UN General Assembly
1978

204. Still in the realm of problems that most directly concern us, we cannot refrain from mentioning the case of East Timor, where we believe the United Nations should promote compliance with the resolutions adopted by the General Assembly and the Security Council aimed at allowing the people of the Territory to exercise their legitimate rights to self-determination. The innumerable and relevant resolutions regarding the rights of people to self-determination adopted here in accordance with the principles contained in General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV) have been the basis of the decolonization process that my country has carried out since April 1974. However, the trend of events in the specific case of East Timor has not enabled its people to exercise that right. We therefore urgently appeal to all those who can to intervene in this matter so that the population of the Territory of East Timor may freely express itself regarding its own future.