YouSaid · the spoken record

Robinson

THE RECORD WRITES THIS SPEAKER AS ROBINSON

lines on the record: 51
first: 1967-09-24
most recent: 1969-09-24
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 have achieved a substantial measure of success in breaking down the barriers of race and creed in our own country. Against the background of human history we know how superficial these issues are and yet how intractable they can be. Our task on, earth in the latter half of the twentieth century as we reach out to the planets seems to be more a matter of reaching across to ourselves. To the success of that task, on which hangs the fate of the entire world community, Trinidad and Tobago pledges before the nations represented in this Assembly our physical, moral and spiritual co-operation.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“Against that background, and adopting what we consider to be the most fundamental approach to the problem as it affects the Caribbean peoples, Trinidad and Tobago calls for the complete decolonization of the Caribbean area. 116. We also call upon all the metropolitan Powers in the area and the United Nations, together with the emerging and independent States, to work towards a new integration based upon equality and respect for the interests of the peoples of the Caribbean. 117. We feel sure that such action as we have indicated and observance of the principles we have outlined constitute the soundest basis on which the mini-State problem can be resolved in the Caribbean area particularly, and generally in the world. We are ourselves a nation of peoples of many cultures and ethnic origins.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“of the United Nations effort must be in the direction of integration rather than fragmentation; secondly, solutions must not deny the fundamental right of peoples to self-determination; thirdly, integration must be on the basis of the equality of peoples; fourthly, systems of integration must reflect the special problems-of particular regions; fifthly, there must be no interference with the rights and privileges of existing Members of the United Nations; sixthly, any new relationship to the United Nations must contemplate only those peoples who cannot be accommodated within the existing structure of the United Nations and seventhly, any new rules or systems of relationship must be based on freedom of choice for all concerned. 115.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“This choice will, in most cases, lead to the coming together of units too small in isolation to face the rigours of the world, We believe that the choice in the Caribbean, if free from external interference, will naturally lead to such an association. But we are aware that there are instances outside the Caribbean area where geography and other causes may inhibit such a development. 114. We are also aware of the learned studies which have already been devoted to this subject. At the appropriate time we will be prepared to advance our own views on the several proposals which are now under formulation. Meanwhile, I propose to the General Assembly a set of principles on the basis of which we consider the problem of the micro-State can be approached. These principles are the following: first, the thrust.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“Once more, on behalf of all developing countries, we appeal to the developed countries to support our burdensome development efforts by removing the severe restrictions on access to their markets. We consider this to be a matter of considerably greater importance than financial aid. 112. Trinidad and Tobago is acutely aware of the political problems posed for the international community by the emergence of the so-called mini-States or micro-States in the Caribbean area and elsewhere in the world. The principal problem in the Caribbean is political fragmentation, which is largely a legacy of our colonial past. 113. The essence of the decolonized status is the ability of men freely to choose and determine their own destiny.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“109. Like other areas of Latin America and the rest of the third world, Trinidad and Tobago and the other Caribbean countries continue to suffer from exclusion of our products from the markets of the more developed countries. With an unemployment rate in Trinidad and Tobago of approximately 15 per cent, my Government puts special emphasis on labour-intensive industries. 110. For us it is virtually catastrophic when developed countries take measures which have the effect of frustrating those initiatives. Already hundreds of jobs in Trinidad and Tobago’s garment industry are threatened by this policy, which makes nonsense of much of our attempt to achieve economic transformation and development. 111.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“With the assistance of the agencies of the United Nations and our own University of the West Indies, we now approach the problems of a common external tariff, the harmonization of fiscal incentives, the creation of regionally integrated industries industrial development in the least developed countries of the area, as well as rationalization of our pattern of regional agriculture and development of a transport system for the needs of the area. 107. The creation of an effective regional development bank in the Caribbean with assistance from countries with an interest in the region will provide another significant step towards economic integration. 108. We are of the view — and that view, we are pleased to say, is now accepted in most quarters — that CARIFTA is an essential process in the economic integration of the whole of Latin America.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“I spoke earlier of the primary obligation on developing countries to take the necessary measures to promote the development process. In the Caribbean, despite the difficulties of competing economies and insular suspicions, which are the legacy of our colonial past, we have begun to take the first tentative steps towards closer economic co-operation. Sharp consciousness of the disadvantages of a fragmented and uncoordinated existence has persuaded us to attempt a rationalization of our relationships. 106. Six years after the collapse of the West Indies Federation in 1962, a Caribbean Free Trade Association has now emerged. The CARIFTA Agreement has taken into account the problems of its less developed members and has provided a number of mechanisms for ensuring that they benefit fully from the Association.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“We cannot, however, delude ourselves into believing that the struggle is over. The structures of some imperialisms remain entrenched and continue to constitute an obstacle to the evolution of more progressive political and constitutional relationships among peoples. Many important areas of the world still remain under colonial domination and some newly independent States are waging fierce battles to maintain the sovereignty of their independent institutions. Imperialism must be dislodged from its fortresses in Namibia and in the territories that are under Portuguese administration in East Africa. 104. The freedom and development of colonial peoples demand decolonization not only in the political field but in the social and economic fields as well. 105.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“We have already stated, and we reiterate our view, that the illegal seizure of power by the racist minority in Rhodesia should be brought to an end by all necessary measures, including the use of force. 102. I have dwelt upon the subject of apartheid at some length because respect for human dignity is at the very basis of the existence of the United Nations. Without such respect, human progress and human life will forever be imperilled. 103. My delegation continues to hold firmly to the view that a purely quantitative evaluation of the statistics relating to decolonization will be misleading. Since the adoption of the Declaration of the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples in 1960 [resolution 1514 (XV)], many States have achieved their independence.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“We commend the Government of Sweden for the action it has taken in respect of the fictitious trial of a group of Namibians under South Africa’s monstrous Terrorism Act, and we feel that the General Assembly should call upon all States that maintain relations with South Africa to make a comprehensive report to the United Nations on the efforts they have made to influence that Government to reform. 101. The Trinidad and Tobago delegation welcomes the latest decision of the Special Committee on the Policies of Apartheid of the Government of the Republic of South Africa to undertake a study which would embrace the whole economic life of South Africa [A/7625, paras. 104 and 105]. The study will identify those obstacles which hinder the successful imposition of sanctions against that country.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“Moreover, before our very eyes, the process of infestation is taking place in Southern Rhodesia. Time and again we have warned against the inadequacy of the measures proposed or adopted to deal with the growing menace to. the peace of Africa and with this intolerable affront to humanity as a whole. Some Member States believe that, by maintaining diplomatic and other relationships with South Africa, they will be in a better position to influence that Government to reform. Let it be remembered that there were persons who entertained the same hopes about Adolf Hitler. 100.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“samples taken from areas under our jurisdiction to be lodged in foreign museums and to be merely made accessible to us. Those samples should remain with the coastal State or under international control. Nothing short of full partnership in this enterprise will lead to a satisfactory outcome. 98. While Trinidad and Tobago places great emphasis on the social and economic programmes of the United Nations, we are increasingly concerned over the persistence of destructive attitudes which frustrate co-operative effort and bedevil relationships between peoples. 99. In the past twenty-five years, despite myriads of resolutions and decisions by various organs of the United Nations, the disease of apartheid in South Africa has assumed endemic proportions.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“We adhere firmly to the principle that there should be equitable participation by all States in the administration of the area as well as in the benefits to be derived from the exploitation of its resources. We are convinced that the early establishment of adequate international machinery is the best way of ensuring these objectives. Trinidad and Tobago notes with concern the intransigent position of some States on this question. While we understand the seriousness of the economic and strategic interests involved, we cannot accept that those special interests can or should override the general interest of humanity. 97. Some seventy developing countries represented in this Organization border the oceans. It is not enough for data and the results of scientific research to be made available or accessible. It is not enough for.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“As a twin-island State, Trinidad and Tobago has grown increasingly dependent on the resources of the sea. At the twenty-third session of the General Assembly, we fully supported General Assembly resolution 2467 (XXIII) which dealt with the question of the reservation exclusively for peaceful purposes of the sea-bed and ocean floor and the use of its resources in the interest of the world community. We hold firmly to the view that the area of the sea-bed and ocean floor that lies beyond national jurisdiction is the heritage of all mankind. The untold resources of this area must not be appropriated by a few and a share denied to the many.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“Trinidad and Tobago places great emphasis on the economic and social activities of the United Nations. We feel that additional resources need to be allocated to this area of activity by the Organization. 95. We are aware of the growing chorus of dissatisfaction among the “major contributors” to the budget over the rise in the levels of United Nations expenditure. We accept without hesitation that waste must be eliminated, that programmes undertaken must be relevant to the needs of Member States, and that cost-effective methods should, as far as practicable, be employed in implementing programmes agreed upon. My delegation feels strongly, however, that once these programmes have been adequately scrutinized, then, if the entire effort is not to be wasted, the resources necessary to implement them should be supplied. 96.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“Those of us who have participated in the review row have a much better understanding of the problem, and, in a few instances, even the outlines of possible solutions have begun to emerge. Knowledge of the system has been considerably increased through the excellent Handbook on Criteria and Procedures for requesting Technical Assistance and the information produced by the Secretariats on their activities. 93. We welcome the study by the group under Sir Robert Jackson on the capacity of the United Nations system to deliver a doubled level of technical assistance; and we lock forward to the report to the World Bank Group on the needs of the world economy in the long and medium term by Mr, Lester Pearson’s team, which we are delighted to see has the services of the distinguished economist from the Caribbean, Sir Arthur Lewis. 94.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“We apprehend that, with growing ease of travel and communication, the development effort of so many countries and peoples will not stand another decade of frustration without far-reaching effects. 91. Of considerable importance for the Second Development Decade will be the results of the general review of the various United Nations activities in the economic and social fields being undertaken by the Enlarged Committee for Programme and Co-ordination, which is now in the closing stages of its final session before submitting its report. 92. I cannot say, however, that we are as optimistic today as we were at the start of our undertaking. Progress has proceeded at a snail’s pace. But the picture has its brighter side.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“Yet the First United Nations Development Decade is now generally considered to have been a pitiable failure and little if any advance has been recorded in the battle against hunger and poverty. 89. We are now turning our attention to a Second United Nations Development Decade. We do so with the experience of the First Decade behind us and with a much more elaborate process of preparation in train. I emphasize that success in this decade will, nevertheless, depend upon a fully co-operative effort of the whole international community. 90. We hope that this time the commitment to success, particularly on the part of developed countries, will be forthcoming, and the necessary action taken.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“Twenty-five years ago Members of this Organization undertook to promote international economic and social co-operation in the interest of international stability and harmonious relations between States. They pledged them-selves to devote increasing attention to the achievement of higher standards of living and full employment, and generally to search for solutions to international economic and social problems. 87. The United Nations membership has now grown from 51 in 1945 to 126 in 1969. Of these, some 86 countries are recognized to be in varying stages of poverty and under-development. 88. The dramatic achievements in outer space by the United States and the Soviet Union have demonstrated beyond any doubt the unlimited capacity of science and technology to overcome obstacles to human progress.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“Alone of ail organizations, the United Nations offers the hope that the peoples of the world will one day speak with one voice on the important issues affecting them. The United Nations alone sustains the hope of greater collective effort in the next decade to undertake the crushing burdens of development. It is the United Nations that keeps before the eyes and the conscience of the world infringements of fundamental human rights, as well as violations of human dignity and the equality of peoples. Trinidad and Tobago, therefore, continues to cherish the ideal that the norms of our Charter, as the only basis of an enduring order, will prevail. 86.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“May those of us who guide the destinies of the peoples of the area be inspired by his vision. 85. Under your guidance, Madam President, and that of our wise and devoted Secretary-General, we approach the twenty-fifth year of the United Nations. We know that the Organization has not lived up to the expectations of its founders. Though it has had some success in the peace-keeping field, old wars continue and new ones continually threaten to erupt. Might is still right and the meek have not inherited the earth. My country, however, does not despair. In spite of its severe limitations, the United Nations alone still offers the hope that sanity and justice can prevail on a world scale.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“83. Madam President, our Permanent Representative to this Organization has. already extended to you, on behalf of the Trinidad and Tobago delegation, our warmest congratulations on your election as President. I whole-heartedly endorse his remarks. Your attainment, by election, to this position has been a notable achievement and I feel sure that your term of office will be a significant one. 84. I wish, on behalf of the Trinidad and Tobago delegation, to pay a tribute to your predecessor, the late Emilio Arenales. My own short, personal acquaintance with him left me with the clear impression of a man of foresight and courage. He had an abiding interest in the unity of the peoples in and around the Caribbean. Together with our colleagues from the delegation of Guatemala we mourn his loss.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“The vision that can take us to the moon must surely be capable of new levels of political, economic and social cooperation. 78. It is these new levels of co-operation that we seek above all, here in the United Nations and in all the councils and assemblies which debate the great issues of our time. The new levels of co-operation must reflect the total involvement of all of us in an age when science has for the first time made possible the total destruction of all of us. In this enterprise there is no alternative to success. For the basic issue is the greatest that mankind has ever faced: it is life here on earth.”
1967-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 22 (1967)
“The extent to which the world environment has become hostile to economic progress in developing countries and the possible political and social consequences in these countries should not be underrated. Peoples all over the world are becoming increasingly aware of the great strides made in the scientific and technological fields. They are becoming more and more convinced that with the knowledge, instruments and resources available to man, his failure to control his economic, political and social environment no longer arises from Incapacity, but from a lack of will. There are signs among our younger generation of a growing crisis of confidence in our civilization; there are manifestations of disillusionment, unrest and alienation.”
1967-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 22 (1967)
“Our economic system, like others, has been shaped over several centuries of Imperial rule and it would be unreasonable to expect the necessary structural changes to be achieved overnight. What is necessary is arrangements that will permit the structural transformation to proceed, even if they be of a transitional nature. 76. We anxiously look forward to proposals arising from the second session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development to eliminate the more adverse features of the experience of the poorer countries in respect of world trade. In this respect we stand firmly by the side of the Latin American countries and others of the Group of Seventy-Seven. 77.”
1967-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 22 (1967)
“It must be admitted, however, that pending the outcome of this review, there will be no real alternative to an unsatisfactory piecemeal approach. In this setting, we urge that the major priorities should be UNIDO and UNCTAD. 75. On behalf of my delegation, I wish to express strong support for a general system of preferences. However, I wish equally strongly to emphasize the need, within such a system, for adequate accommodation of the special interests of countries which depend on the present limited preferences for their economic and political stability, Trinidad and Tobago, like many other countries, has only recently emerged into Independence. We are just five years old.”
1967-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 22 (1967)
“However, as a result of the resistance often encountered in the field of action, and the resulting slow rate of progress, there has, as a matter of strategy, been a tendency to concentrate on a single issue at one time. Experience has shown, however, that progress in one field is often accompanied by retrogression in another, and even where there is advance in a number of fields, but at too widely varying rates, the desired results will not be achieved. 74. Hence, we have been considerably heartened by the resolution of the General Assembly [2188 (XXI)] authorizing a general review of the programmes and activities in the economic, social, technical co-operation and related fields of the United Nations, the specialized agencies, the IAEA, the UNICEF, and all other Institutions and agencies related to the United Nations system.”
1967-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 22 (1967)
“It now appears that, by a process of cumulative causation, we are in a relatively worse situation than we were at the commencement of the Decade. In trade liberalization, in aid, in capital flows, the picture for the poorer countries, generally speaking, is one of gloom. 72. While there have been considerable and noteworthy efforts in some of these fields, other developments have offset advances gained in an almost inexorable process. It appears that we are now in need of a total review of the strategy of development. My delegation is not of the view, however, that objectives must necessarily change. What seems to be required is a more intensive study and a more general awareness of cause and effect. 73. We are aware that in different ways some kind of review has been taking place.”
1967-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 22 (1967)
“I refer particularly to the activities of the Government of Cuba in the Western Hemisphere. I say to the representatives of the Government of Cuba: unwarranted intervention in the affairs of other States cannot but Justify intervention in your own. Exporting revolution, be it remembered, is a two-edged sword. 70. Permit me now to turn to what my delegation considers to be the more positive aspects of the work of the United Nations. Representatives will remember the high hopes with which we inaugurated the United Nations Development Decade, designed principally to accelerate the pace of economic advance in the poorer countries and to arrest the growth of the gap in living standards of peoples in different parts of the world. 71.”
1967-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 22 (1967)
“We do not believe in the desert as a symbol of peace, nor do we believe that the destruction of a people can be in their interest or in the interest of anyone. Viet- Nam has been a theatre of war continuously for over twenty years. Within recent times the war has assumed the proportions of a major conflict and contains the seeds of general conflagration. My delegation urges the intensification of efforts to achieve a cease-fire in Viet-Nam, followed by negotiations among the parties to the conflict. We would support any reasonable initiative towards this end. 69. I cannot end this brief review of areas of tension over which my delegation is particularly concerned without reference to those States which indiscriminately seek by force to impose a pattern of government and of society on peoples outside of their borders.”
1967-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 22 (1967)
“Already it is clear that the régime is in receipt of aid and comfort from the principal source of racist infection — South Africa, This is all the more portentous, as South Africa is itself in a posture of defiance against this Organization in respect of the Territory of South West Africa, and in all its deeds and its defiance South Africa is supported by Portugal, Every such example of the refusal or the incapacity of the nations to act is ammunition in the hands of those who advocate that force, not principle is the final arbiter and that violence is the most reliable means of redress. 68. I turn now to the conflict in Viet-Nam — a source of unbelievable distress to the people of that unhappy land and agony to the civilized conscience of mankind.”
1967-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 22 (1967)
“The result is that the illegal racist régime in Southern Rhodesia still stands as a source of continual irritation on the African continent, and in the world outside, a triumph of constitutional violation, a symbol of racial arrogance, a cancerous growth in the body politic of Africa, disseminating the poison of racial intolerance in Africa and throughout the world. 67. Let no one underestimate the potentially injurious effects of such areas of pollution on all mankind.”
1967-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 22 (1967)
“Ever since the rebellious group of racists seized power in Southern Rhodesia we have maintained and continue to maintain that such constitutional violation for such iniquitous purposes and in defiance of world opinion should be resisted, and that the power of the Administering Authority should be used to defeat the rebels and ensure the orderly progress of the country to majority rule. 66. Instead, a programme of sanctions was embarked upon which, as we cautioned would be the case from the very start, has been restricted in its scope and limited in its effect.”
1967-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 22 (1967)
“We trust that the three aspects of the financial issue have now been sufficiently identified so that no one aspect will hinder the proper treatment of another. We urge, as a matter of separate distinctive and immediate concern, that the Organization be relieved of at least part of its continuing financial handicap. 64. Permit me now to refer to a few areas of tension which, while not in geographical proximity to Trinidad and Tobago, continue to attract our deep concern, either because of issues of principle or from humanitarian considerations. These areas, in our view, pose an ever-present threat to the peace of the world. 65. I refer first of all to Southern Rhodesia.”
1967-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 22 (1967)
“We do not oppose the request that the Special Committee on Peace-keeping Operations should be allowed to continue in being. We do suggest, however, that thought should be given to other possible approaches, lest prolongation of the Committee’s existence should turn into a ritual which can be an admission of failure. The danger we apprehend is that there will be an unwritten agreement among Member States that no further measures will be taken while the Committee is in being and before it resolves the basic disagreements within its membership. Could not some concrete advance be made in the voluntary provision of facilities, services and personnel while we await more general agreement? 63.”
1967-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 22 (1967)
“If the United Nations must finally admit defeat as keeper of the world's peace this will be, in effect, an admission by our civilization that its continuance cannot be guaranteed having regard to the terrible weapons of destruction now at man’s command. 61. Moreover, the hopes of all of us who see in peaceful coexistence a framework for the reconciliation of conflicting ideological and national interests, will be dimmed and our efforts will be gravely discouraged If we see here in the United Nations, which should be the principal region of international cooperation, a continuing inability to resolve differences of opinion regarding so central a function as the peace-keeping role. 62. It is against the background of those observations that I offer a brief comment on the present situation in respect of peace-keeping operations.”
1967-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 22 (1967)
“The key to the situation remains a recognition of its responsibilities to the area by the United Kingdom, a signatory to the Charter, a Member of the Organization, and a guardian of its disassociated associated State. 60. I turn now to the matter of peace-keeping, which to many people represents the essential function of the United Nations, The prestige of this Organization, to a large extent, rises and falls with its successes and failures in this field. Those whose wish it is to propagate mischief against the Organization seize eagerly upon its shortcomings in the peace-keeping role. Whatever their motives may be, however, we cannot deny an element of reason in their attacks.”
1967-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 22 (1967)
“Having regard especially to the fact that some of the grievances of the Anguillans stem indisputably from the deficiencies of the previous colonial administration, we cannot support any attempt by the United Kingdom to wash its hands of and withdraw from the confusion created under its umbrella. 58. Our agreement to assist in the solution of the issue still subsists. We believe that a solution can be found which gives expression to the legitimate aspirations of the Anguillans and which does not further the process of excessive fragmentation and accentuate the weakness of the area and its exposure to questionable external influences. 59.”
1967-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 22 (1967)
“Kitts, Nevis and Anguilla, and in collaboration with other independent countries of the Caribbean, sought to assist in finding a satisfactory solution to the issue of Anguilla. 56. Here let me say at once that we maintain — though this is contested — that ultimate responsibility for the administration of the Territory resides in the United Kingdom, which at the least admits constitutional responsibility for the Territory's external affairs. We agreed to assist only with the concurrence and at the request of the United Kingdom Government; and it was signified to us that this was the wish of all the parties concerned. 57. We noted that the demand of the separatist movement in Anguilla was originally for new constitutional and economic arrangements within the framework of the continuing responsibility of the United Kingdom.”
1967-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 22 (1967)
“The Caribbean region, for historical and other reasons, is characterized by considerable fragmentation and constitutes an area of weakness which can be exposed to dark and dubious influences. We are seriously concerned that those speaking on behalf of the area should also speak In the interest of the area. And we are anxious that political solutions be sought not in the abstract but in relation to the realities of the region and the fundamental interests and aspirations of the people who inhabit that part of the world. 55. It must be recognized as a fact that excessive fragmentation can restrict and even nullify the power of self-determination. In recognition of this fact and bearing in mind the interests of the region as a whole, Trinidad and Tobago has, at the invitation of the British Government and the Government of St.”
1967-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 22 (1967)
“We have scrupulously refrained from any interference whatever in their domestic politics. On the other hand, we have sought to collaborate with them in the pursuit of our regional interests in so far as these interests are common and to the extent that they are not incompatible with any of the commitments, obligations or alliances which individual Caribbean States may have developed in the exercise of their sovereign discretion. We have interests in the area and we are genuinely concerned about it. 54. It is with anxiety and anguish, therefore, that we have observed the development of the situation in respect of Anguilla — a matter which is engaging the attention of this Organization at another level.”
1967-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 22 (1967)
“Permit me to refer now to political and constitutional developments in the Caribbean area. 52. We have for a long time enjoyed social, cultural and economic ties with our neighbours in the Caribbean and we have, to a large extent, experienced parallel political and constitutional development. These affinities existed before any of the formerly British Territories in the area became independent and, with appropriate modifications, our relations have prospered subsequent to the achievement of independence. 53. The success of our relations with the other independent Caribbean States is based upon mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial inviolability. As regards the non-independent Territories, our relations with them evolved out of the practical necessities and peculiar conditions of the area.”
1967-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 22 (1967)
“The conflict between Moslem and Christian which dominated world politics for some 300 years was never resolved…So with the Thirty Years' War which started as a conflict between two ideologies, Protestant and Catholic. "The underlying issues were never settled be cause they were logically irreconcilable; but they did cease to preoccupy the minds of men. "Before that war finally petered out, curiously enough, a Catholic, Cardinal Richelieu, was organizing the Protestant League and a Protestant General was leading the armies of the Holy Roman Empire." 51. I turn now to another issue’ in which we of Trinidad and Tobago have sought to collaborate with our neighbours to achieve a satisfactory solution to one of the problems engaging the attention of this Organization at another level.”
1967-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 22 (1967)
“We are particularly concerned about the humanitarian issues arising from the conflict. Human suffering must never be a matter of indifference, and the refugee problem should be approached with a much greater sense of urgency. We underline still further the importance of this matter against the background of the decision of this Assembly to designate 1968 as International Year for Human Rights [resolution 2217 (XXI)]. 50. If the mutual goodwill of the peoples in the area is not an immediate possibility, then at least let there be a cessation of belligerency and let there be a search for peace among the statesmen of the area in the spirit of the Charter to which we subscribe. As the late Ambassador Stevenson once wisely observed: "Many of the really hard problems in international relations may never be solved at all.”
1967-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 22 (1967)
“We can in no circumstances accept that there is in the twentieth century a right to territorial aggrandizement by means of war. Acceptance of any such right would endanger the existence of all small States. 48. Accordingly, we stand by the proposals put forward by the Latin American group as still the most realistic basis on which the conflict might be resolved. Nevertheless, it is incumbent on me to say that the proposals put forward some time ago by President Tito of Yugoslavia do represent a definite step forward from the resolution of the non-aligned States put forward at the fifth emergency special session. In particular my delegation feels that the proposal enabling free passage for all ships through the Strait of Tiran would remove a substantial source of tension in the area. 49.”
1967-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 22 (1967)
“The problems of the Middle East remain unresolved. However, there have been continuing efforts during the last two months to find solutions to these problems. While the issues are still unsettled, it is, in our view, of considerable importance that attitudes do not become inflexible. We understand the strong emotions involved in this conflict. Accordingly, we welcomed the indications emerging out of the Khartoum Arab Summit Conference, held from 29 August to 1 September, that there might be some progress towards the end of the state of belligerency in the area. 47. In our view this is crucial to any resolution of the conflict. Similarly, there must be a withdrawal of Israeli forces from the area occupied as a result of the fighting in June.”
1967-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 22 (1967)
“We are firmly of the view that it is through such associations that small nations are afforded the best opportunity to contribute to the solution of the world's problems and their own. 45. Permit me now against this background to make reference to the Middle East. This subject has engaged the attention of the Assembly for the past two decades, but this year it has achieved a greater dominance than ever before. Throughout the most dangerous period of the crisis, our Permanent Representative, who also had the honour to be President of the Latin American Group, played a very active part. We adhered firmly to the stand of the Latin American Group, which sought to find a balanced solution based on the Charter provisions prohibiting the threat or use of force in the settlement of international disputes. 46.”
1967-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 22 (1967)
“Within the framework of the Charter we have sought to collaborate with all nations and especially with those having similar historical antecedents or social and economic experience. In particular, we have worked closely with our colleagues in Latin America and the Caribbean who are in geographical proximity to us. As a further development in regional collaboration, this year we sought and gained admission to the Organization of American States. 44. We do not accept that regional collaboration is inconsistent with national self-determination. In fact, we are convinced that national self-determination can often be most effectively pursued within the framework of regional groupings.”
1967-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 22 (1967)
“As one writer has recently put it: "We have become irrevocably involved with and responsible for each other." That you, Mr. President, are the first with your political affiliations to hold this office Is recognition of this interdependence, apart from your notable personal qualities attested to by everyone who knows you well. I congratulate you on your appointment and feel sure that your term of office will be a successful one. 42. I also wish to express the satisfaction of my country that, in the difficult events of 1967, this Organization was able to retain the wisdom, experience and high character of the Secretary-General U Thant. 43. It is in recognition of our own inescapable involvement that Trinidad and Tobago has, since our independence, adhered firmly to the principles of the United Nations Charter.”
1967-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 22 (1967)