Lögberg-Heimskringla - 20.10.1995, Blaðsíða 4

4 • Lögberg-Heimskringla • Föstudagur 20. október 1995
lceland Speaks at the United Nations
Considering that
Iceland’s fishing zone
covers as large an
area as France and
West Germany com-
bined, it is easy to
understand why “we
should at all times
view the ecosystems
of the oceans as a
whole and harvest all
species of this vast,
but delicate resource
in a sustainable
manner.”
A Speech given by Halldór Ásgrímsson
Minister For Foreign Affairs And External Trade Of lceland during the General Debate
at the Fiftieth Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations — 25 September, 1995
or a small and, in the grand scheme of international events, a relatively insignifícant country, Iceland
has played a disproprotionally important role in world events. In 1947, during the controversial
debate over partition of Palestine and the creation of the state of Israel, the vote in the United
Nations General Assembly was swung in favor oflsrael by a speech by the Icelandic foreign minister.
The event was gratefully recorded by Israeli
Foreign Minister Abba Eban in his memoirs.
Iceland has also played an important part in establish-
ing some order in the law ofthe sea. The expansion ofter-
ritorial limits in the oceans has been largely inspired by
Icelandic actions. Three cod wars and a lot of diplomatic
lobbying resulted in their gradual extension to 200 miles.
The issue remains contentious, as Canadians, Americans
and Icelanders — indeed the entire European Union —
are all involved in fishing disputes at the moment, but
those disputes would be far more vicious and contentious
today if Iceland had not taken the initiative on several
occasions in the past.
Recently, the present Icelandic foreign minister
addressed the General Assembly of the United Nations at
its opening session. Following is the text ofhis speech.

nniversaries are occa-
sions to celebrate past
accomplishments. The
towering achievement
of the United Nations is
to have survived through nearly half a
century where power relationships
often submerged the high-minded
vision of the United Nations Chart-
er. Therefore, as we celebrate the
half-century of our organization, we
also celebrate the triumph of hope
over despair and of good faith over
cynicism. At long last, there is an
opportunity for the United Nations to
come into its own and for the ideals of
the Charter to take hold.
At the same time, we must learn
from our mistakes. Foremost, in that
context is the tragic conflict in
Bosnia-Herzegovina. In spite of
the laudable humanitarian and
peace-keeping efforts of the United
Nations the organization has in the
eyes of the world appeared incapable
of preventing the savage dis-
membering of a sovereign member
state.
Although we all realize the United
Nations can never provide fool-proof
insurance against evil and injustice
the organization must in the future
face such challenges in a more res-
olute manner. We must demand more
of ourselves and learn how to use
more effectively the indispensable
machinery the organization has to
offer. We should also bear in mind
that no organization, however effi-
Our continued prosperity is secured
through membership and the sale of
promotional goods; please assist us
by purchasing collectible calendars and
t-shirts from Frón.
These items will be made available
at all major functions, and t-shirts are
available at Tergesen's in Gimli, the
Arborg Pharmacy, and Gudmundsson's
store in Grosse Isle.
ICELANDIC CANADIAN FRÓN
764 ERIN ST„ WINNIPEG, MB R3G 2W4
TELEPHONE: 774-8047
cient, can provide a substitute for the
political will of its member states.
Recent setbacks should however
not be allowed to obscure the consid-
erable gains, global and regional, that
have been made on a number of fronts
over the past year. Let me mention
only a few.
The march of democracy has con-
tinued through the organization of free
elections in different parts of the world
and a growing number of people now
live under pluralistic and democratic
govemments. In recent years the orga-
nization has contributed to the success
of elections in various member States.
Two major United Nations Con-
ferences took place earlier this year.
Each could, if followed up in eamest;
make a tangible difference in the lives
of people everywhere. At the World
Summit on Social Development in
Copenhagen in March, we decided to
place people at the center of develop-
ment and to address the problem of
global poverty more effectively. At the
recently concluded Fourth World
Conference on Women m Beijing we
pledged to empower women and
involve them as equal partners in all
spheres of society. Together women
and men can and should create a pow-
erful unity based on equality, develop-
ment and peace.
In the area of intemational law the
achievements of the United Nations
were once again brought into focus
with the entry into force of the United
Nations Convention on the Law of the
Sea last November and the adoption
in August of the Agreement on the
implementation of the provisions of
the convention relating to the conser-
vation and management of straddling
fish stocks and highly migratory fish
stocks.
In May, a historic step was taken
towards ridding the world of the
threat of nuclear weapons. The deci-
__ Minnist
BETEL
I ERFÐASKRÁM YÐAR
sion by the parties to the Nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty to extend the
treaty indefinitely and without condi-
tions should pave the way for a com-
prehensive and verifiable test ban and
an agreement to cut off the produc-
tion of fissile material. It is regrettable
that China and France have not heed-
ed the world-wide demand for a
moratorium on nuclear testing.
At the regional level there have
also been welcome developments.
While the passage has not been
smooth, there has been further
progress towards a comprehensive
peace in the Middle East. We have
witnessed the joint efforts of the
Israelis and the Palestinians to bring
their conflict to an end and extend to
them our sincere congratulations on
their historic agreement to be signed
later this week.
These are substantial accomplish-
ments. They confirm that hard work
guided by the goals and ideals of the
United Nations, can bear fruit. More
of that same dedication is now
required as the organization prepares
to take on the complex challenges of
the twenty-first century.
The foremost challenge is the need
to establish and safeguard peace.
While the threat of nuclear holocaust
has receded, we still live in a world
driven by wars. Annual military
expenditure still nearly equals the
total income of the poorer half of the
world’s population. The peace divi-
dend we had hoped for in the after-
math of the Cold War remains for
many a sight unseen.
The Secretary General has rightly
observed that there is an inherent link
between peace and development.
Without the one you cannot have the
other. Peace is the necessary precon-
dition for the well-being of all peoples
and in the long run we shall be able to
protect ourselves from the scourge of
war only if we make the necessary
ínvestment in the infrastructure of
peace. This involves, among other
things, dealing with the Iegacy of
deprivation that still confronts
manldnd.
The challenge of development will
not lend itself to a simple formulation
in terms of government versus the
market-place. Instead, we must apply
a comprehensive framework, linking
democracy, society, the economy and
the environment, carefully nuanced to
regional and local circumstances.
Here, the Secretary-General has led
the way in his ground-breaking report.
Let me dwell on a few aspects of the
issue of development that are of par-
ticular interest to my own country.
First a word on the role of democ-
racy. Democracies, it is sometimes
said, don’t make wars. By promoting
democracy we also foster peace. This
is in part because two of the main pil-
lars of democracy are tolerance and
respect for the customs, traditions and
opinions of others. But tolerance and
respect for diversity must not be mis-
interpreted. We live in a world of rich
cultural diversity, which we should
relish and protect. However multicul-
turalism should never be used as a pit
for compromising basic and universal
human rights.
Iceland attaches continued impor-
tance to intemational efforts to create
a global environment condusive to
job-led economic growth. But eco-
nomic growth must never be our sole
objective, without regard to human
values.
Environmental protection is anoth-
er main concern. Important strides
have been made in this area following
the “Earth Summit” in Rio. Climate
changes and ozone depletion, two
major dangers to the global ecosys-
tem, are now being dealt with on the
basis of legally binding conventions.
But much will depend on co-ordinat-
ed action to implement the com-
mitments we have undertaken.
Furthermore, greater attention needs
to be devoted to the marine environ-
ment.
Pollution of the marine environ-
ment, if not contained, can have a seri-
ous impact on human settlements in
certain regions of the world, not least
communities of indigenous peoples. In
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