the plurality and diversity of the membership of the United Nations, taking into account the profound changes in political geography experienced in the last decade. Likewise, we must avoid repeating or even broadening existing inequalities. For this reason, Mexico is against increasing the number of permanent members.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“In the present situation, which demands that we clearly define the framework for international relations and adapt it in a timely way, the initiatives for reforming our Organization presented by the Secretary-General acquire special significance. The United Nations must reform itself if it is to remain a central force in our collective lives. We must recognize that traditional mechanisms for harmonization and negotiation are showing clear signs of exhaustion. We must rethink these strategies in order to deal with old and new problems. The consolidation of a structure which is truly democratic, transparent and well balanced, and which is consistent with the purpose and principles of the San Francisco Charter must be our common goal.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“Once again we urge the countries that have not yet done so to ratify as soon as possible these conventions that seek to eliminate such weapons from the face of the Earth. The proliferation of small arms and its link with criminal organizations and drug-trafficking constitute a significant challenge to the majority of nations. Combating this is a priority of the Government of Mexico. The Inter-American Convention against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives and Other Related Materials, which was the result of a Mexican initiative, is of crucial importance and should therefore be taken into account in further negotiations on transnational crime.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“We are also committed to a new, integral approach to the subject of disarmament and the prohibition of weapons of mass destruction or weapons with excessively cruel and inhuman effects. There has been progress recently in the Conference on Disarmament related to security guarantees and the prohibition on the production of fissionable materials destined to be used for such weapons. We are likewise pleased at the growing support being given to the treaties on anti-personnel landmines and on chemical and bacteriological weapons. In particular, we are gratified at the entry into force on 1 March 1999 of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti- personnel Mines and on Their Destruction.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“Far from contributing to stability and regional balance, such actions promote the proliferation of uncertainty and fear. They also contribute to a climate conducive to the nuclear arms race. I would like on this occasion to reiterate Mexicoâs conviction that dialogue and negotiation are and will remain the irreplaceable means of resolving disputes. It was in that spirit that last 9 July we supported a ministerial statement that sought to define a new agenda for the elimination of weapons of mass destruction. We co-sponsors of that declaration introduced a draft resolution that we hope will receive the resolute support of Member States so that we can in that way demonstrate the resolve of the community of nations to move towards a world free of nuclear weapons.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“For Mexico, the objective of eliminating these instruments of mass destruction is realistic and viable. It is time to set aside arguments that, for strategic reasons, have served to conceal the efforts of those who either do not want to give up their present nuclear capacity or else want to join the group of countries that possess this destructive ability. One can contribute to nuclear disarmament only by eliminating nuclear weapons. This is why we seek to broaden and strengthen international commitments in this respect. Our political conviction is that we must achieve new agreements that remove this scourge from humankind. Mexico condemns all nuclear testing from principle and out of conviction. We affirmed this recently in the light of the tests conducted by India and Pakistan.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)