UN General Assembly
1992

efforts, and the scope of these efforts is increasing. Suffice it to mention Cambodia, Somalia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Since the United Nations is already heavily overburdened, we welcome the Secretary-General's call upon European regional organizations to carry out peace-keeping functions in accordance with Chapter VIII of the Charter, as in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Despite the substantial Danish contribution to the United Nations Protection Force, we remain committed to further contributions to United Nations peace-keeping operations, both in Europe and in other parts of the world. Let me add, however, that a peace-keeping operation must be seen as an interim offer to the parties to a conflict, and thus must be limited to a few years. A peace-keeping operation must never, by the mere length of its existence, turn out to be an excuse for the parties not to seek a negotiated settlement of their dispute. In fulfilling its mandate as the guardian of peace, the United Nations has an important role to play by contributing to social and economic