Since the signing, almost 12 years ago to the day, of the Convention on the Law of the Sea at Montego Bay, Jamaica, the international community has ventured far. A comprehensive legal regime to govern rationally the use and management of the oceans has now come into effect. Fundamental to the comple…
At the outset I should like to thank Ambassador Cissé, Chairman of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, for his introductory comments on the work of the Committee. The Committee continues to be a vital rallying point, both within the United Nations and o…
I should like to thank the Secretary-General for his well-considered report on “An Agenda for Development”, which contains a number of important and constructive proposals for our consideration. The Secretary-General has placed before us a document that reflects the lively discussions held during th…
Sri Lanka’s association with the Asian-African Legal Consultative Committee (AALCC) dates back to its formative years in the mid-1950s. Sri Lanka was privileged to host the Committee’s third session, which was held in 1960 — 34 years ago. Thereafter, two annual sessions of the Committee — those of 1…
Sri Lanka was one of the countries that in 1979 called for the inclusion of this item in the agenda of the thirty-fourth session of the United Nations General Assembly.
During the forty-eighth session, the Open-ended Working Group set up to discuss the question of equitable
The increase in the mem…
I am pleased to announce that Sri Lanka has ratified the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. We consider the entry into force of the Convention on 16 November 1994 as an event of historic global significance.
First, the Convention has now codified complex issues relating to shipping an…
Today the United Nations celebrates one of its greatest triumphs. We welcome a united, non-racial and democratic South Africa to its rightful place as a full Member of this Organization. The
The struggle against apartheid has been a universal one, bringing together the entire membership of the Unit…
