38. On behalf of the delegation of the Socialist Republic of
Romania, allow me, Madam President, to offer you sincere
congratulations on your election to the high office of
President of this session of the General Assembly. This
election is a tribute to your country and at the same time a
recognition of your qualities as an outstanding diplomat
and of your long service to the United Nations. It also bears
witness to the respect of the international community for
the important contribution made by the African countries
to the task of promoting co-operation between peoples and
the consolidation of peace throughout the world.
39. I would further like to take this opportunity to renew
the expression of our high regard for U Thant, the
Secretary-General, and for his activities directed to
strengthening the Organization and enhancing its role in
international affairs.
40. I should also like to pay a tribute to the memory of
the last President of the General Assembly, Mr. Emilio
Arenales, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Guatemala,
and to express our deep sorrow at the untimely passing of a
distinguished representative of the Latin American school
of diplomacy.
41. May I, Madam President, associate myself with the
feelings of profound respect you have just expressed for
Mahatma Gandhi, one of the great figures in the achievement
of independence by the Indian people and indeed in
the history of modern times. We join all those individuals
and peoples who have paid a unanimous and moving tribute
to his memory in celebrating the centenary of his birth. I
avail myself of this occasion to renew the expression of the
Romanian people’s esteem and friendship for the people of
India, for its glorious history and for its illustrious
contribution to human civilization.
42. The Romanian people have recently celebrated the
twenty-fifth anniversary of the liberation of Romania from
the Facist yoke, an event which ushered in a new era in our
history. In fact it is during the last quarter of a century that
Romania, for the first time in its history, has become truly
independent, has acquired the capacity for determining its
own destiny and has firmly embarked on the course of
dynamic development in every sector of social life. Evidence
of this dynamism is to be found in the fact that, in
comparison with the year 1938, the country’s total
industrial output has increased some 17-fold, its agricultural
production has doubled and the real per capita income of
the population has tripled.
43. On the basis of Romania’s economic and social
realities and the nation’s desire for peace and progress,
plans have been adopted for the next decade outlining our
goals and the ways and means of achieving steady material
and spiritual advancement. The fundamental objectives of
this vast programme are the expansion and modernization
of the entire economy through the application of the
achievements of modern science and technology, the
increased well-being of the people, the improvement of
social and State activities, the active participation of all
citizens in the formulation and implementation of the
country’s domestic and foreign policies and the protection
of the broadest rights and democratic freedoms for all
members of society in the interests of the full and
unrestricted development of the human personality.
44. An essential prerequisite for the fulfilment of that
programme is the existence of conditions conducive to the
maintenance of peace and co-operation among all peoples,
for it is only in such a context that each nation can reap the
benefits of a world-wide exchange of values. That is what
lies at the root of Romania’s foreign policy and of its
staunch support for the cause of peace and international
collaboration.
45. Romania, being a socialist country, the core of its
foreign policy naturally lies in the promotion of friendly
relations and co-operation with all socialist countries that
share the same philosophy and goals. In a spirit of peaceful
coexistence, my country has consistently pursued an active
policy designed to expand economic, political, cultural,
scientific and technological co-operation with all the States
in the world, regardless of their social system.
46. Ascribing dynamic significance to the concept of
peaceful coexistence, Romania’s leaders have held meetings
and engaged in discussions and negotiations with Heads of
State and Government and with outstanding personalities in
many countries of the world, convinced that this is the way
to better mutual understanding, to increased confidence
among States, and to stabilization of the international
political atmosphere.
47. Today, when the destinies and interests of all the
peoples are more closely interwoven than ever before in a
common effort to achieve a relaxation of tension and
peace, differences in social and political systems should not
be an obstacle to understanding and co-operation, provided,
of course, that there is a desire for concerted action in this
direction.
48. Romania has based its relations with all States on
respect for the principles of national sovereignty and
independence, equality of rights, non-interference in internal
affairs, mutual advantage and strict observance of
every nation’s right to decide its own future in accordance
with its vital aspirations and interests. My country’s
experience in recent years in the field of political and
diplomatic relations and in international life in general
permits me to assert that, providing these principles are
respected, good relations can be developed among all States
regardless of their size or potential. Strict observance of
these principles furnishes and ensures the best international
setting for the development of each nation’s creative
capacities and for its economic and spiritual advancement.
At the same time, it represents the key to the establishment
of relations of mutual trust and confidence and of
collaboration among States, while reinforcing their international
rule of law. The course of international affairs has
shown — and continues to show — that the consistent application
of these principles in international relations, the total
elimination of policies of domination and pressure, the
assurance that the necessary conditions will exist for each
nation freely to choose the course of its development
constitute the essential prerequisite for peace, international
security and co-operation in the modern world.
49. Of the principles that shape the background to
relations among the sovereign nations with equal rights that
make up the international community, co-operation, one of
the fundamental tenets of the Charter of the United
Nations, is having an ever-increasing impact on present-day
international life. Co-operation among States is an objective
necessity imposed by the present condition of mankind and
is rapidly multiplying ties among peoples. The profound
changes that are taking place in the modern world, the
dynamic growth of the forces of production, the explosive
impact of science and technology on all sectors of human
activity, the intensification of the international division of
labour objectively impose the compelling need to expand,
multiply and diversify the bonds of co-operation and to
develop relations and contacts among States.
50. Today, economic and cultural progress is inconceivable
without an extensive and sustained dialogue
between States, regardless of their social and political
systems. By promoting relations in the fields of economic,
cultural and scientific co-operation, by taking part in the
implementation of international programmes concerned
with research and peaceful application in the domains of
outer space, the oceans, human environment, biology or
atomic energy, States can become familiar with the
language of co-operation, and can promote an atmosphere
conducive to understanding and rapprochement among peoples.
51. In our view, which is shared by many other States, the
specific and well-defined purpose of international co-operation
is to facilitate, reinforce and protect the constructive
efforts made by each nation, and to give every one
the possibility of raising its economy, science and culture to
the level of the requirements of modern civilization.
52. A particularly significant role devolves on international
co-operation, which is called upon to support the
economic and social development of developing countries
and to facilitate and promote this process. Indeed, it is in
the true interests of the international community as a
whole to contribute to the development of young States, so
that they may take their due place in the international
community in accordance with the principle of equal rights
of States, and participate fully in the active and many-sided
process of co-operation among all the nations of the world.
53. Many aspects of contemporary political affairs point
to the ability of States, both large and small, to make a
positive contribution to the settlement of international
problems, to influence events by firmly steering them in the
direction of a relaxation of tension and an improvement in
the international climate. We welcome the steadily increasing
trend, based on political realism and on overriding
considerations of peace, towards the participation of all
States, on an equal footing, in the settlement of political
issues, and towards implementation of the principle of the
universality of international bodies, agreements and treaties
of general interest.
54. Once again we would emphasize the need for the
reinstatement of the People’s Republic of China in its
legitimate rights in the United Nations and all its specialized
agencies, as well as for the long-delayed but inevitable
expulsion of envoys of Chiang Kai-shek from the seat they
are illegally occupying. If it is to hold out hope of an
effective and lasting solution, any realistic approach to the
major problems of the modern world — whether they concern
disarmament and international security or the elimination
of under-development, or whether they relate to the
peaceful uses of nuclear energy or the resources of the
sea—calls for the participation of that great socialist State.
The reinstatement of the People’s Republic of China in its
legitimate rights in the United Nations, which Romania has
consistently supported, would strengthen the Organization
and enhance its effectiveness and prestige in the world.
55. In the interests of the European and world situation,
we also attach particular importance to the normalization
of relations with the German Democratic Republic and to
its admission to the United Nations. The presence of the
two German States in the Organization would enable them
to participate actively in international affairs on an equal
footing and would exert a beneficial effect on the activities
of the United Nations.
56. Concerned for the respect due to the principles
embodied in the Charter, for the right of every people to
self-determination, Romania, together with other countries,
has repeatedly asked for the withdrawal of the foreign
troops which are occupying South Korea under cover of the
United Nations, and for the dissolution of the so-called
United Nations Commission for the Unification and Rehabilitation
of Korea.
57. The consolidation of peace and the promotion of
international co-operation make it imperative to eliminate
the last traces of colonialism and to respect the sacred right
of every people to decide its own future and freely to
choose its own course of social and political development.
58. The Romanian people, having in the course of its
history experienced all the bitterness of foreign exploitation
and oppression, firmly supports the peoples’ struggle
against colonialism and neo-colonialism, their fight to
achieve and consolidate their national independence and
their efforts to promote social progress. In this spirit, the
Government of the Socialist Republic of Romania has
suggested that the Preparatory Committee for the Tenth
Anniversary of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence
to Colonial Countries and Peoples should propose
that the General Assembly, at its next session, should
recommend effective steps for eliminating the remaining
traces of the colonial system once and for all.
59. In expressing its complete solidarity with the peoples
fighting for freedom and national independence, Romania
firmly condemns the policy of apartheid and racial discrimination
enforced by the ruling circles of the Republic of
South Africa and Southern Rhodesia, as well as the policy
of colonial oppression practised in Namibia, Angola and
Mozambique.
60. The complete and final eradication of the former state
of affairs presupposes the removal of any form of exploitation
or domination, open or concealed, colonialist or
neo-colonialist, and the strengthening of the economic and
political independence of the new States.
61. The efforts made by the young States themselves to
strengthen their institutions and make full use of their
material and human resources, to train qualified personnel,
and to ensure that the masses enjoy the benefits of culture,
which were systematically denied to these peoples during
the colonial era, all these objectives and initiatives should
find solid support in international co-operation so that
these tasks may be lightened and swiftly achieved.
62. It is very difficult to conceive of international relations
following a normal course if the gulf continues to
widen between developed and developing countries in
circumstances where material and intellectual: wealth accumulates
on one side only. The great progress achieved in
modern science and technology by human genius has
enhanced the possibilities of reducing these disparities
through the application of new achievements to the
national economy and through the assimilation of science
which thus tends to become an integral part of each
country’s potential. The Second Development Decade
represents an attempt to approach the economic and social
problems of developing countries in a concerted manner
and in a long-term perspective. We are convinced that the
United Nations and its specialized agencies have an important
part to play and a great task to perform in
implementing this programme.
63. To save the world from another conflagration, we
believe it is particularly important to stabilize relations
among States, to promote peaceful means of settling
international disputes and to prohibit and banish force and
tactics based on force from international affairs.
64. The bankruptcy of the policy of force is fully
illustrated by the failure of the foreign intervention in
Viet-Nam, where it has been confronted by the unflinching
will of the people of Viet-Nam to defend its right to choose
and freely to pursue its own social and political development.
By mobilizing all their energies to oppose the United
States intervention with a courage and strength born solely
of faith in a just cause, the people of Viet-Nam has
provided irrefutable factual evidence that a people defending
its sacred right to a free and independent existence
cannot be overcome. This example increases the confidence
of peoples in their own strength and makes them ever more
determined to defend their right to a free and independent
existence.
65. The establishment of the Provisional Revolutionary
Government of the Republic of South Viet-Nam, which
gained wide diplomatic recognition from the outset,
testifies eloquently to the profound aspirations of the
popular masses in South Viet-Nam, who are fighting for the
freedom and independence of their homeland. The
Romanian Government has noted with satisfaction the
formation of the Provisional Revolutionary Government of
the Republic of South Viet-Nam, with which it has
established diplomatic relations.
66. In the interests of peace, a settlement of the conflict
in South Viet-Nam must be brought about by political
means at the negotiating table and in strict observance of
the fundamental national interests of the people of Viet-Nam.
We hope that the negotiations in Paris will lead to the
conclusion of the war and to the withdrawal of foreign
troops from Viet-Nam, thus creating the conditions in
which the people of Viet-Nam can solve its domestic
problems, including the problem of reunification of its
homeland, in accordance with its inalienable right to
self-determination without any foreign interference. The
Romanian people has supported and will continue whole-heartedly
to support the people of Viet-Nam in its just
struggle to preserve its independence and the freedom of its
homeland.
67. In another area of the world, the Middle East, a focus
of conflict still exists, with serious consequences for world
peace. Military encounters, the material destruction and
loss of human lives which they entail, are inflicting untold
damage on the populations of that region and only serve
the interests of imperialist circles, which are seeking to
sharpen differences and heighten tension in order to
maintain and consolidate their domination.
68. All the experience of contemporary international
affairs confirms that attempts to settle conflicts by the use
of force cannot lead to viable solutions. It is only by the
use of political means, in a spirit of justice and respect for
the legitimate rights and interests of all the parties
concerned, that a lasting settlement can be achieved. In
order to create a favourable climate for the promotion of
such solutions, it is necessary to avoid any action that
might increase tension and add to the gravity of the
situation, making it even more difficult to solve the
problems of the Middle East.
69. Romania has consistently opposed military operations
in the Middle East and still believes in the need for a
peaceful settlement of the conflict, in accordance with the
legitimate interests and rights of all peoples living in that
region. Accordingly my country has consistently favoured a
solution to the Middle East conflict in the spirit of the
Security Council resolution of November 1967
[242 (1967)], which provides a reasonable basis for the
settlement of the situation in that area. In line with that
resolution, we consider it necessary that Israel should
withdraw its forces from the occupied territories without
delay and should give up all territorial claims. At the same
time, we believe that the integrity of the frontiers and the
security of all States in that part of the world should be
assured, and a solution found to the problem of the
Palestinian refugees giving due consideration to their
legitimate interests and rights.
70. We are convinced that all Member States of the
international community can contribute to a peaceful
settlement of the conflict in the Middle East, in the spirit of
the principles and goals of the Charter. We believe that it is
absolutely essential to take into account the negative effect
exerted by the time factor on the possibilities of settling
conflicts, and that courage and a sense of responsibility
should be shown in tackling the existing problems by
redoubling the efforts of all States, large or small, to bring
about a just and lasting peace in that area.
71. Of all the efforts directed to promoting peace in the
world, first place should be assigned to achieving European
security, a subject to which the Romanian Government
attaches special importance. The history of the first half of
this century has clearly shown that it is of overriding
importance, not only for Europe but for the whole world
to find solutions to outstanding European problems and to
transform Europe into a continent practising peaceful and
fruitful co-operation among nations, thus making it a stable
factor for peace and prosperity.
72. A positive contribution to the promotion of understanding
and co-operation on our continent is found in the
ideas and principles set forth in the resolution entitled
“Actions on the regional level with a view to improving
good neighbourly relations among European States having
different social and political systems” [2129 (XX)], which
was unanimously adopted by the General Assembly in 1965
on the initiative of nine European countries, including
Romania, and with the active co-operation of other
countries from Europe and from the rest of the world. We
believe that renewed efforts are now necessary by all
European States to promote good neighbourly relations and
co-operation, as recommended by that General Assembly
resolution.
73. The United Nations, its specialized agencies and other
governmental and non-governmental international bodies
provide a wide range of opportunities which could be seized
in an effort to bring about a relaxation of tension,
understanding and co-operation in Europe. We believe that
it is necessary to build upon what has been achieved so far
and to create conditions making it possible to progress
further along those lines, and in this connexion we would
express our determination to encourage actions aimed at
strengthening co-operation and improving the political
climate in Europe.
74. Achievement of the paramount objective of all
European States — the establishment of peace and security
and the elimination of the danger of war once and for
all — requires that we go beyond the stage of declarations of
intent and that specific measures be adopted that are likely
to strengthen confidence and closer relations among States.
To that end it is essential, in our view, to root out any
practices likely to engender.suspicion and animosity in
relations among States.
75. Working resolutely and consistently for an atmosphere
of peace and security in Europe, Romania fosters good-neighbourly
relations, peaceful coexistence and wide co-operation
with all European States and constructive action
to augment co-operation throughout Europe. The results of
numerous contacts and discussions which the representatives
of the Romanian Government have had with the
spokesmen of various European States have strengthened
our belief that at the present time conditions are favourable
to the achievement of some progress towards security in
Europe.
76. In this connexion, a broad constructive programme is
contained in the principles and proposals set forth by the
member States of the Warsaw Treaty Organization in the
declaration of Bucharest of 1966 and in the Budapest
appeal this year concerning the organization of a conference
of all European States. We believe that the
convening of one or even several meetings of European
States to discuss ways and means of solving outstanding
issues, the extension of multilateral collaboration and
co-operation and the achievement of security would be of
exceptional significance, for the road would thus be opened
for the establishment of lasting peace in Europe and
throughout the world. We will support any positive action,
any measure designed to bring about real progress towards
détente and increased security in Europe. In this spirit we
welcome the initiative taken by the Finnish Government to
encourage efforts to organize a conference on European
security.
77. My country considers that the attainment of European
security must be based on the realities of the period
following the Second World War, and in the first place on
the recognition of the two German States and of existing
frontiers, including the Oder-Neisse frontier.
78. A powerful factor retarding the favourable development
of the situation in Europe is the division of the
European continent into opposed military groupings, which
are a source of mistrust and an obstacle to the development
of European co-operation. Today, when an increasing
number of forces are declaring their support for détente
and co-operation among all States, the maintenance of
military blocs, which perpetuate the methods and spirit of
the “cold war” in international life, seems profoundly
anachronistic. The present European structure, based on
blocs and military force, leads to an intensification of the
arms race, to a corresponding increase in the danger of war
and, in the long run, to a greater degree of insecurity. in
our view, the strengthening of European peace and security
demands that firm steps be taken towards the simultaneous
dissolution of the military blocs represented by the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization and the Warsaw Treaty
Organization — a proposal put forward on numerous occasions
by the socialist States signatories of the Warsaw
Treaty — and towards the establishment of a lasting
European security system, which would make possible the
peaceful and unhampered development of all nations.
79. Pending the adoption of such radical action as the
dissolution of military blocs, we consider that the dismantling
of foreign military bases in the territories of other
States, the withdrawal of all non-European troops from the
continent and, more generally, the repatriation of all
foreign troops within their national frontiers would be of
fundamental importance. Similarly, the conclusion of an
agreement among all States which would cause them to
abstain from any exercise or show of force would be of
great importance for European and world peace and
security. Such action would create a climate of confidence
in which it would be possible to deal more effectively with
the problems which determine world peace and security.
80. Increased demonstrations of support for European
co-operation and security would be of real significance in
achieving a climate of détente in Europe and throughout
the world. In 1970, a quarter of a century after the end of
the Second World War, action could, in our view, be taken,
both at the governmental and the non-governmental level,
to foster European peace, co-operation and security — action
that could demonstrate emphatically the desire of the
European peoples to live together in peace and to develop
relations of good-neighbourliness, understanding, friendship
and co-operation.
81. As Mr. Nicolae Ceausescu, the President of the State
Council of Romania, stated recently:
“The path towards the transformation of Europe into a
continent of peaceful coexistence is made up of closer
contacts, better mutual understanding and specific
measures for strengthening collaboration and co-
operation among States.
“We are confident that the will for peace of the peoples
of Europe — who have suffered so many trials — the spirit of
political realism and human reason will prevail over all the
trends in those circles which are opposed to a détente and
that new progress will be made towards security, for the
peace and well-being of all peoples living in this part of
the world.”
82. We consider that the promotion of relations of
understanding and the development of economic, technical
and scientific co-operation among the Balkan States would
constitute a valuable contribution to the cause of European
security. Past experience bears witness to the fact that
differences and disputes among the Balkan peoples have
prejudiced their basic interests.
83. Romania, for its part, intends to continue to act with
determination in its efforts to contribute to the removal of
sources of mistrust and tension and to the improvement of
the European political climate, with a view to offering to
our continent the prospect of a peaceful and prosperous
development in the interest of the consolidation of peace
throughout the world.
84. The strengthening of international peace and security
is intimately bound up with the achievement of genuine
progress towards general disarmament, particularly nuclear
disarmament.
85. We cannot but note with grave anxiety that, during
the past 10 years alone, world military expenditure has
doubled. Armaments entail a diversion of the wealth of
nations from its normal purpose, a significant portion of
such wealth being directed towards the development and
perfecting of means of destruction. Not only does this
mean an unprecedented waste of material resources but
also, and above all, a loss to mankind of creative human
potential, for the energies and ingenuity of numerous
highly-skilled experts and specialists are being devoted to
the discovery and creation of new instruments of death.
86. Investments in thermonuclear, chemical and bacteriological
(or biological) weapons of mass destruction have
reached immense proportions, and the stockpiling of these
weapons in military arsenals represents a permanent danger
for all mankind. Prohibition of the use of such weapons and
liquidation of existing stockpiles are the categorical
imperative of general security. That is why the Socialist
Republic of Romania, together with other socialist countries,
has asked for the inclusion on the agenda of the
current session of an item entitled: “Conclusion of a
convention on the prohibition of the development, production
and stockpiling of chemical and bacteriological (biological) weapons and on the destruction of such weapons”
[A/7655].
87. In our view, one of the ways of decreasing the danger
of the use of nuclear weapons would be to establish
de-nuclearized zones in different parts of the world, that
measure being accompanied by adequate safeguards on the
part of the nuclear Powers. In this respect, the international
community has already had the benefit of the positive
experience of the Latin-American countries, whose collective
thinking is embodied in the Treaty of Tlatelolco.
88. We consider that the interests of peace require the
Governments of all States resolutely to enter upon the road
to general disarmament, halt the arms race, lower the level
of military expenditure, freeze the quantitative and qualitative
levels of their basic weapons and take practical steps
towards the reduction and liquidation of their stockpiles in
a systematic and continuous process established through
negotiations, which should become the focus of political
and diplomatic efforts during the next decade.
89. With a view to achieving genuine progress towards
disarmament, we consider that particular importance
should be attached to drawing up a coherent programme of
disarmament negotiations which could ensure the continuity,
consistency and successful outcome of efforts for
the strengthening of peace and the progress of all nations.
In this connexion, the Romanian delegation welcomes and
supports the suggestion made in the introduction to the
annual report of the Secretary-General on the work of the
Organization [A/7601/Add.1, para. 42] that the period
1970-1980 should be designated as a Disarmament Decade,
in parallel with the Second United Nations Development
Decade. We consider that such a Decade, which Romania
supported at the first session of the Conference of the
Committee on Disarmament held this year at Geneva,
would make it possible to merge the efforts of the
international community in two sectors of vital importance
for promoting the progress of peoples and for safeguarding
peace in general.
90. In our view, the objectives of the Disarmament Decade
should be based on the resolutions on disarmament adopted
in recent years by the General Assembly, on the recommendations
of the Conference of Non-Nuclear-Weapon
States and on the provisions of article VI of the Treaty on
the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons [resolution
2373 (XXII)]. The objectives should also take into account
the documents, proposals and suggestions submitted by
various States both in the Geneva Committee and in the
United Nations.
91. The adoption of a programme of disarmament negotiations
and disarmament measures providing for immediate
and long-term action - a programme which has been supported
by many States — could open up wide prospects for
disarmament negotiations and make it possible to establish
a suitable order of priorities and precise target dates for the
application of the various measures. This would bring us
closer to the major objective of general disarmament and,
above all, nuclear disarmament.
92. Efforts devoted to international peace and security
cannot be separated from the promotion of, and respect
for, human rights and fundamental freedoms. To translate
these human rights into reality means the creation of
acceptable conditions of life, freeing man from exploitation
and social inequality and eliminating all discrimination
based on differences of race, creed or colour. The necessary
premise for securing these conditions is respect for the
personality of all peoples and for their right freely to decide
their own future in the framework of relationships established
in accordance with the principles of the Charter of
the United Nations.
93. International law formulates the principles on which
peace and security must be built. Because it encourages
political action and prohibits the use of force or the threat
of recourse to force, international law provides for those
who seek it a powerful instrument for promoting peace and
progress which, if used wisely and perseveringly, is capable
of bringing all efforts for the settlement of disputes to a
successful conclusion.
94. On the occasion of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the
United Nations, a tribute of high significance that could be
paid to the Organization would, in the Romanian delegation’s
view, be a reaffirmation and strengthening of
confidence in the principles of the Charter as being the very
basis of international relations. The Romanian Government
has submitted to the Preparatory Committee for the
Twenty-fifth Anniversary of the United Nations a proposal
that possible action to this end should include the formal
adoption, in the presence of heads of State or Government,
of a declaration on principles of international law concerning
friendly relations and co-operation among States in
accordance with the Charter [see 4/7690, p. 63].
95. By expressing universal recognition of the fundamental
principles of international law, developed in the
light of contemporary realities, such a declaration would
contribute to effective observance of the principles on
which relations among States should be based, to a
strengthening of the rule of law and security throughout
the world and to the promotion of friendly relations and
fruitful co-operation among States.
96. As in previous years, numerous important items
appear on the agenda of the present session. Many of them
have a long history in the Organization; others have only
recently come up as a result of developments in world
affairs. Over and above this complex set of problems,
however, the discussions at the present session — as is
natural, particularly on the eve of the celebration of a
quarter of a century of the life of the United Nations — show
the concern of States to increase the effectiveness of the
Organization’s role in removing hotbeds of tension and in
turning to good account the huge potential of forces — now
in our view predominant — which are declaring their support
for the application of the principles of the Charter and for
world peace and understanding.
97. We hope that the numerous projects, proposals and
suggestions which have been submitted here will serve that
end. It seems to us essential, in this respect, to pursue a
genuine dialogue, with full participation and with strict
respect for the principles of the Charter. This means in the
first place a patient and persistent examination of problems
in a spirit of understanding of the position and arguments
of all concerned, with a view to finding solutions which
respect the legitimate interests of all nations.
98. It is in this spirit that the Romanian delegation, in
discharging the mandate of its Government, expresses its
determination to support fully and to take an active part in
efforts undertaken here, so that this session may contribute
to strengthening the United Nations, increasing co-operation
among States, ensuring respect for the principles
of international law and furthering the world-wide struggle
for peace, security and understanding among peoples.