TNAG-1151-FCO40-1431-Relations-between-Hong-Kong-and-the-United-Nations-1983 — Page 56

UND

DSR 11C

8. The second principle of the United Nations is

respect for human rights both individual and

collective. The rights of the individual are

و گستر

entrenched in the UN Declaration to which we have all

subscribed. It remains for us to ensure they are

observed. In all too many countries the spirit and the

letter of the UN Declaration are persistently and

deliberately ignored.

UND

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HKGD

SED WIAD

9. Among collective rights perhaps the most important,

and that which is repeatedly stressed in the Charter of

the United Nations, is the right to self-determination.

Britain's support for self-determination is, and always

has been, fundamental to our foreign policy. It is

indeed thanks to our scrupulous application of the

principle of self-determination that nearly fifty

members of this Assembly can take their places here

today. It is thanks to our respect for self-determination that the legacy of our imperial part

has been, not bitterness or suspicion, but the

friendship and cooperation of the Commonwealth.

UND

10. But in working for decolonisation we were only

applying a principle which we had long supported.

Early in the 19th century Britain recognised the

struggle of the newly emerging Latin American nations

for independence.

We stood by them and gave them

support. We were among the first to realise the