UN General Assembly
1981

182. Mr. President, permit me first of all to express to the General Assembly our profound appreciation for the confidence it has placed in our country, Iraq, by electing you to the presidency of the current session. Iraq, as one of the founding Members of the United Nations, will take this honor as an added impetus, despite the persistent efforts by some Powers in the opposite direction, for the intensification of our efforts towards the achievement of the purposes of the United Nations and the implementation of its principles in such a way as to serve the rights and interests of peoples in freedom, sovereignty, independence and wellbeing. 183 . I should also like to pay a tribute to your predecessor, Mr. Rudiger von Wechmar, for the distinguished efforts he made in presiding over the General Assembly throughout a busy year.