UN General Assembly
1988

Indeed, we are encouraged by the progress of negotiations among South Africa, Angola and Cuba, with the mediation of the United States and the accord of the Soviet Union. The various agreements the parties have reached thus far and the prospect of finalizing the agreement on the withdrawal of foreign troops enable us to hope that 1988 will be a decisive, if belated, turning-point in the process of Namibia's accession to independence. Clearly, Belgium, as a member of the United Nations Council for Namibia, takes a prime interest in the implementation of Security Council resolution 435 (1978), by which 10 years ago the Security Council adopted a plan for the independence of Namibia on the basis of -general elections under United Nations supervision. This progress, however, does not make me forget that the resolution of Angola's internal problems too is vital to ensuring stability and peaceful coexistence in the region.