S/PV.2198 Security Council

I shall immediately convey this decision to the Secretary-General for transmission to the General Assembly in accordance with the provisions of rule 60 of the provisional rules of procedure. Adoption of the agenda T/W ngelzdn WLIS odopfed. Admission of new Members: Report of the Committee on the Admission of New Members concerning the application of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines for membership in the United Nations (S/13805) 5. At this stage, I should like to welcome Mr. Hudson Tannis, Minister of Home Affairs and Tourism of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, who is here in this chamber. I should like to convey to him, and, through him, to his Government and the people of his country, cordial congratulations on the occasion of the recommendation just adopted unanimously by the Security Council.

I have received letters dated 19 February 1980 from the representatives of Saint Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago in which they request to be invited to participate in the discussion of the application of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines for admission to membership in the United Nations. In accordance with the Provisions of Article 31 of the Charter and rule 37 of the provisional rules of procedure, as well as with the usual practice of the Council, I propose to invite those representatives to participate in the discussion without the right to vote. 6. A number of representatives have expressed the wish to speak after the vote and I now call on them.

It gave my delegation great pleasure to vote, as we have just done, in favour of the admission of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines as a Member of the United Nations. I am confident that the General Assembly will accept the unanimous recommendation of the Council and welcome Saint Vincent and the Grenadines with equal unanimity as the one hundred and fifty-third Member of the United Nations. At the invitation of the President, Mr. Auglrste (Saint Lucia) and Mu. Dorset (Trinidad crnd Tobngo) took the places reserved for them ut the side of the Corrncil chamber.

The Security Council will now consider the report of 8. It also gives my delegation much pleasure to reiterate your words of welcome, Mr. President, to I 9. The ‘United Kingdom and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines have a long history of association going back to the early seventeenth century. At the end of the 196Os, Saint Vincent took on the status of an associated State. My Government is delighted that, 10 years later, its people have decided to become a fully independent State within the Commonwealth. Our partnership will therefore continue and our ties of friendship will be strengthened. As Saint Vincent takes its place amongst the comity offully independent nations, we shall find new areas of co-operation. 10. The Government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has achieved its independence in a way that reflects the democratic traditions of the islands. The present Government of Saint Vincent decided to seek independence through the constitutional procedures open to it and a constitutional conference was convened in London in September 1978. This Ied to the achievement of full independence on 27 October 1979. 11. Unhappily, in that very same year of independence, a severe challenge faced the people of Saint Vincent. A major eruption of the volcano Soufribre in the north of Saint Vincent Island threatened catastrophe and over 15,000 people had to be evacuated to other parts of the island. Saint Vincent’s friends rallied round and the British Government joined other Governments in the Caribbean, together with Canada and the United States, in an emergency relief operation. The Government of Saint Vincent, under the leadership of Prime Minister Cato, deserves great credit for the resolve it showed in meeting this emergency. And even amidst this crisis, which could not be forgotten as the rumblings continued inside the volcano, the Government did not lose sight of the goal it had set itself. The original timetable for independence was rigorously followed and the process was not delayed as some had thought inevitable at the time. In this connection, I should also Iike to recall that the people of Saint Vincent already have reason to be grateful to the United Nations and its Secretariat. By means of a special Saint Vincent Volcano Relief Fund, a group of staff members at the United Nations launched a drive to collect private donations for the victims of the disaster, an action which reflected the best humanitarian spirit of the United Nations. 12. The British Government made provision to help to repair the long-term effects of the eruption and to bring agriculture back into production. We have drawn up an aid programme covering special development projects and technical co-operation. 13. My delegation has every confidence that Saint Vincent will be a strong and resilient Member of the United Nations and that the international community will benefit from its membership. It gives me great

Mr. President, my delegation has not had the opportunity before now of formally congratulating you on your assumption of the presidency of the Security Council for the month of February. You took over that office in the middle of a difficult debate, and the competence and calm confidence you have displayed have impressed my delegation, particularly since this is only the second month of your country’s membership of the Security Council. We look forward to continued co-operation with you. 15. Might I also take this opportunity to express to Mr. Jacques Leprette, President for the month of January, the warm appreciation of my delegation for the outstanding leadership he provided and the initiatives he took in the cause of peace during a particularly critical month. 16. Today we are participating in the continuing process of decolonization, a process which for the English-speaking Caribbean began in 1962 and has in the ensuing 17 years resulted in the achievement of statehood by nine Territories of that group. In fact, the last two States to be admitted to membership of the United Nations, Dominica and Saint Lucia, are from that subregion, of which my country is also apart. 17. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines achieved independence in October 1979, a process that was facilitated by the positive co-operation of the former administering Power, the Government of the United Kingdom. The new nation is a member of that family of countries that reaches from one end of the Caribbean to the other and forms a significant component of the wider grouping of Latin American States to which we belong. Most of those Caribbean States are small developing island countries, with the special positive qualities and the charm associated with them, but they also suffer from serious economic constraints and difficulties. In addition they are subject to such natural hazards as hurricanes, earthquakes and, in the case of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, volcanic eruption. Indeed, the year 1979 witnessed a series of devastating hurricanes that seriously affected the area and the eruption of Soufri&re, which caused largescale damage and destruction. The response of the United Nations system and of member countries to the needs of the countries of the area in the face of those disasters has been most gratifying to all of us. 18. Jamaica has strong links with Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and, indeed, with all the countries of the area. They are based not merely on geographical proximity, but on a number of other factors including our long common experience as colonial Territories over a period of centuries. Over the past few decades 19, The Caribbean area has in recent times been undergoing major changes in the social, economic and political spheres and has attracted a great deal of attention, much of the analysis and conclusions deriving from this being based on a lack of full understanding and appreciation of the special character of the region and its peoples and the pressures and necessities facing them. While those countries have much in common, each has its own special character, its own perception, its own approach. It is our hope that Saint Vincent and the Grenadines will, through its membership in the United Nations, bring new insights and new dimensions to the various problems and questions affecting not only that region but the Latin American community of which we form a part and the international community as a whole. 24. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines have since their discovery in 1496 been subjected to various forms of exploitation, including the transfer of quite a large part of their populations to other regions. Theirs has also been an area of export agriculture, with the inevitable consequence of dependency and control of its development capacity. 25. Mexico has a major relationship with and is historically, geographically and socially close to the Caribbean region, and its continental shelf forms part of the area. We want the achievement of independence in the area also to be a step towards the establishment of real self-determination in the economic and political spheres. 20. For small States like Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and my own country, membership in the United Nations is of particular importance and special significance. That is so, first, because of our realization that our own march to nationhood was greatly facilitated by the commitment of the United Nations to the exercise by colonial countries and peoples of their right to self-determination; secondly, it is only in the United Nations that small States can play a role in the solution of political and economic problems at the international level, problems that often affect them SO fundamentally; thirdly, it is in the United Nations that the sovereignty of small States is best reaffirmed; fourthly, the United Nations affords the opportunity, in some cases the sole opportunity, for small States to establish and improve bilateral relations between ourselves and countries of other regions. It is for such countries that global adherence to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations assumes such a vital role. 26, The independence of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is another step in the struggle for independence for Latin America. It is the longest such struggle in the history of world decolonization, begun early in the nineteenth century and still not ended. The accession of a new independent country to membership in the United Nations represents an advance towards universality and the democratization of representation in the Organization, which is one of its basic principles. 27. Since the foundation of the United Nations, not only has Mexico favoured the admission of new Members; its representatives or international officials have played their part-an outstanding one, I may say-in the political process of decolonization that has seen independence come to many countries of Latin America, Africa, Asia and the Pacific. I shall in passing mention the vanguard role played by OUJ compatriots in the achievement of independence by Libya, Togo and Zaire, or in its consolidation. In 1946, during the first year of work of the Security Council, the representative of Mexico in the Council stated that 21. Before us today is the application of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines for membership in the United Nations. This is an application which the Government and people of Jamaica have whole-heartedly SUPported. Our sister Caribbean country will join the ranks of those Member States that are totally committed to the principles and objectives of the United Nations, and will, we are convinced, play a constructive role in the activities of the Group of Latin American States. MY own country and delegation stand ready to COoperate fully with Saint Vincent and the Grenadines “In accordance with the principle of universality which Mexico has always advocated, the Mexican delegation is in favour of the admission of all the applicant States where it is not proved that the applicant does not fulfil the requirements of the Charter.“’ as they take their place in the family of nations.

Mr. President, I wish on behalf of my Government most warmly to congratulate Saint Vincent and the Grenadines on their accession to independence on 27 October 1979, after almost five centuries under the colonial trusteeship of various Powers, and on having thus won the highest prize to which peoples can aspire. 28. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines will be the thirtieth member of the Latin American Group, and that also constitutes progress towards greater representativeness for the region, although there remain some major exceptions; as everyone is aware, there are still clear instances of colonial domination in 29. Anticipating what will certainly be the unanimous decision of the General Assembly, I should like to welcome a new Latin American Member of the United Nations.

On 27 October 1979, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines procIaimed its independence and became the 30th independent State in Latin America. In his letter addressed to the Secretary-General on 8 January 1980 [see S/13784] Prime Minister Milton Cato of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines made the application of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines for admission to membership in the United Nations and declared on behalf of his Government that it accepted the obligations contained in the Charter and undertook to fulfil them. In the view of the Chinese delegation, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is qualified for membership in the United Nations in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Charter. We fully support its application, and we are in favour of the Security Council’s recommending to the General Assembly the admission of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to membership in the United Nations. 31. The people of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines have won their national independence through prolonged struggles. The Chinese Government and people sincerely rejoice in this and wish the people of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines continued new victories in their cause of safeguarding national independence and building their own country. 32. Both China and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines are developing countries. On the occasion of the proclamation of the independence of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Premier Hua Guofeng of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China sent a cable to Prime Minister Milton Cato on behalf of the Chinese Government and people, extending warm congratulations to the Government and people of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and announcing the decision of the Chinese Government to recognize Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. We sincerely hope that the relations between our two countries and friendship between our two peoples will develop steadily. We also hope that upon its admission to membership in the United Nations, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines will make positive contributions to the realization of the purposes and principIes of the Charter, together with all the other Member States that uphold justice and love peace. 33. Mr. R. RAHMAN (Bangladesh): My delegation warmly welcomes the Security Council’s decision to 35. Bangladesh noted with great satisfaction the accession of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to sovereign independence on 27 October 1979. We welcome its application for membership and believe that it is fully qualified to become a Member of the United Nations in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Charter. It is the sincere expectation and desire of the Government and people of Bangladesh to strengthen and consolidate our relations with the Government and people of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The groundwork for these ties has already become established through our association as member of the Commonwealth of Nations and our common identity as developing countries newly emerged into independence. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to the Minister of Home Affairs and Tourism and, through him, express to the Government and people of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines our best wishes for continued prosperity, peace and happiness.

In considering the application of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines for admission to membership in the United Nations, we had before us the letter dated 8 January 1980 [ikirl.] from Mr. R. Milton Cato, Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Prime Minister Cato, in his letter to the Secretary-General, has made a declaration that Saint Vincent and the Grenadines accepted the obligations contained in the Charter of the United Nations and solemnly undertook to fulfil them. 37. The General Assembly, in resolution 34/94 of 13 December 1979, warmly welcomed by an overwhelming vote the accession to independence of Saint Lucia on 22 February 1979, Kiribati on 12 July 1979 and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines on 27 October 1979. The admission of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to membership in the United Nations is a fulfilment of the principle of the universality of United Nations membership and is yet another testimony of the important decolonization work of the United Nations and the need to implement the 1960 Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples embodied in Assembly resolution 1514 (XV). Its membership accords with the principle embodied in the Declaration and in the various relevant Assembly resolutions, including resolution 34/34 of 21 November 1979, that questions of territorial size, geographical location and limited resources 38. In supporting the application of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines for admission to membership in the United Nations, I should like, on behalf of my delegation, to express our deep appreciation to the Special Committee on the Situation with regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples for its continuing invaluable work towards the effective and complete implementation of the Declaration and the other relevant resolutions of the United Nations. 43. On behalf of the Norwegian Government, I take this opportunity to congratulate the Government and people of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines on attaining independence on 27 October 1979. My own delegation looks forward to working in close cooperation with the members of its delegation to the United Nations in the years to come. 39. Iwish also to take this opportunity to congratulate the administering Power for its co-operation and active participation in the relevant work of the Special Committee, as well as its continued readiness in the recent past to receive United Nations visiting missions to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. My delegation is happy to note that Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is embarked, along with other members of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States that was established in June 1979, on new mechanisms for the achievement of the economic and social development of the peoples of the member States.

The United States supports with great pleasure the application of the Government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines for membership in the United Nations. 45. Friendly relations have traditionally existed between the United States and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. For a number of years the United States has been happy to provide development assistance to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines through various multiltiteral agencies such as the Caribbean Development Bank, Private United States investment, which provides jobs and spurs economic development, is growing. The United States also maintains a Peace Corps programme in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. And in the wake of the tragic eruption of the volcano Soufrikre last spring, we joined with others in providing food, medicines and shelter for victims of that natural disaster. 40. We also extend our best wishes to the Caribbean Community, of which Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is a member, as that organization sets out to improve the individual and collective well-being of the peoples of its community. 41. In expressing the ardent hope of my delegation that the unanimous recommendation of the Security Council in favour of the admission to membership in the United Nations of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines will also be approved unanimously by the General Assembly, I am confident that Saint Vincent and the Grenadines will make a useful contribution to the work of the United Nations. It is in this light that I should like to congratulate the people of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and to assure them of the wholehearted co-operation and friendship of the Philippines in working together in the United Nations. 46. The United States has followed the progress of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, as well as that of its Caribbean neighbours, with great interest. The people of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines have attained their independence through peaceful and democratic means. We are confident that they and their Government share our belief in the basic principles of peace and justice that are the corner-stone of the Charter of the United Nations. The United States therefore believes that membership in the United Nations for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is fully in accord with the relevant provisions of the Charter.

The Norwegian delegation was pleased to support the resolution just adopted recommending that Saint Vincent and the Grenadines be admitted to membership in the United Nations. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is the second country from the Caribbean region to have applied for United Nations membership during Norway’s present term on the Security Council, following Saint Lucia’s entry into the United Nations last year. We welcomed Saint Lucia’s application for membership and we should also like to express our satisfaction at the fact that Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has declared itself ready to accept and to undertake the obligations contained in the Charter of the United Nations. Although Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, with a population of around 100,000, will 47. And so we welcome Saint Vincent and the Grenadines as it takes its place in the community of nations. We look forward to close co-operation with this new nation both in the United Nations system and in our bilateral relations.

It is a privilege for my delegation, on behalf of the Portuguese Government, to congratulate the people and the Government of Saint Vincent and lhe Grenadines on their accession to independence and lo extend to them our best wishes for peace and prosperily. The Portuguese delegation was happy to support the resolution the Security Council has adopted recommending that country for membership in the Organization. It is

Zambia, as a freedom-loving State, warmly welcomed the accession to independence of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines on 27 October 1979. Like the people of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, we also suffered the humiliations and degradations of oppression under colonial domination. That is why we have always supported all those people that are struggling for their freedom and independence in Africa and elsewhere on this globe. 50. The admission of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to membership in the United Nations will crown the sovereign aspiration .of that independent State to participate in the United Nations on the basis of equality with all States, both large and small. That is a dream come true for all oppressed people. Zambia strongly upholds the principle of the sovereign equality of all States. That principle is indeed the quintessence of our contemporary international relations, which are based on a state system. There is no hierarchy of States in the United Nations. The admission of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines will also advance the cause of universality of membership in the United Nations. When admitted, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines will become the 153rd Member of the Organization. It is significant that only last year, a sister State in the Caribbean, Saint Lucia, was admitted to the United Nations. It is in that vein that we also look forward to the day when the Council will consider the application for admission to the United Nations of a free and independent Zimbabwe. 51. As the decade of the 1980s begins, the membership of the United Nations has virtually tripled. The addition of new Members to the ranks of the United Nalions could also contribute positively to the enhancement of the democratization of the system. Democracy entails the full participation of all, irrespective of military capability or the lack of it. 52. Zambia has a lot in common with the nations and peoples of the Caribbean, including Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Although we are separated by the Atlantic, we of Africa have strong bonds with our brothers in the Caribbean, bonds which have been maintained for centuries despite the attempts by imperialist forces to separate us artificially. The limitations of time and space do not permit me to enumerate the range of our mutual ties. Suffice it to state that Zambia is committed to furthering these links in the political and economic spheres. 54. Finally, the Zambian delegation fully supports the admission of St. Vincent and the Grenadines to membership in the United Nations. The people of that country have fully demonstrated their commitment to the purposes and principles of the Charter. Zambia will co-operate fully with the people, Government and delegation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines in the pursuit of peace and development in the United Nations and elsewhere in the community of nations at large.

The Security Council has just unanimously recommended to the General Assembly the admission of St. Vincent and the Grenadines to membership in the United Nations. 56. Coming some months after the entry into the Organization of Saint Lucia, which was itself preceded by Dominica, this application has been presented by one of the close neighbours of the French islands of the Antilles; it is with the greatest sympathy therefore that my country welcomes it. Cultural, commercial and all other kinds of relsitions have flourished between France and St. Vincent for four centuries. There is every reason for supposing that those relations will continue to develop harmoniously. 57. On 27 October 1979, the State of St. Vincent and the Grenadines took its place among the independent and sovereign nations of the world. Since that time it has applied for admission to the United Nations, has undertaken to respect the provisions of the Charter and fulfils the necessary conditions for admission to membership in the United Nations. France therefore supports its admission as the one hundred and fifty-third Member of the Organization, and we are pleased that we have had an opportunity to do that. 58. The admission of that country to membership of the United Nations will enable it fully to take part in the activities of the international community. In admitting this new country among its Members, the Organization will be fulfilling one of its fundamental objectives, that of universality. 59. Before concluding, the French delegation would like to welcome Mr. Hudson Tannis, Minister of Home Affairs and Tourism of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, who has come to New York for this occasion and to convey its warm congratulations to the Prime Minister and the other members of the Government. To the young State and its people, we extend our warm wishes for success and prosperity. 65. New countries-such as Palestine, Zimbabwe and Namibia-whose peoples have suffered colonial occupation for far too long will, we hope, join us in the near future. We are aware of the magnitude of the obstacles still to be overcome, but we are sure that the legitimate aspirations of those peoples to sovereignty and independence will finally triumph.

It is always a pleasure for a country which has itself thrown off the shackles of colonialism and is still fighting for the freedom of all peoples to learn of a colony’s coming to independence and international sovereignty. In this spirit, the Niger and the whole of Africa welcome the independence of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, a small Caribbean country, whose identity as a nation has lost nothing of its vitality in spite of several centuries of foreign domination. 61, On the occasion of the notable event of the proclamation in October 1979 of the independence of the State of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union, Mr. A. Kosygin, sent to the Prime Minister Of that country, Mr. Milton Cato, sincere congratulations and best wishes for prosperity and success to the people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines in the successful, independent development of that country. The telegram sent by Comrade Kosygin stated: 67. Our solidarity is today with the people of that country, its leaders and its struggle for the promotion of a new society with dignity, work and respect foi man. “The Soviet Government, guided by the principles of equality and the self-determination of peoples and attaching great significance to the development of relations of friendship and cooperation among all countries, hereby declares its recognition of St. Vincent and the Grenadines as an independent and sovereign State and expresses its readiness to establish diplomatic relations with it.” 68. We can be assured in advance that St. Vincent and the Grenadines, which is already keenly aware of its international and domestic obligations, will fully abide by the Charter of the United Nations and by positive and sustained efforts strive for the peace of the world and solidarity among nations. We therefore most warmly welcome this country to the United Nations and accompany these words of welcome with very sincere wishes for a positive and enlightened contribution to the delicate but stirring work of the United Nations. 62. The delegation of the Soviet Union would like, to take this opportunity to congratulate the independent State and people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines on the favourable decision taken by the Security Council on its application for admission to membership in the United Nations, and expresses the hope that St. Vincent and the Grenadines will make a worthy contribution to the performance of the major task of the United Nations, that is, the maintenance of international peace and security.

The next speaker is the representative of Saint Lucia, to whom the Council has extended an invitation under rule 37 of the provisional rules of procedure. I invite him to take a place at the Council table and to make his statement. 63. Mr. ESSAAFI (Tunisia) (interprafrrtion from

Mr. President, I should like to convey my appreciation to you and the other members of the Council for the kind invitation to address this august body in welcoming the application of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines foi membership in the United Nations. I am speaking in the Council on behalf of the West Indies Associated States, of whose Council of Ministers Saint Lucia is current Chairman, and also on behalf of Barbados. In September 1979 [2166th u/zd 2167th n7ecfings] my F~~e~ch): My delegation was pleased to support the resolution just adopted by the Security Council on the admission to membership in the United Nations of St. Vincent and the Grenadines in implementation of one of the fundamental principles of the Charter, namely, the inalienable right of peoples to selfdetermination and freedom. We therefore welcome their independence, greet that people and nation and wish them all prosperity. 71. A small State that seeks membership in the United Nations does so, as in the case of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, because it has legitimately met and satisfied all the prerequisites necessary for selfdetermination and independence, including the handling of its own external affairs and defence. Consequently, in order to give meaningfulness to the realization of that sovereignty and independence, and to relate to the international community in a proper and appropriate manner, that State desires to take up membership in this prestigious Organization. 72. In conjunction with Grenada, Saint Lucia and Dominica, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines form part of the Windward Islands group in the Caribbean Sea. The traditions of this group go back through the centuries and are reflected in the interplay of the various cultures and racial combinations in the island States. These are the islands in which the Carib populations were centred, and their history bears evidence of the innumerable battles and struggles with the colonial Powers as a result of which a recognizable civilization arose and remained through the movement of generations. 73. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is the last of the group to attain independence and to seek a place within the portals of the United Nations. But that in no way reduces the role it can and will play within this body politic. There is an English background; there is a French background; there is the motley racial interrelation of the islands themselves-the proverbial pot-pourri, no doubt. Suffice it to say that these islands share a common heritage exemplified in their political relationships as well as in their sporting and recreational pursuits at all levels. 74. Most of us Windward Islands people hold vivid schoolboy memories and lasting friendships cemented through the hospitality rendered by each island in turn in terms of both youth and adult sporting events. This leads us now, in different forums, to forgather in our camaraderie forged in different ways and in different places and projecting a unified attempt to meet and disperse the vicissitudes of international intercourse. Not so long ago Saint Vincent underwent the trauma of a volcanic eruption, which, while it did not in total terms measure up to the ravages of hurricane “David” in Dominica, left that island and the group in general with the stark reality of their excessive vulnerability not only to the ravages of nature but also to the fluctuations of the world economic scene. 75. That has not prevented Saint Vincent and the Grenadines from sharing the common involvement and common aspirations of this grouping in supporting mankind’s quest for peace and in projecting a Westminster form of parliamentary democracy suitably ensconced in the protective custocly of law, order and justice. 77. Every State that seeks admission to the United Nations has already accepted, on its own terms, the obligations and the spirit of the Charter. The aspiration to membership demonstrates the ultimate step towards effectively relating to the problems of the world. It points to assisting in the co-operative efforts within the international community as seen from a disciplined and central perspective and to exercising some role in understanding and projecting the objectives of the Organization in meaningful terms. 78. To look at the size of the State, to examine its resources, to reflect on its ability to carry out the responsibilities and fulfil the objectives set for every State Member of the Organization-but no less similarly entertained by every independent State-is an activity only concomitant with the decision already taken that it is an independent State that seeks admission. One must consider that the United Kingdom, in granting independence, knew and was convinced that Saint Vincent and the Grenadines was capable of honouring and would honour the obligations and accept the responsibilities inherent in the practice of every Member State. 79. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is subject to no less constraint than any other State in its attempt to meet the prerequisites for membership. The expectancy that pervades the scene has been present with regard to each of the sister States that have already attained independence and membership in the United Nations. ‘80. When visiting Ghana in 1956, Mr. Macmillan, then Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, spoke of a “wind of change” in Africa. Twenty-four years later that “wind of change” is blowing throughout the Caribbean. Small, vulnerable sovereign States are coming of age and standing in the corridors waiting to take their rightful places in this body. The United Nations is the elixir of their dreams and -objectives; it is the ultimate goal of their expectations. 81. Saint Lucia readily welcomes the successful outcome of the candidacy of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines for membership in the United Nations. It has, like every State, a role to play therein. We have no doubt that the Council’s decision to recommend to 82. The PRESIDENT (intopretrrtiotz jiom Russitu7). The next speaker is the representative of Trinidad and Tobago, to whom the Council has extended an invitation under rule 37 of its provisional rules of procedure. I invite her to take a place at the Council table and to make her statement. 88. On the occasion of the proclamation of the State of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, on 27 October 1979, the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany and President of the Council of State, Erich Honecker, and the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the German Democratic Republic, Willi Staph, sent cordial congratulations to the Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Mr. Milton Cato, and stated that the German Democratic Republic recognized Saint Vincent as a sovereign and independent State. The independence of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, after overcoming more than 350 years of colonial domination, is one of the conquests of the tireless struggle of peoples for their national and social selfdetermination and the elimination of all surviving remnants uf colonial oppression.

I wish to thank the Security Council for granting me the opportunity to speak. It is indeed an honour and a privilege for my delegation to address the Council on behalf Of the Latin American Group of States on the occasion of the Council’s decision to recommend unanimously to the General Assembly favourable consideration of the application of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines for admission to membership in the United Nations. We welcome this decision most warmly. The attainment of sovereign independence by Saint Vincent and the Grenadines on 27 October 1979 was yet another demonstration of the desire on the part of the international community to give effect to the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter and, in particular, to the principle of equal rights and selfdetermination. The admission of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to membership in the United Nations, as has been recommended by the Security Council, will bring the Organization closer to its goal of universal membership. 89. Twenty years ago, on the initiative of the Soviet Union, the historic Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, contained in General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV), was adopted, In accordance with that Declaration, colonialism and racism were dealt severe and decisive blows. Unfortunately, we have to note that in connection with the imperialist forces’ policy of establishing strong points, a number of peoples, particularly in small territories in which imperialist military bases are situated, are still illegally deprived of the right to self-determination and independent development. My delegation once again confirms here its unswervitig solidarity with the struggle of those peoples and with the peoples of Zimbabwe and Namibia. We are sure that their liberation is an irreversible historical process. 84. The States of the Latin American region are, accordingly, pleased to welcome the newly independent State of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, being fully aware of the fact that it will lend its efforts to those already engaged in building a just and more equitable international economic and political order among States, and we look forward to its full participation within the group. 90. In conclusion, the delegation of the German Democratic Republic would like once again to congratulate the youngest independent State and its people and wish them prosperity and success in their national development.

AS there are no further speakers on my list, I shall now make a statement in my capacity as the representative of the GERMAN DEMOCRATIC RE- PUBLIC, 91, Speaking once again in my capacity as PRESI- DENT of the Security Council, I wish to say that the list of speakers on this item having been exhausted I take it that the Council has concluded its consideration of this item. 86. Guided by the goals of its foreign policy designed to strengthen international peace and security and achieve respect for equality, self-determination and the territorial integrity of States, and also establish an atmosphere of friendship and co-operation among States, the German Democratic Republic voted in favour of the decision of the Security Council to recommend to the General Assembly the admission to membership in the United Nations of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, NOI% 87. We note with particular satisfaction that the recommendation on the admission to membership of HOW TO OBTAIN USITED NATIONS PL’BLIC:\TIONS United Nations publications may br obtained from bookstores and distributors throughout the world. Consult your bookslorc or write to: United Nations, Sales Section, New York or Geneva. COMMENT SE PROCURER LES PUBLICATIONS DES NATIONS UNIES Les publications des Nations Units sent on venta dans les librsiries et les agences d&x&t&es du mondo entier. Informcz-voue nuprh dc votre librnire ou adreeaez-vous B : Nations Unies. Section des ventea, Kew York ou Gcnive. XAK IIOJIYYHTh IX3AAHHII OPrAFXH 3AIl(lIlX OWbE~UHEHHbIX HAVIXFf COMO CONSEGUIR PUBLICACIONES DE LAS NACIONES UNIDAS Las publicaciones de ins Naciones Unidns esln en venta en librerias y casas distribuidoras en todas partes de1 mundo. Consultc a su librero o dirijase a: Naciones Unidas. Secci6n de Ventas, Nueva York o Ginebra. Litho in United Nations, New York 00300 83-61462-December 1985-2.925