UN General Assembly
1991

I cannot but underline how important it is for the international community to sponsor programmes aimed at sustained and equitable economic development. We also favour creative and flexible plans to solve the question of the region's foreign debt, which continues to be a considerable hindrance to the progress and the future of its peoples. Portugal has also been following with great interest the peace process in Central America, a region where the United Nations has played a major role in the search for a negotiated solution to questions that are vital to the stability of the countries involved. In this context we hope that current efforts will lead to true national reconciliation in El Salvador and in Guatemala. Within a framework of dialogue and cooperation, we hope that the eighth meeting of the San Jose conference, to be held in Lisbon, will give a significant impetus to real and harmonious progress in the region.