UN General Assembly
1989

The Cyprus question, too, remains unresolved. Negotiations should be encouraged between the leaders of the two ethnic communities, mediated by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, on a settlement that would meet the interests of the entire Cypriot people. In today's international conditions and in view of the requirements of tomorrow, international law assumes increasing importance for the security of States and good-neighbourly co-operation. Nothing could conceivably be more effective than such principles as the prohibition of the threat or use of force and the obligation to settle disputes peacefully. The German Democratic Republic therefore supports the initiative of the non-aligned countries to have a decade of international law adopted by the United Nations for the next ten years. In our view, the most urgent tasks in strengthening the international order of law which must be the foundation of an order of peace are, first, to bring about a reliable consensus on the interpretation and application of existing principles as enshrined in the United Nations Charter.