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UNITED STATES' CONCERNS TO OTHER NATIONS AND TO WORK JOINTLY TO BRING ABOUT THE NEEDED CHANGES IN THE ILO. FOR A TIME IT APPEARED THAT PROGRESS WAS BEING MADE IN THESE EFFORTS.
WHEN THIS ADMINISTRATION TOOK OFFICE WE CONDUCTED A THOROUGH REVIEW OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES THAT HAD PROMPTED THE
1975 LETTER AND THE EVENTS SINCE THEN. WE HAD HOPES THAT THE JUNE 1977 ILO CONFERENCE WHICH I ATTENDED WOULD TAKE ACTION TO BRING ABOUT THE NECESSARY CHANGES. TO OUR REGRET, THE RESULTS OF THAT CONFERENCE WERE DISAPPOINTING. A MAJORITY OF THE DELEGATES REFUSED TO HALT THE ORGANIZATION'S MOVEMENT AWAY FROM ITS ACCEPTED PRINCIPLES AND PROCEDURES. WE THEREFORE DECIDED TO PERMIT OUR NOTICE OF WITHDRAWAL FROM THE ILO TO TAKE EFFECT.
I DO NOT WANT OUR WITHDRAWAL FROM THE ILO TO BE MISINTERPRETED. THIS ACTION DOES NOT DIMINISH OUR CONTINUED COMMITMENT TO INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS OR THE IMPORTANCE WE ATTACHED TO THE EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF THESE ORGANIZATIONS. TO THE CONTRARY, OUR DEEP BELIEF IN THE IMPORTANT ROLE OF INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS HAS LED US TO MAKE CLEAR THAT THERE ARE LIMITS TO WHICH AN ORGANIZATION LIKE THE ILO CAN GO.
I AM OPTIMISTIC THAT THE ILO WILL MAKE THE CHANGES NECESSARY FOR US TO REJOIN THE ORGANIZATION. I HOPE THAT IN A SHORT TIME WE WILL IN GOOD CONSCIENCE BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE ILO AGAIN.
ILO AGAIN. OUR COMMITMENT TO WHAT THE ILO STOOD FOR IN THE PAST AND THE ORGANIZATION'S POTENTIAL IS UNDIMINISHED. EQUALLY UNDIMINISHED IS OUR COMMITMENT TO WORK TOGETHER WITH OTHER COUNTRIES ON IMPORTANT LABOR MATTERS.
THIS ADMINISTRATION WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR EVENTS IN GENEVA VERY CLOSELY. ONE INDICATION OF OUR CONTINUING INTEREST IN THE ILO IS THE DECISION TO MAINTAIN THE CABINET-LEVEL COMMITTEE ON THE ILO WHICH I CHAIR.
I INTEND TO CONVENE ANOTHER MEETING OF THE CABINET-LEVEL COMMITTEE IN THE NEAR FUTURE. WE WILL CONTINUE TO WORK TOWARD THE DAY WHEN WE CAN REJOIN THIS POTENTIALLY VALUABLE INTERNATIONAL AGENCY. (END TEXT)
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