UN General Assembly
1986

The foreign debt must be paid, for reasons of international ethics. But payment is impossible unless there is a rise in the exports of the debtor countries. To increase exports, internal adjustments in the economic policies of the countries are admittedly required. Nevertheless, all efforts are useless as long as the developed world does not abandon its protectionist policy. Protectionism imposes a heavy burden on the national communities which subsidize the high cost of producing certain goods; and at the same time, it is unfair and prejudicial to the countries that could produce them more economically This is one of the hardest things for Latin America to bear. On other continents, our products are discriminated against; and no hegemonic bloc applies any kind of protectionist formula in our favor. In other words, the system brings us nothing but harm.