UN General Assembly
1984

166. My country remains concerned, as do other countries in the region, over the continued strengthening and increase of the military presence in the Indian Ocean. Such a situation, further exacerbated by the continuing rivalry between the great Powers, is creating a climate of explosive tension that is of concern to the littoral countries. Desirous of preserving peace and security in that region, my country unreservedly supports the idea of establishing a zone of peace in the Indian Ocean, in keeping with the Declaration of the Indian Ocean as a Zone of Peace, and we reiterate our hope that the international conference scheduled for that purpose will be convened at Colombo. 167. For more than 30 years, the Middle East has frequently been shaken by murderous wars and no end is yet in sight. As we have already stated many times in the Assembly, there can be no doubt that it is Israel's intransigence, dictated by its annexationist and expansionist plans, that stands in the way of a lasting solution to this problem.