UN General Assembly
1988

Events that have recently developed on the international scene have rekindled the hope of my Government and of many others throughout the world that the purpose of the United Nations is indeed still viable. The positive turning-point in two major regional conflicts which clouded the international atmosphere for more than seven years has been welcomed by the international community. The cease-fire in the Gulf war is a source of great satisfaction to my Government, as it has relieved the international community of a dangerous conflict that could easily have widened into one with far-reaching implications for world peace. The continuation of that war for more than seven years, notwithstanding the numerous appeals of the United Nations to bring it to an end, has indeed been a senseless waste of the human and material resources of both nations.