UN General Assembly
1996

﻿On behalf of the delegation of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, I would like to congratulate you warmly, Sir, on your election as President of the General Assembly at its fifty-first session. We are truly proud that you, an experienced representative of Malaysia, a member country of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN), have been elected to this important position. We are confident that, under your guidance, our session will achieve many fine results. Let me take this opportunity to express our high appreciation of the performance of your predecessor, Mr. Diogo Freitas do Amaral. We also hold in high regard the dynamism and perseverance of Secretary- General Boutros Boutros-Ghali in the service of our common cause. Last year at this time, we had the opportunity to take a retrospective look at the world’s development over the past half-century and the role played by the United Nations in this long journey. One year later, the world landscape is still full of contrasts, interwoven with factors and trends of hope and with events and tendencies that