UN General Assembly
1987

In the Gulf two proud, independent countries, themselves both founding Members of the United Nations, have been mauling each other relentlessly for seven years. That is almost twice as long as the First World War. We have before our eyes the image of hundreds of thousands of corpses, young people blown up, gunned down or gassed to death, civilians on both sides mercilessly bombed. The combatants have moreover extended this senseless destruction and loss of life into the international waters of the Gulf. Only two days ago another British vessel, the Gentle Breeze was attacked with loss of innocent life. This was a disgraceful and unprovoked act of aggression against an unarmed vessel, the sixth attack on a British ship in the Gulf.