UN General Assembly
1990

I have been talking about the efforts of the United Nations on regional conflicts. But if we do not want a world where the will of the strongest prevails, we must not undervalue the role the United Nations can and must play in the solution of conflicts through legal means. To that end we must be aware of the need to strengthen the principal legal organ of the United Nations, the International Court of Justice. The Spanish Government thus intends to submit before the end of the year the optional declaration referred to in article 36 of the Statute of the Hague Court, accepting its compulsory jurisdiction. In these times, when East-West tension is ending and new forms of co-operation are appearing, we must speak of the global problems and challenges facing the international community: disarmament, the growing gap between rich and poor countries, drugs, the deterioration of the environment and the need to protect human rights.