UN General Assembly
1982

from the illegal occupation from which it is suffering. Peru, an active member of the Special Committee against apartheid; condemns and rejects this practice, which is an infringement of human dignity. 31. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea' is the fruit of a long and arduous effort to reconcile the rights and interests of States in different circumstances by means of universal rules ensuring the rational utilization of the ocean areas not as an instrument of hegemony but as an instrument of justice, peace, security, co-operation, development and well-being for all peoples. Each State must now evaluate the advantages of a legal order, respect for and implementation of which would protect their most essential rights and interests both within and outside zones of national jurisdiction. My Government is making such an assessment in the light of certain provisions of our Constitution and the laws of our Republic. It will be for the Congress of my country to express its approval or disapproval of the Convention. Meanwhile we shall follow with close attention