UN General Assembly
1987

It is obvious that the improvement in East-West relations does not, of itself, imply a solution to regional crises. Solutions can result only from the efforts of the countries directly concerned and action by the international community to bring about conditions conducive to the success of those efforts, Europeans, who in the past have been torn by fratricidal wars and are today resolutely committed to building a common future, know this well. France, for its part, is ready to contribute to any regional attempt to settle conflicts and to act in a way that may allow Europe to contribute. The serious economic and financial problems besetting the international community reveal the extent to which all too often selfish, short-term responses still prevail over awareness of the necessary Interdependence and shared interests. In this respect the European experiment is showing the way.