UN General Assembly
1969

It is difficult to accept the position taken by the great Powers, or by the technologically advanced countries, in favour of a laissez-faire régime of unqualified and indiscriminate freedom. Such a régime would be potentially anarchic and dangerous and would result, above all, in widening the gap which already prevails between those who possess an advanced technology and those who are striving to develop one: We should then see a small number of nations with full access to the riches of the marine environment, enjoying all its advantages, while the majority of nations would helplessly witness the utilization, by that privileged minority, of resources which belong to all. 25. All these positions add up to an open rejection of the commitments undertaken in other organs of the United Nations, and the over-all philosophy of our Organization, aimed at narrowing down the economic disparities among nations. Let us hope that an objective examination of the problem will bring about fair and reasonable solutions.