UN General Assembly
1986

"today - this very day - we observe the fortieth anniversary of the conclusion of the Paris Agreement between Austria and Italy, signed by two great statesmen, Alcide de Gasperi and Karl Gruber. This agreement aims at protecting the German speaking population in the South Tyrol. This anniversary should remind us that, notwithstanding the major progress achieved so far, essential autonomy provisions agreed upon in 1969 remain yet to be implemented. This applies in particular to a center-piece of autonomy, the use of the German language in court and in police and civil proceedings, causing continuing and justified concern among South Tyroleans and the Austrian Government. In this regard arrangements have been envisaged some two weeks ago by South Tyrolean representatives and the Government of Italy. They offer hope that final agreement by the Italian Government will follow soon. Our expectations have been further heightened by the recent declaration of Foreign Minister Giulio Andreotti that the Italian Government intends to enact all other remaining provisions for this autonomy as soon as possible.