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MDHIAN 3372
5. WE LIVE IN AN INCREASINGLY INTERDEPENDENT WORLD, IN WHICH VERY FEW PROBLEMS CAN BE SOLVED BY ANY COUNTRY ALONE. THE VERY EXISTENCE OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY REFLECTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THIS FACT. A YEAR AGO MY COLLEAGUE, THE DANISH FOREIGN MINISTER, HOLDING THE PRESIDENCY OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY STATED THAT WITH THE ENTRY INTO FORCE OF THE SINGLE EUROPEAN ACT THE COMMUNITY HAD ENTERED INTO A NEW PHASE OF CLOSE COLLABORATION. I CAN ADD TODAY THAT, IN FACT THE COMMUNITY HAS EMBARKED UPON A
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STAGE OF ITS DEVELOPMENT THAT IS CHARACTERISED BY A NEW MOMENTUM FOR INTEGRATION COMBINED WITH RENEWED CONFIDENCE IN OUR COMMON FUTURE. WE HAVE MADE HEADWAY TOWARDS THE OBJECTIVE OF ADVANCING EUROPEAN UNITY AND TRANSFORMING OUR RELATIONS AS A WHOLE INTO A EUROPEAN UNION. WE HAVE INCREASED OUR EFFORTS JOINTLY TO FORMULATE AND IMPLEMENT A EUROPEAN FOREIGN POLICY THUS STRIVING TO PROMOTE PEACE AND STABILITY IN EUROPE AND THE WORLD. THE COMMUNITY IS NOT, HOWEVER, AN INWARD-LOOKING ORGANIZATION. IT IS INSPIRED BY AN OPEN SPIRIT OF CO-OPERATION AND ACTIVE PARTI- CIPATION IN SOLVING THE POLITICAL, ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL PROBLEMS AFFECTING THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY.
6.
THE TWELVE HAVE LONG SUPPORTED AND ACTIVELY CONTRIBUTED TO THE PROCESS OF IMPROVEMENT IN EAST-WEST RELATIONS AND ARE DETER- MINED TO CONTINUE TO WORK IN THIS DIRECTION IN A REALISTIC AND CONSTRUCTIVE MANNER. THEY WELCOME NOT ONLY THE DEVELOPMENTS IN THE SOVIET UNION AND EASTERN EUROPE WHICH LEAD TO OPENINGS OF THE POLITICAL SYSTEMS AND THE ECONOMIES OF THESE COUNTRIES BUT ALSO THE NEW ATTITUDE TOWARDS OUTSIDE WORLD NOW APPARENT IN A NUMBER OF EASTERN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES. THE CHANGES CONTRIBUTE TO CONSOLI- DATING AND INTENSIFYING EAST WEST RELATIONS. IT IS ONLY BETWEEN OPEN SOCIETIES WHICH GET TO KNOW ONE ANOTHER AND COMMUNICATE WITHOUT BARRIERS, THAT REAL TRUST CAN BE CREATED, THIS BEING THE ONLY RELIABLE BASIS FOR LASTING SECURITY.
6 (BIS) IN THIS CONTEXT EFFORTS REGARDING ARMS CONTROL AND DIS- ARMAMENT ARE OF GREAT IMPORTANCE. SINCE OUR LAST GENERAL ASSEM- BLY, WE HAVE WITNESSED VERY POSITIVE DEVELOPMENTS IN THIS FIELD, ABOVE ALL THE SIGNATURE AND RATIFICATION OF THE INF AGREEMENT, A WESTERN INITIATIVE WHICH THE TWELVE FULLY SUPPORTED. MANY OF THE TREATY'S PROVISIONS SET IMPORTANT PRECEDENT FOR FUTURE AGREEMENTS ON ARMS CONTROL, IN PARTICULAR ASYMMETRICAL REDUCTIONS AND INTRU- SIVE VERIFICATION PROCEDURES.
THE TWELVE FULLY SUPPORT EFFORTS TO BRING ABOUT A 508 REDUCTION
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