Speaking for all members of the delegation of
Uruguay, I wish to address to the President our
warmest congratulations on his election to the
presidency of the thirty-seventh session of the
General Assembly. Similarly, I wish to convey to
his predecessor, Mr. Kittani, our special
appreciation for the efficiency with which he
directed deliberations at the last session.
257. Uruguay is taking part in this session of
the Assembly with the express desire of
reaffirming once again as an absolute priority
its historical commitment to peace. This
commitment has been made manifest ever since our
independence, in our support for dialogue as an
instrument for settling disputes, and in our
unremitting defense of international law.
258. In a world troubled by the most serious
threats, where there is constant tension and
confrontations are rife, even where peace and
security have been firmly established, the
international community must, without delay,
demonstrate in a specific, practical and
effective manner, that its attachment to the
principles and purposes of the Charter of the
United Nations is not merely a formal promise or
a passive expression of hope.
259. It is deplorable to note that in the
interval since the last session of the Assembly
new clashes, with their tragic toll of death and
desolation, have taken place in many parts of the
world. The sad reality of ongoing wars lends
added urgency to the current negotiations and
strongly underlines the unavoidable
responsibility incumbent on each and every one of
us, setting aside any dialectics.
260. Given the vicious circle of mistrust,
tension and the arms race, civilized and fruitful
coexistence can be obtained only to the extent
that the various States exert their influence in
their respective spheres in conformity with the
international legal order and in strict
observance of the obligations set down in the
Charter.
261. It was this line of thinking that led
Uruguay in a constructive spirit actively to
participate in the work of the second special
session of the General Assembly devoted to
disarmament. When we take stock of the results
achieved, it is frustrating to acknowledge the
lack of substantial progress on a topic in which
a great many hopes had been placed, namely the
comprehensive program for disarmament. It is,
however, important to mention that reaffirmation
of the validity of the 1978 Final Document in
resolution S-10/2, the commitment to abide by the
priorities established in the disarmament
negotiations, and the adoption of two resolutions
on a World Disarmament Campaign and disarmament
fellowships are concrete measures in the long and
laborious process of building up universal
understanding. My country welcomes them with
satisfaction.
262. With regard to disarmament, Uruguay
enthusiastically agrees that resources not spent
on armament should be reallocated to developing
countries. It also warmly supports as a form of
progress the idea of using these resources for
the development of nuclear-free zones which,
although geographically limited, contribute to
the cause and objectives of disarmament. It is to
be hoped that this example, to which Latin
America made an outstanding contribution with the
Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in
Latin America (Treat of Tlatelolco), will be
followed by other geographical areas, thus
multiplying the number of zones to be gradually
freed from the nuclear threat. However, the
inalienable right of the developing countries to
access to nuclear technology for peaceful
purposes should be strongly reaffirmed.
263. We should now like to offer some comments
concerning the many conflicts now under way.
Apart from constituting a threat to the basis of
the harmonious coexistence of nations, these
conflicts ignore the essential fact that we are
all part and parcel of the same civilization,
which is based on shared ideals. This deeply
troubles the conscience of nations such as mine
which regard any of their expectations as
secondary to the cause of peace and place all
their endeavors at its service.
264. During the conflict in the South Atlantic
Uruguay noted with concern and anguish how the
use of forceóa procedure irreversibly proscribed
by the Charter of the United Nationsóemerged in
the American community of nations. Those
responsible chose to disregard the inexorable
tide of history.
265. On various occasions and in various
bodies my country has taken a position of
solidarity with Argentina. This position is based
on recognition of Argentina's right to claim
sovereignty over the Malvinas Islands. Today
Uruguay confirms that recognition in keeping
with the best diplomatic traditions of my
country, having been one of the first to put
forward in this very body the unquestionable
right of Argentina to the archipelago under
dispute.
266. Uruguay also reaffirms its strong desire
to help in the search for a negotiated solution
to the conflict. We are ready to participate in
efforts to attain this purpose. To that end my
Government would like to restate its willingness
to offer the necessary facilities to the
interested and concerned parties as well as to
any possible mediators so that it may receive
them in the traditional Uruguayan environment of
peace and security.
267. We have no doubt of the need for a
peaceful solution to the crisis obtaining in the
South Atlantic, but we should like to express our
firm desire that the solution not contravene the
course of history or breed future confrontations.
268. Once again the situation in the Middle
East is causing particular concern to my
Government, which, faithful to the juridical and
political principles that underlie our
international conduct, is particularly alive to
the anguish caused by the grave events that have
come to pass in Lebanon
269 We appreciate the values that Lebanon
represents. It is a nation that loves peace and
culture. The close links of friendship and
respect between our countries prompt us to call
for the strictest respect for its sovereignty,
territorial integrity, unity and political
independence. In other words, we demand respect
for its right freely to choose its own future
without foreign intervention. This obviously
implies the withdrawal from Lebanese territory
of all occupying forces regardless of their
origin.
270. In the judgment of my Government a strong
and independent Lebanon constitutes an essential
factor for peace throughout the region. The
international community must exert every effort
to co-operate with the people and Government of
Lebanon in the attainment of these goals. It is
likewise imperative that the parties to the
conflict adopt an unswerving policy to that end.
271. Uruguay will firmly support any action
designed to bring about peace in the Middle East.
That is consistent with our position. It should
be brought about through agreements negotiated
among the parties involved without violence and
with justice so as to guarantee all parties the
possibility of living within safe and recognized
boundaries in accordance with international law
and the relevant resolutions of the Security
Council.
272. In that spirit we are participating in
the Sinai multinational peace-keeping force, and
we are ready to co-operate in various actions to
be undertaken in order to consolidate and broaden
the process leading to a just and lasting peace
in the region, regardless of extraneous interests
and destabilizing factors.
273. Equally it bears repeating here that the
objective of peace in the Middle East
presupposes the existence and recognition of the
State of Israel and its right and the right of
other nations not to be attacked. Of course it is
also necessary for the international community
to understand the legitimate aspirations of the
[people of Palestine to have a territory in
which to settle and establish a free and
sovereign State.
274. My country's foreign policy has been
based on unswerving respect for fundamental
principles such as non-interference in the
domestic jurisdiction of States and the right of
all peoples to self-determination. The
application of these principlesówhich all have
the same source, the preservation of the right to
exercise sovereigntyóhas been constantly and
seriously hampered by the actions of countries
and pressure groups which, because of their
support for internal forces, internationalize
conflicts that clearly fall within the domestic
jurisdiction of States. This has led to a
situation in which the inalienable right of
States to decide their own future without foreign
pressure or undue influence is disregarded. This
is dramatically evident in regions such as
Central America, where, furthermore, violence and
terrorism daily infringe the political, economic
and social stability of countries, which is an
essential element of the full development of the
peoples of the region.
275. With regard to Afghanistan, the majority
of the international community has expressed a
strong desire for detente, an end to military
clashes so as to avoid greater suffering and
misery among the people, the immediate withdrawal
of foreign troops, total respect for the rights
of the civilian population and restoration of
effective sovereign national authority. The
persistence of the conflict creates a dangerous
source of friction that must be resolved as soon
as possible.
276. In the context of these particular
issues, I must state that my Government attaches
great importance to the achievement of a peaceful
independent solution to the question of the
unification of Korea through inter-Korean
dialogue. That would help create conditions
favorable for mutual understanding and for the
general stability of the region.
277. It would be worth while to reactivate the
good offices of the Secretary-General in this
case for discus-sions between North and South
Korea.
278. In all the international bodies in which
it participates, Uruguay has always defended the
principle of the self-determination of peoples.
Therefore, we reaffirm once again the Namibian
people's right to independence and its right to
choose, in a climate of peace and free from undue
pressures and external influences, its own
political constitution, within the framework
guaranteed by the United Nations provisional
administration. Uruguay's stand on this issue is
not anomalous; it is consistent with, and a part
ot', our unswerving commitment to peace and our
emphatic rejection of any use of violence or
terrorism.
279. Uruguay is a party to the International
Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of
Racial Discrimination We were the first State to
accept the machinery set forth in that Convention
for receiving individual complaints and
communications. That position is not one dictated
by circumstances; it has been energetically and
unswervingly held by my country's
representatives ever since the inception of the
United Nations, ever since the Organization first
gave impetus to the process of decolonization.
280. Although the great majority of the
nations of the international community have
ratified or acceded to that Convention, thus
making it a universal instrument, discrimination
on the basis of color, race, national or ethnic
origin, or social class remains a tragic fact
which shocks our conscience and is an affront to
the spirit of progress of mankind.
281. The forced displacement of indigenous
populations; the marginal existence of national
or ethnic minorities; the existence of
discriminatory laws; the persistence of practices
based on notions of superiority or on racial
hater: all these things convince us that the
Programme for the Decade for Action to Combat
Racism and Racial Discrimination, which expires
in December of next year, should be renewed and
broadened.
282. Unfortunately the examples I have given
are not the only manifestations of
discrimination. It has also been manifested in
the most painful forms of religious intolerance,
which, in various parts of the world, continue to
provoke a great deal of violence, persecution,
and even genocide. In this connection, my country
reaffirms its full support for the Declaration on
the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and
of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief,
which the Assembly adopted fast year in
resolution 36/55. At the same time we urge the
prompt resumption of consideration of a draft
international convention on this matter. That
instrument would serve as the basis, together
with other necessary efforts, to combat theories,
systems and institutions based on discriminatory
principles which disregard the fundamental
equality of the family of man.
283. Uruguay was also one of the first
countries to ratify the Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination
against Women, which was adopted by the Assembly
three years ago in resolution 34/180, and we
welcome the fact that the Convention has come
into force. We express the hope that it will help
to ensure the participation of women, on an equal
footing and at every level of society.
284. In that connection, we must mention a
system that shocks the conscience of mankind and
makes a doctrine of iniquity: Uruguay is
pleased to affirm with its usual conviction its
radical opposition to that policy as well as to
any other form of racism that openly and
stubbornly contradicts the moral and
philosophical premises that form the basis of our
most deeply and dearly held cultural traditions.
285. The world crisis facing mankind is
manifested not only in the destruction caused by
those who ignore the single origin and nature of
human-beings. It is also clear in the inability
of the international community to put a stop to
the ongoing violence which has become an integral
part of the political practice of nations,
nations with a long tradition of institutional
stability and those recently emancipated from
colonialism. That violence has resulted in
constant acts of terrorism, with their tragic
toll in murder, kidnapping and extortion; this
seems to flourish in societies where democratic
institutions prevail and where an attempt is made
to preserve fundamental freedoms and individual
rights. On the other hand, symptomatically, the
phenomenon of terrorism does not appear in any
country where totalitarianism exists with its
systematic violation of human rights.
286. Acts of terrorism are grave offences
against common law; they violate the most
fundamental principles of persona! and
collective security, whatever the political
pretexts invoked for their commission.
287. Uruguay is a party to all the conventions
adopted within the United Nations system and the
Organization of American States with the aim of
preventing and punishing acts of terrorism. It
has also participated very actively in the work
of the Ad Hoc Committee on International
Terrorism. Several of its proposals on the
subject have been approved by that Committee.
288. Notwithstanding our recognition of the
efforts that have been made, we must firmly state
our dis-appointment at the fact that the
international community has not adopted
practical, specific and comprehensive measures
to deal effectively with the grave and complex
problem of terrorism. Although the maintenance of
internal security is the responsibility of each
individual State, co-operation among countries is
essential to prevent and punish, in a co-ordinate
way, crimes with international implications.
289. Although consideration of the underlying
causes of acts of terrorism and violence deserve
attention, it must not lead us to delay
indefinitely the search for remedies to deal with
what is an undeniable fact: that acts of
terrorism are invariably repeated, deserving the
repudiation of all civilized nations.
290. The efforts to prevent and punish crimes
committed against diplomatic agents and other
persons enjoying immunities established in
international law are based on the adoption in
New York, m 1973, of the Convention on the
Prevention and Punishment of Crimes against
Internationally Protected Persons, including
Diplomatic Agents. But we believe that a
multilateral machinery must be established to
deal with acts of terrorism affecting ordinary
persons who do not enjoy the special protection
of those immunities, but who are, none the less,
entitled to international protection as human
beings.
291. This year we have witnessed a historic event of great importance: the
approval by the great majority of the
international community of the United Nations
Convention on the Law of the Sea,- which
establishes a new and comprehensive legal order
applicable to the seas and based on the
recognition of the sovereign rights and
jurisdiction of the littoral States in the waters
adjacent to their coasts, in an exclusive
economic zone, and on the continental shelf,
with due regard for the jus communication and the
rational exploitation of the resources of the sea.
292. It is also based on co-operation for the
development of scientific research, the
protection and pres-ervation of the marine
environment, the administration by an
international authority of that zone, of the
sea-bed and the ocean floor beyond national
jurisdiction with the necessary powers for
organizing and controlling those activities
related to the exploration and exploitation of
resources and the establishment of a production
policy for that zone and a comprehensive system
for the settlement of disputes.
293. However, we regret that some countries
were not able to overcome their difficulties with
respect to certain points and cast a favorable
vote. Nevertheless, we trust and hope that they
will be able to reconsider their position for the
benefit of the common good. This would allow us
to reach our objective, which would constitute an
achievement of prime importance for the stability
of international relations and the consolidation
of world peace.
294. With regard to the environment, 1982 has
been a year rich in important events, to which
our country contributed decisively and with
conviction. The session of a special character
that was convened by the Governing Council of
UNEP last May in Nairobi commemorating the tenth
anniversary of the United Nations Conference on
the Human Environment, which was held in 1972 in
Sweden, was followed by the tenth session of the
Governing Council. A signal achievement of these
two meetings was the renewal of the "spirit of
Stockholm", the solemn ratification by more than
100 nations of their commitment to preserve the
environment, thus ensuring a vital framework for
humanity and the common heritage of future
generations. The Nairobi and the Action Plan for
the Human Environment? that were adopted
represent a new policy approach. It is a more
systematic and technical approach which includes
a considerable strengthening of international
action on the subject and the implementation of
the resolutions adopted at the /M Meeting of
Senior Government Officials Expert in
Environmental Law, which my country was pleased
to host in October and November 1981.
295. The Second United Nations Conference on
the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space
was held last August at Vienna. The objective of
the Conference was to analyze at the world level
those problems concerning the cosmos at a time
when we are approaching a quarter century of the
space age. Uruguay participated actively in the
work of that Conference, firmly convinced that it
was the appropriate time to take stock of the
past and the present in order to make a realistic
projection for the future with a view to genuine
international co-operation on this question.
296. The enormous increase in the field of
communications and the interdependence of
peoples that provide our civilization with a real
sense of unity has made it imperative for the
field of communications to become an essential
element in the economic and social development of
all countries.
297. Faithful to this idea, we have adhered to
the proclamation by the General Assembly of the
World Communications Year and we are ready within
our means to take part in the Plan of Action to
be undertaken next year. To this end, we have
already established a National Committee in our
country in which all the relevant ministries and
government services are represented.
298. Uruguay is a party to the international
Covenants on Human rights, including the
Optional Protocol to the international Covenant
on Civil and Political Rights. It has always
fought in every forum against the death penalty.
Hence we were pleased to note the significant
progress made in the drafting of a second
optional protocol to abolish capital punishment,
a vestige of history that denies the first right
of manóthe right to life.
299. In the same spirit, Uruguay has taken
part in the work of the Commission on Human
Rights is preparing a convention against torture
and other cruel, inhuman and degrading acts.
300. We have also reaffirmed our interest in
any measure contributing to the strengthening and
expanding of the machinery of the Organization to
improve the effective enjoyment of individual
rights and fundamental freedoms.
301. We also strongly support the planned
international campaign against drug trafficking,
within the context of the international Strategy
for Drug Abuse Control. This campaign is designed
to achieve the eradication of another human
scourge.
302. There are other initiatives aimed at
consolidating the objectives adopted by the
Assembly when pro-claiming international years,
such as the Year of the Child in 1979 and the
Year of Disabled Persons in 1981. We support
these initiatives. Given my Government's prime
interest in these matters, we noted with
satisfaction the considerable progress made in
the drafting of a convention on the rights of the
child, as well as that concerning the
implementation of the World Programme of Action
concerning Disabled Persons, designed to prevent
incapacitating disabilities and to promote
rehabilitation and the full integration of the
handicapped into society.
303. None the less, it is our earnest hope
that these aims will not become obscured by
rhetoric, as has unfortunately happened
frequently in the international community, which
shows the international community's incapacity
to go beyond the level of mere statements at a
time when crucial and ongoing challenges facing
mankind call for strong substantive action.
304. We know that there are good intentions;
we know that there is no lack of theoretical
concepts; but the shaping of a more just and
equitable world economy, as well as the
establishment of a legal order in a world fraught
with individualism and violence, is still mere
aspirations and nothing more.
305. A question affecting the whole of mankind
on which we cannot remain silent is that of
hunger and poverty which ruthlessly afflict more
than 900 million people in the world.
306. Uruguay, a developing country, cannot
accept with criminal indifference the suffering
of others as well as the passivity of the
machinery of a system that in practice violates
the basic tenets of the Organization.
307. These situations, which deny the very
minimum of human solidarity, demand the priority
attention of the Assembly in order to restructure
the links of interdependence and find solutions
capable of alleviating the scourge of hunger and
its cause, destitution. We must have the
necessary political will to adopt appropriate
measures allowing us to expect a certain measure
of success in the struggle for better health and
education in order to improve the lot of mankind
and enhance the sanctity of life.
308. In the field of health, it is fitting to
mention specifically the fact that Uruguay has
begun a massive vigorous campaign to vaccinate
all our population. This is the culmination of
the constant work of prophylaxis that has been an
ongoing concern of the health services of my
country.
309. It is also worth noting that, in the Held
of education, my Government is making every
effort to implement an ambitious literacy program
which will finally eliminate the already very low
rate of illiteracy of no more than 5 per cent.
The first stage of this campaign has successfully
been completed recently this year.
310. It is paradoxical to note that at this
time when we have witnessed the greatest
achievements and progress and when science and
technology borders on science fiction there still
remain groups of people living in abject poverty.
This is a harsh reminder of our unavoidable
responsibility.
311. This question cannot be considered in
isolation from the matter of trade, where we feel
the effects of tariff barriers in our efforts to
attain efficient food and agricultural
production. That is especially true in those
developing countries which have the good fortune
of possessing great resources to contribute to
the feeding of the world but which, because of
actions {taken by industrialized nations, must
face trade and marketing problems, to which I
shall refer later.
312. Concerning the world economic situation,
we must express our. deep concern at the gradual
and continuing deterioration within an acute
process that seems to accelerate day by day. The
persistence of recessionary and inflationary
processes, the increase in unemployment, the
instability of exchange rates, imbalances in the
balance of payments of the industrialized
countries, the consequent irritating
protectionist reactions and, finally, why not
say it?óthe indifference and the lack of the
political will on the part of the industrialized
countries to face the demands imposed by the
overwhelming world crisisóinexorably delay the
economic progress of the developing countries,
which are the majority of those gathered in the
Assembly.
313. Within an economic framework such as that
which exists today, which is marked by an intense
and ever greater interdependence among the
peoples of the world, it is imperative to find
solutions based on a global economic approach,
which makes it necessary to adopt a long-term
global economic policy. This requires the optimum
allocation of resources, which in turn signifies
the redistribution and relocation of industries
according to the competitive capacity of each
country, the general opening of economies in
order to ensure an effective interplay of the
laws of competition, and the adoption of a
strategy capable of covering ail the developing
areas without excluding key sectors.
314. Within the same line of reasoning and
with reference to international trade, we must
note the grave damage done to economic
development in general and to food production and
agricultural and industrial development in
particular by the discriminatory practices and
tariff barriers applied in many parts of the
world, particularly by the developed countries.
315. We believe that the creation of an
effective system of global security in the food
sector must be accompanied by the parallel
creation of an international financing system
which will not be prejudicial to the
food-producing developing countries. A new world
food order is a prerequisite for any
international economic order.
316. Within the structural readjustment that
we are proposing, the problem of energy is also a
priority that must be dealt with as a whole. A
new world energy order must assure access by all
non-oil- producing countries with a limited
economic potential to sources of supply at
reasonable and predictable prices. We must also
consider the development and international
financing of new and alternative sources of
energy. This must be a pre-condition of the
establishment of any new international economic
order.
317. The developing countries are not resigned
to this critical situation but insist upon a
clear-cut position regarding the adoption of
decisions by international bodies and greater
participation in the acceptance of such
instruments.
318. Within this context, we fully support the
aims of and the steps taken to ensure the
relaunching of global negotiations, on the
understanding that what will be discussed
concerning this subject is of interest to
everyone in the international community. These
negotiations must be carried out in conditions of
absolute equality.
319. It is difficult to understand how in the
world of today we could reach agreements on
energy and financing, international trade,
protectionism and readjustment, raw materials and
food, and industrialization and technology
without the representation of all those
interested and concerned. There must be an end to
exclusion and selective participation and the
question of the formal initiation of global
negotiations must as soon as possible be brought
to the Assembly.
320. It is worth noting that the developing
countries have initiated a very significant
attempt to establish a South-South dialogue
through the implementation of a wide range of
activities involving economic cooperation.
Uruguay has participated and is participating
with enthusiasm and good faith in this process,
which offers clear hope of widening the basis of
the economies of the developing countries and of
bettering the standard of living if their
peoples. That common effort is an appropriate and
suitable response to the needs and requirements
of our time, always bearing in mind the
solidarity that must prevail among countries that
are going through similar stages of development.
321. We firmly believe that development and
security are intimately linked concepts and it
could be said that there can be no integral
development without the counterbalance of
collective economic security through a
multilateral juridical system that guarantees the
full implementation of the rules and principles
of co-operation for development. This is also
applicable to the area of defense, in the case
of economic measures or actions aimed at
thwarting the sovereign will of States, the
maintenance of the essential conditions of free
and normal economic development and, in the last
analysis, the effective practical application of
international economic justice.
322. Uruguay has voted in favor of the program
budget for the biennium 1982-1983. This is a
budget in which the concept of zero growth is
used for the first time, after many years of
sustained increases. The comprehensive nature of
the budget appropriations does not entail an
increase in the financial burden.
323. The support of my country for this policy
of austerity is based upon the unavoidable need
to rationalize the hyperactivity of the United
Nations and prevent the dispersal of effort. In
this context, we should like the process of
identifying and eliminating activities that are
outdated, inefficient or of marginal usefulness
to be intensified. This also applies to reduction
of the very high percentage of costs absorbed by
salaries and staff contributions. That percentage
bears no reasonable relationship to the funds
appropriated by the Organization for programmes
of work of a substantial nature in the economic,
social and humanitarian fields.
324. Finally, we should like to make reference
to something of special importanceónamely, the
strengthening of the role of the Organization and
equitable representation of its members of the
Security Council.
325. As I have already said, Uruguay fully
understands and supports the purposes and
principles of the Charter of the United Nations,
which are those that have always guided our
foreign policy. Support for the objectives of
international peace and security are, in the end,
identified with the aims of the civilization to
which we all belong. We reaffirm our faith in the
present and permanent relevance of this
civilization and we express our steadfast support
for all measures aimed at overcoming the
obstacles in the path of the development of
harmonious relations and mutual respect based on
justice among all the peoples of the world.
326. We place our greatest hope in the common
effort of all those in the Organization and in
the firm and unswerving application of the means
and instruments available to the Organization.
In this way we shall be able to make gradual but
steady progress in maintaining and consolidating
international peace and security, developing
co-operation among nations, promoting the rules
of international law and improving relations
among States as well as on questions of the
procedure for the peaceful settlement of disputes
both regionally and internationally.
327. Only two months ago, our President
Alvarez, analyzing the Latin American scene
during a recent meeting of the Latin American
Integration Association, said:
"A world of super-Powers and mini-States, of
groups of countries with enormous imbalances in
their relative development, is their share in the
fruits of progress and in their capacity to
negotiate, calls for concerted action by those
countries that are more excluded than weak, in
order that it may become more just.
"With its demographic influence, its common
cultural tradition, its enormous and unexploited
riches and its dedication to peace and law, Latin
America has a!! the conditions necessary to
constitute an influential area, not only in
economic alignment but in the political and
cultural spheres as well, within an international
order where im-balances of power give rise to
voluntary or involuntary situations of
domination.
"Setting aside questionable schemes used to group
countries according to their level of
development or relative power, I should like to
see a Latin America that would be a totally new
and independent force projected into the future
as the continent of hope, of freedom and of
justice, as the bridge and the link between the
more developed and the most backward areas of the
world."
328. In this same line of thinking, I have no
doubt that Uruguay will honor its commitment to
America and to the world for the harmonious
convergence of both currents, so that we can
devote all our efforts to serving the aim of
closer and more reciprocal constructive
co-operation.
329. With regard to matters relating to the
functions of the Security Council, the
distressing events that occurred during this year
make it more than ever necessary to amend the
rule of unanimity that was established for the
benefit of the permanent members of the Security
Council, a rule that tends to perpetuate an
obvious situation of privilege the exercise of
which paralyses the Council's mission for peace.
330. It is also necessary to say that with the
passing of time and in the light of many painful
and enlightening experiences it will become
necessary to consider the possibility of giving
thought to the most effective means of organizing
the system of voting in the Security Council,
above all in order to preserve intact its
constitutional power to act for the preservation
of peace, which is the very reason it was brought
into being.
33!. It is then fittingóand in this regard we
fully agree with the proposal made by the
Secretary- Generalóto hold a special meeting of
the Security Council. This would be a frank,
determined action that would enable us
realistically to face those problems in the
solution of which we are all ineluctably engaged.
332. In conclusion, my Government is prepared
to support any effort designed to strengthen the
Organization and to enable it fully to assume
its responsibilities. Hence, we shall make a
firm contribution to creating a climate favorable
to dialogue and trust, to civilized and fruitful
coexistence, starting along the road towards a
community of nations without tutors or pupils, a
community in which the legal equality of States
will be expressed through a policy of full
respect for the right of everyone freely to
choose his own future without interference or
aggression. This is the task we all face. It is
an unavoidable and daily task that poses: a
crucial challenge, one we must face and one we
must overcome, guided by the same spirit of
solidarity and brotherhood, as we continue along
the path of peace and justice towards the new
conditions the future holds in store for mankind.