UN General Assembly
1990

Regrettably, to the present day fundamental Charter principles have been violated time and again. We have seen the sovereignty of countries repeatedly violated in Angola, Mozambique and elsewhere; we have seen illegal occupation and annexation of territories in the Middle East. We have witnessed the flouting of the right of self-determination and independence in East Timor, the plight of the Timorese people, whose right to choose their destiny has fallen into oblivion and whose lives have been torn apart. Yet those blatant and consistent patterns of disregard for the Charter's principles have not met with strong and vigorous condemnation and action by the United Nations. Turning a blind eye to those principles or violating them whenever it suits the whims and interests of narrow foreign policy objectives means sending mixed signals as to the determination of the United Nations and the Security Council to defend them and impose complete compliance with them.