Security Council — Session 33

Most active countries

• United States of America
  15
• Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
  13
• India
  13
• China
  13
• Plurinational State of Bolivia
  13
• Nigeria
  12
• Mauritius
  12
• Canada
  10
• Kuwait
  8
• Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
  8
• United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
  6
• Germany
  6
• Australia
  4
• Tunisia
  4
• France
  4

Top agenda items

• Credentials of representatives to the thirty-third session of the General Assembly: (a) Appointment of the members of the Credentials Com- mittee 25. The TEMPORARY PRESIDENT: Rule 28 of the rules of procedure provides that the General Assembly at the beginning of each session shall appoint, on the proposal of the President, a Credentials Committee consisting of nine members. Accordingly, it is proposed that for the thirty- third session the Credentials Committee should consist of the following Member States: China, Denmark, India, Sierra Leone, Suriname, Thailand, Union of Soviet Socialist It was so decided (decision 33/301 ).
  1 mtg
• Election of five memb'ers of the International Court of Justice
  1 mtg
• Election of the President of the General Assembly 27. The TEMPORARY PRESIDENT I now invite the members of the General Assemb Iy to proceed to the election of the President of the thirty-third session of the General Assembly. Under rule 92 of the rules of procedure, all elections shall be held by secret ballot and there shall be no nominations. However, after consultations with U1e regional groups, I should like to propose that, without constituting a precedent, the Assembly agree to waive rule 92 in this particular election and that, on the basis of the endorsement of his candidacy by all regional groups, we proceed to elect the President of the thirty-third session by acclamation. May I consider that the General Assembly adopts that proposal? It was so decided. 28. The TEMPORARY PRESIDENT: I therefore declare Mr. Indalecio Lievano of Colombia elected President of the thirty-third session of the General Assembly.
  1 mtg
• General debate I. Mr. ROMULO (Philippines): The great English writer, Charles Dickens, began one of his celebrated novels thus: "It was the best of times; it was the worst of times .. ,". I suggest that these words form the theme of this session of the General Assembly. But I should amend them to read that if this is not the worst of times, it is also not the best of times. 2. At every session of the Assembly, we do in fact hover between the brink of hope and the abyss of despair in a recurrent schizoid pattern symbolic of the profound read- justments in the ongoing relations among nations. Reduced to the simplest level, the problems which face this Assembly can be described as the struggle for supremacy among the "haves", and the struggle for equality between the "haves" and the "have-nots". But the two are not unrelated since the consequences of one impinge on the other and suggest strongly that it is not nations but rather issues which are interdependent. 3. We open this, the thirty.third session of the General Assembly, in the afterglow of the agreements on the Middle East reached at Camp David.\ One of the most intractable and danger-fraught questions of our century may have been moved substantially toward a solution as the result of the extraordinary leadership and personal skill of the President of the United States, Mr. Jimmy Carter. Great credit is also due to the President of Egypt, Mr. Anwar EI-Sadat and the Prime Minister of Israel, Mr. Menachem Begin, whose goodwill and earnestness enabled them to discover their r;ommon interest in the search for lasting peace. As y.rith every breakthrough, how it is pursued will determine its ultima te fruits. It is our earnest hope that the road which led to Camp David shall in the future lead to the final healing of wounds caused by a full generation of unre- mitting confrontation in the Middle East. 1 A Framework for Peace in the Middle East Agreed a, Camp David, and Framework for the Conclusion of a Pea~e Trelty between Egypt and Israel, signed in Washington on 17 Septerrbcr 1978. NEW YORK 4. But we should note two things about the Camp David agreements-the first with pleasure and the second with c..ution. The first is that the spirit of Camp David reflects the spirit of Security Council resolution 242 (1967) and in that respect proves the validity and wisdom of that resolution. The second is that the Camp David agreements do not represent a final settlement, but rather a necessary framework. 5, The same note of guarded optimism applies to the situation in black Africa as a whole, with the exceptions of the intractable problems in Zimbabwe and Namibia. Al- though agreements have been reached in principle, these have not notably diminished tensions, 6. In Asia, the signing of the Treaty of Friendship between Japan and the People's Republic of China has added a new dimension to efforts to strengthen the stability of the region. At the same time it has aroused misgivings in some quarters, raising the possibility of fresh tensions in the future. 7. Of more proximate interest to the Philippines and to its partners in the Association of South-East Asian Nations fA SEANj are the conflicts which, unexpectedly as well as dangerously, have flared into armed skirmishes in our region. We feel that these should be settled as qUickly as possible at the negotiating table on terms mutually accept- able to the parties concerned. Within ASEAN itself progress has accelerated markedly in the past year, both in terms of regional economic co-operation and in increased political cohesion. The external relations of ASEAN have also progressed in satisfactory fashion with additional prospects for further co-operation with other countries and inter. national organizations. 8. But tl1is Assembly is faced with two persistent problems which concern the whole of mankind. The first is the problem of disarmament, and the second is the North· South dialogue, most fittingly exemplified in the quest for a New International Economic Order. 9. The apparent lack of progress in the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks between the principal actors in the nuclear drama is the dramatic symbol of the hazards which confront us daily. While the talks continue to lag, vast sums of money are being spent in the development of another generation of weapons .infinitely more so.phisticated and therefore more deadly than the older engmes of destruc- tion. IO. Admitting that disarmament is a slow process, th~re still are a number of confidence-building measures which could be taken in an effort to halt the runaway race for arms superiority.
  1 mtg
• Minute of silent prayer or meditation 2. The TEMPORARY PRESIDENT: I invite represen· tatives to stand and observe one minute of silent prayer or meditation.
  1 mtg
• Opening of the session by the Chairman of the delegation of Yugoslavia 1. The TEMPORARY PRESIDENT: I declare open the thirty·third regular session of the General Assembly.
  1 mtg
• Policies of Gpartheid of the Government of South Africa: (a) Report of the Special Committee a!Plinst Apartheid; (b) Report of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Drafting of an International Convention against Apartheid in Sports; (c) Report of the Secretary-General
  1 mtg
• Policies of apartheid of the Government of South Africa : (a) Report of the Spe.cial Committee agair..\t Apartheid; (b) Report of the Ad Hoc Committee ~n the Drafting of an International Convention against Apartheid in Sports; (c) Re~rt of the Secretary-General
  1 mtg
• Question of Namibia : (a) Report of the Special Committee on the Situation with regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples; (0) Report of the United Nations Council for Namibia Question of Namibia : (a) Report of the Special Committee on the Situation with regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples; (0) Report of the United Nations Council for Namibia 2. It is timely indeed that our session resumes at this moment. The unfortunate fact is that the situation in Namibia has now assumed very serious dimensions and there is urgent need to fmd an early solution to the problem before that situation erupts into wider conflict and bloodshed. We are, of course, very concerned that despite the dedicated and untiring efforts of the United Nations Council for Namibia, independence has still continued to elude the people of Namibia. It is clear that in the South African Government the United Nations has to contend with a ruthless and unscrupulous'regime which is system- atically employing all manner of deceptive and obstruc- tionist tactics to deny the people of Namibia their basic rights ofself-determination and independence.
  1 mtg
• Question of Namibia : (a) R~port of the Special Committee on the Sitwtion with regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples; (b) Report of the United Nations Council for Namibia
  1 mtg