YouSaid · the spoken record

Muller

lines on the record: 49
first: 1994-09-24
most recent: 1995-09-24
sittings or episodes: 2
sources: un-general-debate

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

“We are in full support of the extension of the Non- Proliferation Treaty. We will also work actively to achieve a breakthrough in the negotiations for a comprehensive test- ban treaty. We also acknowledge the support of just, fair- minded and world-conscious leaders and peoples, who have condemned and continue to condemn this anachronistic series of tests in the Pacific. We join our voice to theirs in support. This session provides the community of nations with a unique opportunity to examine our past performance record. As a world-governing institution, the United Nations must look closely at its strengths and build upon them. Likewise, it must pay particular attention to its shortcomings and weaknesses so that it can continue to provide much-needed hope, strength and direction to the nations of the world.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“The tests are violating treaties and they are violating our environment, and I also think that they are a violation of our human rights. The tests must stop. They must stop now. The collective voice of the leaders of the countries of the South Pacific Forum was heard when a statement was issued during its meeting in Papua New Guinea expressing extreme outrage at the resumption of French nuclear testing in the Pacific. They demanded that France desist from any further tests. The outrage was especially compounded by the intransigence of France, and the People’s Republic of China, in persisting with their nuclear tests in the face of the strong views of the Pacific region. My Government stands by the decision announced last week by the Chairman of the Forum, Sir Julius Chan, that France is no longer invited to the post-Forum dialogue.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“I strongly disagree with the claim made by the French Foreign Minister here a few weeks ago — that the tests were environmentally safe. Look at the situation I have just described in the Marshall Islands. We have also received documentation from a number of eminent scientists which would, at the very least, warrant exercising caution. Furthermore, France is a State party to the Noumea Convention for the Protection and Development of Natural Resources and Environment of the South Pacific Region as well as the Convention on Biological Diversity. The principle of environmental-impact assessment and the precautionary approach are not compatible with the activities that it is carrying out today. The offer to carry out an impact assessment after the tests are finished is a ridiculous offer, since by then it might be much too late.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“We joined in support of New Zealand’s case against France in the International Court of Justice. We took this action with great regret since France has always been a constructive partner in our relationship with the developed world. It is simply incomprehensible to us that this great nation of culture, science and fine arts could visit this abomination upon us in the Pacific region. We protested 4 to the French authorities, but the first tests went ahead anyway. Although the International Court of Justice declined to hear the case, the decision was entirely based on technicalities. France should not think that this is a victory for it, as many of the judges pointed out that there was a strong moral and legal background for halting the tests.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“It is probably because we are far removed from metropolitan centres that there is a tendency for certain people to look at the Pacific as the “ideal desert” for nuclear testing, as one French official recently put it. Often overlooked too is the fact that all island nations spread out across the length and breadth of the Pacific are connected by this mighty ocean. Nuclear damage to one island nation poses immense long-term implications and dangers to others in the region. As people who are living the nightmarish experience of nuclear testing, we cannot and will not accept the weak argument that the current tests are safe for any of our Pacific neighbours and friends. Nor can we accept the continuation of this irresponsible practice in the region. We have denounced its resumption from the beginning and will continue to do so.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“The Marshall Islands looks forward to continuing to work with the United States Congress and the Clinton Administration to ensure that the recommendations of the Advisory Committee are fully implemented — including the recommendation concerning whether it would be appropriate to add the populations of other atolls to the south and east of the blasts that have shown excessive thyroid abnormalities. We hope that the international community will give these efforts its full support. As if our own four decades of painful experience with the dreadful business of nuclear testing were not enough, there appeared once again this year in our beautiful Pacific the trauma of yet a further series of nuclear tests, intended to continue until May next year. I refer of course to the French resumption this year of nuclear testing at Mururoa.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“It is worth bearing in mind that, while Bravo was the equivalent of 1,000 Hiroshima bombs, the total megaton equivalent of weapons tested in the Marshall Islands exceeded 7,000 Hiroshima bombs. It is an important step in our countries’ bilateral relations that we can now begin to broaden our discussion of exposure. Exposure will never again be defined in terms of fallout from Bravo alone, but will now incorporate the cumulative effects of all the tests and the effects of residual contamination in the environment.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“I should also like to take this opportunity to thank the current Administration for its willingness to acknowledge the United States Government’s role in using human beings for radiation experiments, including at least two confirmed instances of medical research, which did not provide any direct benefit to Marshallese subjects. The unearthing of these horrendous activities is an act of political courage on President Clinton’s part. For the Marshall Islands, the White House Advisory Committee on Human Radiation Experiments uncovered vital information about the effect of radiation on people and the environment. The Marshall Islands appreciates the United States Government’s recognition that the now infamous Bravo blast was not the only weapon that exposed the Marshallese people and environment to radiation.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“During the post-Forum dialogue in Papua New Guinea our former Trustee — the United States — took the position that it would not stand in the way of the Marshall Islands’ exploring the question of or soliciting assistance from other countries or organizations for the purposes of the disposal of radioactive contaminants, the resettlement of affected populations and the economic restoration of the environment. Our sincere hope, however, is that the United States will not take its advocating of such a position as an opportunity to bow out of its obligations. It is our hope that it will, instead, redouble its efforts and, with the assistance of other nations and international bodies, lend its full support for the goal of making our country free of radioactive contaminants.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“The Forum also noted the existence of a special responsibility towards those peoples of the former United Nations Trust Territory administered by the United States that had been adversely affected by nuclear-weapon tests conducted during the period of the Trusteeship. This responsibility includes the safe resettlement of displaced human populations and the restoration to economic productivity of affected areas, the provision of adequate health care and compensation for the loss of life, land and health.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“The Fourth World Conference on Women, held this year in Beijing, recognized that the concept and practice of environmental degradation are incongruent with 3 development and that the use and testing of nuclear weapons are undeniably one factor in the destruction of the environment, the displacement of people and the creation of high health risks. The South Pacific Forum, held last month in Papua New Guinea, called upon all Governments and international organizations with expertise in the field of clean-up and the disposal of radioactive contaminants to give appropriate assistance for remedial purposes when so requested by affected countries.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“That some nations are beginning, although slowly, to understand and sympathize with our plight is most encouraging. This consciousness is clearly reflected in their willingness to incorporate our concerns into pertinent and relevant international texts. I should like to cite some examples. The Review and Extension Conference of the States Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, for example, took special note of the international community’s responsibility to assist the inhabitants and restore the environment of the former United Nations Trust Territories that were adversely affected by nuclear-weapons-testing programmes.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“We also feel that the international community has an obligation to take serious note of our concerns, as well as to undertake a leading and active role in ensuring that an acceptable process, designed to restore the Marshall Islands to habitable conditions, is effectively and expeditiously set in motion. We were, after all, entrusted by the United Nations itself, and so this body had the moral obligation and the irrefutable responsibility at the time of testing to oversee these activities and to make our safety its primary concern. The same moral obligation, in our view, remains binding even today. Perhaps one of the most gratifying things occurring — which, I might add, is giving us a ray of hope — is that there is now a growing consciousness of the fact that nothing short of a collective effort is needed in order to focus on this issue.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“And so I ask Member States, when they hear us speaking out about the perils of radiation, to think about these in terms of human suffering and to try to visualize Marshallese children being born faceless, with no bones, or with missing or extra limbs — the jellyfish babies, as some have come to call them — and the irreparable damage wreaked upon the reproductive health of their mothers. It would be remiss of me, however, not to acknowledge some of the efforts made by the former Trustee in addressing our health and environmental problems caused by radioactive contaminants.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“We want to bring to the attention of the international community the reality and the magnitude of the effect of these tests on our health, our environment and our future development as a nation. We also want it to become aware of our daily struggle to cope with a situation whose radiation-induced nature continues to haunt us, whose complexity in terms of solutions is far beyond our capacity to handle and whose conception was solely for the purpose of countering hostilities and tensions that bore no relationship whatsoever to the Marshall Islands.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“In return, however, the high executives in this institution not only failed to consider this a matter of any significant importance, but actually engaged in an act most unbefitting the integrity of this august body. The ethical implications of this act, unimaginable as they may be, are obvious. Nevertheless, I am raising the issue, and I can assure the Assembly that we shall continue to do so in various United Nations and other international forums. We shall do so until the international community takes action to address our concerns and until this Organization acknowledges the support lent by high officials to nuclear testing in the Marshall Islands.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“It grieves me immeasurably to report today that in one of the Trusteeship documents we discovered it was confirmed that in a meeting held in New York on 10 May 1954, the Secretary- General of the United Nations agreed at the urging of the then United States Ambassador, Mr. Lodge, to withhold from circulation to Member States a petition from the Marshall Islands. The Marshallese petition, which pleaded with the United Nations to put an immediate halt to the tests was to be withheld by the Secretary-General pending the completion of the test series. In this petition, the people of the Marshall Islands, through their leaders, had expressed their genuine fears and concerns to the only world institution they believed could help them.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“We must also pause and reflect on the plight of those groups of victims who, while the rest of the world was enjoying the benefits and freedom of the post-war period, were themselves caught between the crossfire of super- Power rivalries. One such unfortunate group was the people of the Marshall Islands. We are steadily unravelling the large amount of information now available to us on the nature and consequences of nuclear testing activities carried out in the Marshall Islands. We are deeply disturbed and alarmed at what we are uncovering. For in addition to the unfortunate nuclear tests, we unearthed something just as horrifying as the nuclear tests themselves, if not more so.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“As long as this issue remains inadequately addressed, the climate of resentment and suspicion will persist and may give rise to adverse effects on the level of contributions needed to support the work of the United Nations. We must make urgent progress to complete this task of reform. The Convention on Biological Diversity and its fundamental tenet regarding the conservation and sustainable use of our resources is under serious threat from human activities. Evidence derived from data gathered in our country suggests in no uncertain terms 2 that nuclear contaminants resulting directly from nuclear- weapons tests conducted in our country have entered our basic food chain, upon which our very livelihood depends causing, among other things, extensive health risks.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“We are hopeful that the High-level Working Group on the Security Council will act with wise expediency to devise viable and acceptable solutions to this important issue. We are also carefully studying the various reports and proposals developed by different groups on the work of other agencies of the United Nations. One aspect which we consider to be of great importance is the need to determine whether the existence of some of the agencies realistically justifies the resources provided for their support. We must arrive at a frank assessment of whether the tasks entrusted to an agency are actually carried out in a meaningful way, and what that work produces in terms of results.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“The need to undertake certain structural reforms within the United Nations in order to make it more efficient and responsive to the changing needs of present- day society is critical. One such area which should be closely looked at is the Security Council, where the concept of permanent membership does not, in our view, constitute fair democratic representation. We are, however, aware of the differences in capabilities which exist among nations. We are aware, too, of the need for this issue to be carefully weighed and believe that possible solutions, including Italy’s proposal for a more formal set of subgroups or constituencies, should be seriously studied. This would be particularly helpful within our own regional group.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“The Marshall Islands participated actively in the High- level Open-ended Working Group on the Financial Situation of the United Nations, and we concur fully with the recommendation that the current floor rate should either be abolished, reduced substantially, or be designed according to a formula by which a country is assessed on the basis of its capacity to pay. A decision to that effect by the General Assembly at this session will undoubtedly help expedite the realization of the goal that you, Mr. President, envisioned. The current inequities with respect to the existing floor rate have also been noted in a number of reports, including that of the Committee on Contributions. My delegation strongly urges the United Nations to take action on the recommendations made by that Committee as soon as possible.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“President, we endorse without hesitation the concern expressed in your statement in September of this year, in which you stated: “Efforts must be made to ensure that all States that are not yet Members should seek to be admitted in the near future” (Official Records of the General Assembly, Fiftieth Session, Plenary Meetings, 1st meeting, p. 7) In the light of this view, the reasons underlying the inability of many of these nations to become Members of the United Nations should be examined. My delegation feels that the unfair burden that is borne by many of the less developed countries with respect to the current system of assessing the scale of contributions to the regular budget and for peace-keeping operations deters others from seeking their rightful place in this community of nations.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“The follow-up of the Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States that was held in Barbados last year will be looked at during this General Assembly session. The comprehensive and ambitious programme involved has received the wholehearted endorsement and support of the Marshall Islands Government. In this regard, may I extend our warm thanks to the Chairman of AOSIS, Her Excellency Ambassador Annette des Iles of Trinidad and Tobago, for all her efforts. My Government also looks forward to receiving the recommendations of the Fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing last month. We will work closely with the United Nations to ensure that the recommendations articulated in the Conference are appropriately addressed. Mr.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“We are particularly concerned by the strong possibility that the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) Protocol, now known as the Berlin Mandate, might be derailed because of intransigent short-term economic interests. Such a possibility, arising solely from the desire to facilitate the selling of more oil, if real, imperils our very survival. We will not accept such a condition and we urge that interference and delaying tactics that hamper the work of AOSIS and other concerned countries should cease. The increasing level of destruction caused by hurricanes and storms is a clear signal that the matter is urgent. We have deep sympathy with our friends in the Caribbean countries and in the United States who were recently struck by this devastation.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“This year, the completion of the United Nations Conference on Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks is of particular importance to my country, and my Government intends to sign and ratify the agreement, which was finalized this summer. We are indebted to the very able leadership of the Chairman, Ambassador Nandan, from Fiji. The Marshall Islands has given its full support to the Ambassador in his candidature to the post of Secretary General of the International Seabed Authority. I wish to acknowledge the support we have received from the Intergovernmental Panel of Experts of the Climate Change Convention. The scientific evidence we received from them in order adequately to address the Convention confirmed our belief in the existence of such phenomena as sea-level rise in many of our low-lying islands and in our region.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“The havoc wreaked upon humanity by the Second World War prompted the founding fathers to devise an instrument to ensure a stable world and a better future. My purpose today is, first, to recognize those areas in which this body has undertaken some major initiatives in various sectors that are of great and direct significance to us in the Marshall Islands. I also will state briefly some of our concerns with respect to our membership in the United Nations, and then I intend to raise those issues whose implications have critical consequences for our survival in our country. As members will note, some of these have been raised a number of times in this forum during the past sessions of this body.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“Please permit me to offer you, Mr. President, our congratulations on your election to your high office and to assure you of our support and cooperation. To the Secretary-General we wish to express our highest regards and admiration for his leadership; and to the President of the General Assembly at its forty-ninth session, our deep appreciation for his contribution. This is also a most fitting occasion for me personally to congratulate our brother and neighbour in the Pacific the Republic of Palau on becoming a full Member of the United Nations. My delegation eagerly looks forward to working closely with that country. Today, as we celebrate the passing of 50 years since the creation of the United Nations, we must also reflect on the events associated with the purpose for which this body was created.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“It is my sincere hope that when we gather together next year, our efforts will indeed have yielded concrete results, visible and meaningful to our peoples. To accept anything less would be a disappointment.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“We expect that the party responsible for the radioactive contamination of the Marshall Islands will provide the funds and the technical means required to effect this removal promptly and completely, as well as to ensure the restoration of all the affected islands to their full economic viability. We expect that this Organization, which placed our islands under trusteeship in the first place, will ensure that justice prevails. At this time, my Government requests the sympathetic support of the General Assembly as we 24 continue with the effort to secure a commitment to adequate treatment and full compensation of all the victims of the nuclear-weapons-testing programme. My Government attaches the utmost importance and immediate urgency to this matter. The issues I have mentioned are of high priority.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“In this regard, I wish to commend the remarks made by the Foreign Minister of Norway in calling on the International Atomic Energy Agency to convene an international conference on the management of nuclear wastes. We look forward with interest to such a conference, and we pledge our support. My Government recognizes that the establishment of a nuclear materials disposal facility in the Marshall Islands may upon detailed analysis be found to be unfeasible or otherwise unacceptable. In that event, my Government will look to the Members of this Organization for their support in the effort to secure the complete removal from the Marshall Islands of all residual radioactive contaminants and of the existing storage facility.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“An international facility on a remote, uninhabited atoll of the Marshall Islands for the safe, permanent disposal of nuclear materials would, if technically feasible and politically acceptable, meet these requirements. My Government wishes it to be understood that such a facility would also serve the global interest in securing the safe and permanent disposal of a portion of the world’s dangerous nuclear materials, an interest that, at present, is by no means accommodated anywhere in the world. Consequently, my Government has resolved to conduct a preliminary feasibility study for such a facility and to consult closely with interested members of the international community as we proceed.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“We may hope for the unreserved cooperation of the former administering Power in fully cleaning up and disposing of its nuclear waste and in adequately aiding our afflicted people. However, as a country that every day continues to suffer the consequences of the failure by that Power to meet its obligations, we must look to such alternatives as we may find. In short, we must do more than simply hope. It is with this unhappy dilemma in mind that we ask the General Assembly to consider sympathetically our efforts to attend to the restoration of our lands and the treatment of our people. The clean-up and disposal of nuclear contamination in the Marshall Islands will require very large sums of money indeed. The effective disposal of those contaminants will require their permanent isolation from the human biosphere.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“Accordingly, neither the compensation provided nor the remedial measures undertaken or contemplated for the clean-up of some of the contaminated islands and the treatment of the affected human population can now be regarded as adequate. My Government lacks the huge sums required to ensure the proper clean-up and disposal of the radioactive contaminants and the treatment of the radiation-induced illnesses and birth defects caused by the nuclear-weapons tests. Notably, the containment facility that was established for the radioactive materials gathered from some contaminated areas is wholly unsatisfactory by any reasonable environmental standard. What, then, is my Government to do?”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“Members will no doubt recall that it was during the relatively brief period of the United Nations-approved trusteeship that 67 atomic bombs were detonated on islands that had been inhabited peacefully and productively by the people of the Marshall Islands for centuries. This must be regarded as a matter of more than historical interest, in view of the resulting legacy of horrific environmental degradation and tragic human suffering - a legacy that threatens to haunt the Marshallese people for centuries to come. Documents recently declassified and released confirm that the full extent of the radioactive contamination resulting from these tests was not disclosed to the Marshall Islands by the United States during the negotiation of the Compact of Free Association.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“My delegation supports the proposal for increased membership. Moreover, there is an acute need for increased transparency in the work of the Council. In this context, it is appalling to note that the Security Council, whose decisions affect all Members, does not involve more States in its decision-making process. As a positive remedial solution, the suggestion by the Minister for Foreign Affairs of New Zealand in this regard is of great significance and should be considered. I should like to remind the members of the General Assembly of the continued presence in the Marshall Islands of dangerous residual radioactive contaminants from United States nuclear- weapons-testing programmes.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“We note that His Excellency President Boris Yeltsin of the Russian Federation stated that the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations should also commemorate the victims of the Second World War. My delegation fully supports this concept, particularly since the fate of many Pacific Island people during the Second World War remains an unwritten chapter in the history books. For example, the atrocities carried out against the people of Mili Atoll in the Marshall Islands have not been fully addressed. We trust that moral restitution will be made to the memory of these victims. The consequences of recent geo-political events have amply demonstrated the need for the expansion of the Security Council. With 184 Members, the United Nations must ensure that the Security Council reflects the realities of the changed situation.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“The Marshall Islands will actively participate in this matter in the Fifth Committee, and we hope to work together with others for a more equitable apportionment of expenses and assessed contributions. We are fully supportive of the views put forward by the President of Latvia regarding the concept of the "capacity to pay". The people of the Marshall Islands regard with abhorrence the numerous human rights abuses that are occurring around the world. We shall be very vigilant in the discussions following on the Vienna Declaration on this matter. We believe there is no statute of limitations to human rights abuses, as clearly they are crimes against humanity. The prevalent lack of common decency, which the President of Bosnia and Herzegovina so painfully described in his recent address, must be eradicated.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“As a matrilineal society, we have long recognized the wisdom of including women in our decision-making process, and we look forward to participating in the Beijing Conference. During the World Hearings on Development earlier this year, many of the expert witnesses spoke of the high proportion of United Nations expenditures earmarked for peace-keeping, much to the detriment of overall development efforts. This is a matter of ongoing concern to the Marshall Islands as well as to several other small countries. We feel that the sheer number and cost of these operations are getting out of hand. The preservation of global peace is of the utmost importance, but in relative terms the costs that fall on smaller developing States is very large.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“Furthermore, because of their increased responsibilities and workloads, we would encourage an increase in the number of representatives of the United Nations Fund for Population Activities, the United Nations Children’s Fund and the United Nations Development Programme in the region, and we would also support an increase in their funding. I also wish to associate myself with my colleagues from the region regarding the application by the South Pacific Forum for observer status at the United Nations. I urge the General Assembly to seriously consider this request, as it would be of great value to our region inasmuch as it would strengthen our ties to the United Nations. Of equal importance is the World Conference on Women in Beijing next year.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“We have brought this matter up many times, and we urge the Assembly to promote trade as well as training. While we are not asking for much, we do hope that assistance for self-help will continue to be forthcoming. The development of human resources is probably the most important factor in improving the economic situation in the Marshall Islands. We are grateful to New Zealand and to the current Chairman of the South Pacific Forum - Australia - for their efforts in this field. We encourage others to follow their example. Thus, together with other Forum countries, we will aspire to develop a strategy that will prepare the way for the World Summit for Social Development. We recognize that further improvement of our relationships with the various United Nations agencies in our region is essential.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“Unlike distant-water fishing nations, our geographical location compels us to ensure the sustainable exploitation of our fisheries resources for future generations, whether within or outside our exclusive economic zone. This is a matter of survival, one that transcends economics. I submit, however, that large-scale commercial fisheries are a new concept for our people. That being so, we are interested in modern methodologies for the commercial exploitation of fisheries resources. We must familiarize ourselves with them. In this regard, the active assistance of the developed countries is needed to train our people in the modern techniques of commercial fishing. In this context, it is essential that we gain preferential access to international markets.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“Fortunately, the Conference, in Cairo, after arduous and intensive negotiations, saw fit to adopt an expanded international population strategy, as a result of which we now have a well-thought-out Plan of Action. It is of concern to us that so much of the cost involved in the implementation of the Plan of Action will be borne by individual countries. We will, however, make every effort to maximize our participation in this Plan of Action. 22 The United Nations Conference on Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks recently completed its third round of discussions here in New York. We all owe a great deal to its distinguished Chairman for his masterful stewardship. For the Marshall Islands, this Conference is particularly important as we seek to build our capacity to utilize our marine resources responsibly.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“In the months leading up to the Barbados Conference last April, we were very confident that at last the international community would try to do something positive for the small island developing States, a group of countries that we feel has been neglected. We are pleased that we now have a Programme of Action, and we will do our utmost to seek its successful implementation to enhance our island economic development. As a country with one of the highest population growth rates in the world, the Republic of the Marshall Islands has followed with great interest the International Conference on Population and Development. It was a shame that this process was nearly derailed by semantic disagreements.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“We hope that the Conference of the Parties will adopt the proposed protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change on Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction next year in Berlin. As an island nation, the Republic of the Marshall Islands regarded the adoption by the General Assembly at its forty-eighth session, earlier this year, of the Agreement relating to the Implementation of Part XI of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea as historic and of great importance. We view this Agreement as a positive step in bringing order to the exploitation of marine resources. In this vein I am happy to announce that we will sign that Agreement at this session. We are also happy to note the imminent entry into force of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, in November this year.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“That very partnership is evident by the work being undertaken on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which is viewed with great interest in the Marshall Islands. Currently, we are working together with the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), of which we are a founding member, in introducing a new protocol to the Convention. We commend the Chairman of the Alliance of Small Island States for her coordinating work in the International Negotiating Committee. In addition, we welcome the urgent call made by the German Foreign Minister for more immediate reductions in carbon dioxide emissions. The German Government’s support for the AOSIS protocol is most gratifying.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“The struggle of its people with racial inequality resulting from apartheid was long and difficult, often resulting in the loss of precious lives. We share their excitement in finally joining the concert of nations. We also wish to congratulate our neighbour the Republic of Palau on attaining its independence on 1 October this year. The aftermath of the cold war has made it necessary for the United Nations to take on many challenges. The Organization itself has become involved in several ambitious undertakings in innovative international relations and multilateral actions. We hope that these new endeavours of partnership will produce lasting solutions to many of our global problems.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“On a more sombre note, I wish to extend the condolences of my Government, delegation and people to our neighbours in the Pacific, Papua New Guinea and Japan, which have both recently experienced devastating volcanic eruptions. Our prayers go out to the peoples of both countries in the hope that they will be able to make a speedy recovery. Further grim descriptions and graphic pictures of the terrible loss of life on the high seas in the sinking of the "Estonia" have been occupying the air waves and television screen. We should like to express our deepest sympathy and condolences to the affected families and Governments over this tragic accident. We now wish to join other delegations in welcoming South Africa to this Organization.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“Allow me at the outset to congratulate the President of the General Assembly on his unanimous election. It is indeed a great 21 honour for his country. I can assure him of my delegation’s willingness to assist him in his duties. Let me also congratulate His Excellency Ambassador Samuel Insanally of Guyana on the exemplary manner in which he carried out his duties. His innovative use of expert hearings on the question of development were followed closely by the Marshall Islands delegation. My compliments are also extended to our distinguished Secretary-General, His Excellency Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, whom we thank for his tireless efforts on behalf of this Organization.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)