YouSaid · the spoken record

Violeta Barrios de Chamorro

THE RECORD WRITES THIS SPEAKER AS VIOLETA BARRIOS DE CHAMORRO

lines on the record: 44
first: 1990-09-24
most recent: 1994-09-24
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

“We hope that the Security Council, at its summit meeting of Heads of State to be held in New York on that occasion, will adopt some important decisions, particularly with regard to restructuring of the Security Council to provide for equitable geographical representation and an increase in the number of members. I wish, on behalf of the people of Nicaragua and on behalf of the new or restored democracies that participated in the conference in Managua, to reaffirm our deep commitment to contributing to the development of a world society inspired by progress, liberty, democracy and peace.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“Finally, we believe that, within the new international order, it is necessary for the United Nations to recognize the rights of the Republic of China in Taiwan, within the framework of universal participation and respect for human rights. I feel sure that the future will not conceal from us the great difficulties that humanity still faces. We must work together, with what we have at hand, to make this world a more dignified place for all of us, regardless of race, creed or political belief, to live in. Next year we shall celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the United Nations.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“We support the strengthening of democracy in Mozambique. Thus Nicaraguans will participate in the United Nations mission to observe next October’s elections. It is still necessary to promote new international initiatives in the search for a definitive political solution to the situation in the former Yugoslavia and to the sad events in Rwanda that continue so to shake the world’s conscience. This requires wider and stronger mechanisms for humanitarian protection, as well as for regional security. I should like to make special mention of the crisis in Haiti. Nicaragua welcomes with satisfaction the diplomatic way out and the negotiated solution to the Haitian crisis. All available peaceful means should be used to guarantee reconciliation among the long-suffering people of Haiti, as well as and the re-establishment of constitutional order.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“As we approach the next millennium, humanity still faces critical questions that threaten our societies and our development. We cannot, however, deny that substantial 10 advances are being made to remove the main sources of conflict that linger in various continents. For this reason we welcome with great satisfaction the signing of the agreements concluded between the Governments of Israel and of Jordan and between Israel and Palestine. This will help to improve security and stability in the Middle East. At the same time, we welcome the efforts being made to reach a lasting peace in Northern Ireland. Nicaragua rejoices greatly in the inauguration of the new democratic and non-racist Government in South Africa. This augurs well for a new era of prosperity and peace for the whole population of that brotherly country and for southern Africa.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“In compliance with the General Assembly resolution declaring the celebration of this year as the International Year of the Family, we have established a national commission to coordinate the efforts of different government and social agencies to support the family as the main nucleus of society and the main agent for the transmission and development of values such as the common good, equality and mutual respect. Within the framework of the strengthening of the family, I wish to reiterate once again our commitment to giving the highest priority to the protection and development of children. We made this commitment at the World Summit for Children in September 1990. Also, taking into account our commitment to respect for, and to the observance of, human rights, my Government will create an office of ombudsman in Nicaragua.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“The success of this difficult programme and the attainment of sustainable development will depend, to a large extent, on our ability to promote production and investment, to increase employment and improve the quality of life for our people, and on the quality of the international support we receive. In order to consolidate and deepen the democratic process in Nicaragua, this September I approved the law on military organization. This new law clearly establishes that the armed forces are subordinate to civil power. The armed forces have now been transformed into a small, non-partisan, efficient body, appropriate to the transition period in Nicaraguan society.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“Last year, before the General Assembly, I made a detailed presentation on the political and economic situation of my country, and about our real prospects. My country has made great efforts to attain a macroeconomic balance and at the same time establish a firm foundation for sustainable development. We have made substantial progress in the last four years in improving public finance. We have significantly reduced inflation, re-established relations with foreign- debt holders and multilateral agencies, and implemented structural adjustment reforms.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“Next October, the Central American countries will sign the Alliance for Sustainable Development. This Alliance is a major effort at the political, social, economic and environmental levels to create a new and improved development model which can preserve the resources and way of life of future generations in Central America. Once again, I would like to thank organizations and countries that have provided continuous and valuable support to Nicaragua and Central America. They have made resources available, and have helped find new and efficient solutions for establishing and consolidating peace while achieving sustainable human development. We are certain that this spirit of cooperation will be manifested once again at the International Conference on Peace and Development in Central America, to be held in Honduras.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“A large percentage of the new or restored democracies are to be found among the poorest countries. As a consequence, they are excluded from the benefits of development. We must all work together to change this situation. Today Central America is one of the best examples of the new wave of democracy. Democracy is now established is all of our countries. In less than a year, we have had four free elections in our region that produced new Governments. Respect for civil and political rights has been strengthened; conditions which enable more people to enjoy economic, social and cultural rights have been created and civil power is prevailing over military power. Respect for and protection of human rights is increasing. We are gradually becoming a region of peace, liberty, democracy and development.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“9 It is with great sadness that we see the gap between rich and poor countries dangerously increasingly rather than diminishing. According to the United Nations report on human development, more than one billion people in the world are still languishing in abject poverty. In 1960, the richest 20 per cent of the world’s population had an income 30 times greater than that of the poorest 20 per cent. By 1990, the gap had deepened: by then the richest 20 per cent had incomes 60 times greater and 20 per cent of humanity receives 80 per cent of the world’s income. As pointed out in this year’s report on human development, in places where world trade is entirely free and open, those benefiting are in general the strongest. Developing countries enter the market as unequal partners and end up with unequal rewards.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“On behalf of the new or restored democracies, I would like to take this opportunity to make a request of the United Nations Secretary-General that, in accordance with the established procedures and during this session of the General Assembly, a decision be taken to undertake a study on the ways in which the United Nations could support the efforts of Governments to consolidate new or restored democracies. I would like to appeal to the countries represented here to give special attention to the difficulties we are now facing during this fragile transition process, as we are attempting to consolidate democracy; we appeal to them to support our efforts and the commitments made in our plan of action. We cannot allow our dreams and the great sacrifices and suffering of millions of people who struggled for liberty to be in vain.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“It should also be stressed that the Managua Declaration states the following: that the future of the new and restored democracies as well as the future of peace are linked to the international community’s response to such matters as external debt, protectionism in developed countries, insufficient concessional funds available for development, poverty, and the impact on low-income groups of economic adjustment processes. The plan of action approved by the Conference promotes modalities for cooperation that take into account the particular features of the new or restored democracies and the promotion of internal commitments in each country to strengthen democracy. In Nicaragua we have already created a permanent forum for democracy and peace in which wide sectors of the civilian population participate.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“In the Managua declaration, representatives to this Second International Conference expressed their conviction that democracy is the only system that allows for a free, firm and steadfast union of nations for peace. We also agreed that the consolidation of democratic processes was a key factor in guaranteeing peace and international security. The Managua declaration clearly establishes the essential ties between democracy and social and economic development, and between democracy and citizen participation.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“When I began my term of office in 1990, I faced the enormous task of rescuing my country from war and restoring faith in democracy to thousands of Nicaraguans. I had a great dream: that we the peoples that had been able to free ourselves from dictatorships of one kind or another could unite and help one another, reconstructing democracy in our countries, and that all of us together could then begin a great march away from totalitarian and authoritarian forms of government towards democracy. In July my dream became reality when the Second International Conference of New or Restored Democracies was held in Managua, with participants, observers, special guests and international organizations from more than 70 countries from four continents.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“I should like to congratulate you, Sir, on your election to occupy the presidential chair of the forty-ninth session of the General Assembly of the United Nations on behalf of Africa. Despite the great difficulties we are experiencing today, we can see encouraging signs for the future. The great progress made during the preparatory work for the World Summit for Social Development and the World Conference on Women gives rise to new hope for the creation of a new international order. Our countries and our Organization face new challenges that require creative and innovative responses if we are to make progress and avoid the danger of reversing the headway that has been made since the end of the cold war.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“Yet it allows us to face with courage the great challenges that will enable us to consolidate a world society inspired by peace, freedom and progress. For that reason, on the threshold of the new century, I would like to reaffirm, in the name of the Nicaraguan people, our deep commitment to contribute to the development of a more prosperous and more just world order. That is the commitment I make to democracy and to all the peoples of the world.”
1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)
“Finally, I share the joy of all our countries at the historic signing of the declaration of principles between the Government of Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization. This agreement clearly demonstrates that peace is possible when the will for dialogue and negotiation exists. It should serve as one of the great lessons of our times and a source of new hope for global peace. We Nicaraguans trust in God, in the solidarity of friendly nations and in cooperation by international organizations; the generous, fraternal, sincere hand they stretch out to us will enable the Nicaraguan people to achieve the new society of which it dreamt when it voted in our general elections on 25 February 1990. We in Nicaragua know that the century that is coming to an end leaves us some hard lessons.”
1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)
“In consultation with other countries of the international community, my Government has decided to host in our capital city of Managua, in May 1994, the second international conference on new and restored democracies. We want to share experiences, closely examine the structures of the new democracies and adopt proposals that will contribute to their self-betterment. The United Nations must respond positively to the changes in the world today. Nicaragua supports recognition by the United Nations of the rights of the Republic of China - Taiwan. We believe it is only right to recognize the fundamental rights of the 21 million people who live on that territory. Nicaragua firmly supports this noble initiative.”
1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)
“For that reason, in addition to drastically reducing my country’s army, I am introducing reforms and laws that will guarantee the total subordination of the military to civilian authority and clearly establish fixed terms of office in the upper echelons. We are in the process of building a democratic institutional structure, including a small, professional, non-partisan army at the service of the nation as a whole. Similarly, we are making great efforts to disarm civilian groups and to prevent the thousands of weapons already confiscated from being used once again to undermine Nicaragua’s democratic achievements and so undermine the regional stability of Central America. Weapons confiscated by our authorities are burned in public for all to see.”
1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)
“When we appeal to the international community, we do so in the conviction that the principal efforts for the reconstruction of our country are our own responsibility as Nicaraguans, as the actors in our own development. The Government of which I am President assumes this level of responsibility in order to prevent our democracy from regressing. I reaffirm once more before the Assembly the commitment I made to the Nicaraguan nation not to rest until democracy has been consolidated. I shall continue to work to ensure that freedom of expression, assembly and association are never again restricted. My commitment to human rights is firm and unalterable. My decision to achieve the institutionalization of the armed forces in Nicaragua is irreversible.”
1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)
“I especially wish to thank the Secretary-General of the United Nations for his support in the formation of an active group of donor countries, friends of Nicaragua, which, within the context of the United Nations, will help us identify our requirements for external cooperation and the means for channelling this necessary assistance. I believe that countries in transition from war to peace, which have signed international agreements to attain total pacification, democracy and reconstruction, should have access to a special fund to enable them to stand again on their own feet and go forward. Nicaragua and other countries in Latin America, such as Haiti and El Salvador, need exceptional treatment because we cannot compete with nations that have not suffered the pain of the political, economic and social destruction caused by war.”
1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)
“In the national dialogue, we rely on the presence, which greatly enhances the validity of the process, of 12 General Assembly - Forty-eighth session representatives of the Presidents of Central America, a region that can envision its future only in the larger prospect of integration and unity with Nicaragua. The sincere gratitude of my people and Government goes to my Central American colleagues, to the representatives of the Secretary-General of the Organization of American States, to the Catholic Church and to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, who have contributed so much to peace and reconciliation in Nicaragua.”
1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)
“When the time came to vote, every citizen voted against decades of violence and bloodshed, and as we voted, we thought about erasing from our minds the sad images of 10 years of war, the orphans, the widows and the maimed. We voted in the determination to put an end to the tragic parade of soldiers, many of them children, combatants in a war between brothers. This was my first mandate: to generate a policy of national reconciliation; not an easy task in a society accustomed to political polarization and to confrontation. Today, three years later, I continue to be committed to pursuing national dialogue as the only viable way to solve our problems. The call to achieve this national understanding has been met with solidarity and support from countries and international organizations.”
1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)
“I have come to the General Assembly, to this forum of fraternal nations, to ask the international community to continue helping Nicaragua. We need the United Nations to help us to maintain and to guarantee economic bilateral cooperation at current levels for my country. We need additional resources to reactivate economic production and growth, to strengthen the creation of social networks and to renew the process of conciliation. We must not forget that on 25 February 1990, to the surprise of the entire international community, we held the first free and participatory elections in all the history of my country. On that day, Nicaraguans laid down their weapons and we all celebrated the triumph of peace, aware that we were choosing the path of democracy, freedom, peace and respect for human rights.”
1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)
“Our economy has stabilized; however, this has been a slow process and it does not satisfy the aspirations of an impoverished people demanding the attainment, in a short period of time, of levels of well-being that they deserve. The economic problem is our greatest source of instability, because it creates tensions in the political and social environment, jeopardizing national and regional stability. If foreign aid arrives late, if strong conditions are placed on it or it becomes a political tool, as happened in 1992 and is happening now, democracy in Nicaragua could collapse. My country depends on the financial support of the international community. Our exports are equivalent to only $250 million a year, and we need $850 million to finance our imports and service our inherited external debt.”
1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)
“Since then, my country has fulfilled all agreements and commitments undertaken with multilateral institutions and the international community. We are engaged in creating the necessary conditions so that private, national and international investment can contribute to the economic growth of the country and hence initiate the reconstruction process and the sustained development needed by Nicaragua. After paying for oil imports and external debt, my Government has received international assistance amounting to an average of less than $12 million a year, which does not cover the costs of such a difficult and complex transition.”
1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)
“There is hatred. There are many weapons. But there is also an absolute desire to build a society at peace. Nicaragua has been a symbol of war and of hope in this decade. Nicaragua should continue to be a symbol of hope. We will achieve this only with international assistance. With great effort, we have limited inflation to 3.5 per cent annually, but with such difficulty that we were able to achieve economic growth of only 0.2 per cent in 1992, after eight years of a falling gross national product. I recognize that the international community has tried to understand the immense complexity of our process. In 1990, the General Assembly granted Nicaragua special treatment, and called upon the international community to provide us with effective and timely support.”
1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)
“We are overcoming a post-war era, building democracy and restoring our economy’s strength and dynamism, all in the midst of a polarized society. I sincerely believe that few societies in contemporary history have had to confront so many challenges at the same time and in such difficult circumstances. The Governments and organizations that have been following closely the critical situation in which I found my country when I took office - with a gross national product similar to that of an economy of the 1940s and an unprecedented rate of hyperinflation - can easily understand the magnitude of our efforts. We need to build a democracy, reconstruct a wounded society and compete economically with the world, all while following an economic adjustment plan that leaves us no resources for social investment. There is hunger in my country.”
1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)
“Allow me to congratulate you sincerely, Sir, on behalf of our Latin American and Caribbean region, on your election to the presidency of the General Assembly at its forty-eighth session. Some nations, like Nicaragua, are in transition from war to peace. We are in the process of shaking off an inheritance of 50 years of right-wing dictatorship and 10 years of left-wing dictatorship. At the same time, we are moving from a centralized economy to a social market economy. Each one of these three transitions is an enormous challenge requiring fluid and timely international political and economic cooperation. Forty-eighth session - 29 September l993 11 Nicaragua is a special case. My country has had to endure this triple transition.”
1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)
“In this sense we express our firm support of the World Summit for Children, our total conviction that any action by the United Nations today would lack purpose if it did not have the clear desire to achieve for our nations what we want for our children. Nicaragua has been like a rock, placed by geography and by history at the centre of the American world. This rock feels the force of all the political and social winds and is lashed by universal trends. All our heroes have fought against empire-builders and invading forces. The destiny of our nationality seems to transcend boundaries. For this reason, if there is a country which stands at one, profoundly at one with this Organization, it is my homeland. Please do not leave us alone.”
1990-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 45 (1990)
“I believe that a renegotiation of the debt in concessionary terms for the Central American countries must be viewed from a moral perspective, not solely in economic terms but rather as a necessary step towards resolving the painful development crisis which many of our countries face and which ultimately hurts us all. Only in this way can we create and bequeath a more just and stable world to the men and women of tomorrow, the children of today - our children, our grandchildren and other children like them - for whom we have to fight, as my late husband, Pedro Joaquin Chamorro, used to say, sometimes to the very death.”
1990-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 45 (1990)
“The various initiatives and debt strategies which have been used around the world signify real progress in some cases. We view with optimism President Bush's initiative for the Americas, based on proposals for trader debt and development, which need to be analysed carefully by our countries. None the less these efforts to date are not enough. It is necessary for the international community to give us greater support with the goal of making our heavy debt burden more bearable. Then our countries will be able to direct their financial resources towards the urgent economic and social necessities they face.”
1990-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 45 (1990)
“To support our democracy is to extend the frontiers of liberty and justice in the world. Those who understand that know that Nicaragua's democratization, and its economic recovery, represent a necessary pre-condition for the consolidation of peace throughout the region. I should like to emphasize the following point, which is crucial if my country is to achieve peace and democracy, and that is the need to support the incorporation of thousands of Nicaraguan refugees who have been displaced, or demobilized from the Nicaraguan resistance, and those soldiers affected by the reductions in the army, into the productive process of the nation. Lastly, I wish to refer to the enormous burden which the foreign debt represents for our people.”
1990-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 45 (1990)
“Today Nicaragua confronts a situation similar to that faced by some countries at the end of the Second World War. We know that our own efforts will be essential and a turning-point in the reactivation of our economy, through an economic and social compact, a process we began on the twentieth of this month among workers, business and government. This is a new style of government in Nicaragua. We recognize and accept our responsibility to realize adjustments and transformations which will make our economies viable. However, this effort must be complemented by international co-operation, including preferential treatment. We view international co-operation, not as a substitute for our own efforts, but as a necessary additional element to achieve steady development and growing participation in international trade.”
1990-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 45 (1990)
“The national reconciliation we are seeking in Nicaragua, as in ongoing efforts towards reconciliation throughout the world today, has no grander objective than to strengthen individual rights. The smaller a country the better it understands and feels the value of human rights. In this sense, and in the name of Nicaragua, I proclaim our firm commitment to support the United Nations Decade for International Law. Permit me now to turn from the encouraging prospects for the future to the urgent needs of the present. It has been said, in honour of our gender, that women are the guardian angels of the present. A woman with a child in her arms knows that the future is the present. Without doubt we in Nicaragua have opened our arms to peace and democracy.”
1990-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 45 (1990)
“We have agreed on a common strategy which will permit our economies to participate under competitive conditions in an economic plan of action which is essential to the life of our region. But we cannot restrict ourselves to our own regional sphere. Latin America is the dream of Bolivar, and is the name of our great community. All in America that is great, is the result of unity. Our great revolutions - the political ones for independence, as well as the cultural ones - have been affected by an awareness of unity, which is reborn again today with the triumph of democracy. Only as a regional community will we gain the power to solve such grave common problems as the external debt, and enable our economies to participate in international markets. We are small and we are poor but our ideals give us stature.”
1990-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 45 (1990)
“It is time to put an end to violence and armaments and to start working towards the supremacy of civil society over arms. No longer should any Central American have to bow his or her head or lower his dignity in the face of force or dictatorship. We have begun the great revolution of non-violence, the civic and democratic revolution of the vote and of respect for each individual ' s dignity, freedom and rights. We believe that understanding among nations is the route to international reconciliation. This revolution, which binds Central America together more and more, advances political integration with the establishment of a Central American parliament. We aspire to the formation of a Central American economic community.”
1990-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 45 (1990)
“At the same time we welcome the release of Nelson Mandela and support the elimination of racism and apartheid. . The reunification of the German people is of great significance to my people and stands as a living example of the success of reconciliation. I dream of a unified Central America. I dream of a demilitarized Central America. I dream of a Central America that lives in freedom. I dream of a Central America engaged in permanent dialogue. I dream of a Central America enjoying progress. We hope that the world will share and continue to support efforts in favour of a democratic Central America, demilitarized and free of any military presence so that one day we can proclaim to the world that Central America is a zone of peace and co-operation.”
1990-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 45 (1990)
“But there is something of even greater importance. My homeland, Nicaragua, is not only in tune with the democratic currents flowing across the world. It is also the fruit of a new regional movement which the United Nations has actively supported and protected with creativity, originality and courage. I have the honour of representing my country in a year of special significance in modern history. Nicaragua is firmly committed to maintaining its independence vis-à-vis hegemonic interests. As a member of the Non-Aligned Movement, Nicaragua will assume the challenge of transcending ideological barriers which have separated us and removing them. Nicaragua condemns the invasion of Kuwait by Iraq, and supports the resolutions adopted by this Organization's Security Council.”
1990-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 45 (1990)
“There is no longer any fear to produce. Small farmers, manufacturers and merchants, all are free to buy and sell their products freely in the marketplace. Parents no longer fear for their children’s lives. In Nicaragua, they no longer fear going to school to study. They no longer fear thinking for themselves. There is no longer any fear for the future. In Nicaragua, there is no longer any fear of peace. The people know the words of Pope John Paul II, who said the "new face of peace today is the promotion of development". In the name of all Nicaraguans, I can say today from this global forum that we Nicaraguans have faith in God, faith in freedom, faith in democracy, faith in our homeland, faith in ourselves and faith in all our sister nations which have given us their support and understanding.”
1990-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 45 (1990)
“None the less, we must be deeply concerned with what it would mean to lose the birth of democracy in Nicaragua, which has already cost so much, because it has been an important step towards peace and stability throughout all of Central America. Were we to lose peace and not consolidate our democracy, we would be erasing one of the great conquests of America. Therefore, from this rostrum, I call upon all democracies the world over to commit themselves to the cause of Nicaraguan democracy. In these five months of our new Government, our people have experienced unprecedented liberty and respect for human rights. In Nicaragua, the people are no longer afraid to live in their homeland. In Nicaragua, they are no longer afraid to work. In Nicaragua, they are no longer afraid of criticizing their government.”
1990-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 45 (1990)
“In less than five months, we have substantially reduced the size of the Nicaraguan armed forces, going from an army of 96,000 members to one of 34,000. We are also achieving the removal of all weapons that have been in civilian hands, burying under concrete over 18,000 rifles which belonged to political forces. We are pushing hard to conclude negotiations concerning the limitation of military arms and personnel. Nicaragua's success in disarmament has set an example by destroying weapons such as those I today presented to the Secretary-General of the United Nations. We view as a constructive step for all humanity the disarmament agreements which have been reached between the United States and the Soviet Union. But there is something more. Today I should like to proclaim democracy as the heritage of all mankind.”
1990-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 45 (1990)
“They voted to unite us, firmly and forever, to all other countries which have chosen the path of freedom. The United Nations were guarantors of this election, the first truly free election we have had in 169 years of existence as a republic. I, like many other Nicaraguans of my generation, had for the first time in my life the opportunity to vote freely. In the name of all Nicaraguans, I deeply thank this world forum and all the other international organizations and nations which have supported our desire to be free. You made it possible for Nicaragua on 25 February, to enter a new era. In only five months we have achieved peace, culminating with the successful demilitarization and disarmament of the 21,000 members of the Nicaraguan resistance.”
1990-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 45 (1990)
“Forty-five years ago, the United Nations was formed to turn guns into ploughshares. Today, in Nicaragua, we are turning this great dream of the United Nations into a reality. This past 25 February, under United Nations auspices, the Nicaraguan people voted for peace. That day marked a grand moment in our history. After more than a half century of oppression, the Nicaraguan people broke free of their prison of ideologies and dictators. The silent act of thousands of our people in the electoral precincts became a vigorous shout in rejection of violence and in favour of peaceful and civic ways of resolving social conflict and political differences. The Nicaraguan people resoundingly voted for the Government I am honoured to preside over today.”
1990-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 45 (1990)