he is responsible to them for his actions. It ia sad that human beings must suffer from the conrequeaces of the mad actions of their leaders, but it is prefertable to suffer from hunger rather than to be eliminated in a war. We do not forget that the wars of recent decades have left so many civilian %ead. Colombia prefers sanctione, however painful and costly, over war. RM/15 WPV.2939 71 m (interpretation from Russian): I thank the representative of Colombia for his kinds words addressed to me. I should now like to make a statement in my capacity as representative of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. The aggression by Iraq against the State of Kuwait and the subsequent annexation of that State were described by the Security Council as a breach of international peace and security. Five Security Council resolutions, each logically flowing from the context of the evolving situation, have been adopted in answer to Iraq's actions. The international consensus with regard to the Iraqi aggression has been unequivocal: Iraq must withdraw immediately and unconditionally from XUWait, restore the legitimate government of Kuwait and release all hostages hela in Iraq and Xuwait. The Soviet Union actively participated in the drafting of those resolutions and voted in favour of all of them. We were unable to act in any other way becaune the principles and norms of international law cannot be cast aside. The very nature of Iraq's conduct - and it had sufficient time to comply properly with the resolutions of the Security Council and redress its actions - has given us no other choice. Aa we know, at the very beginning of the crisis the Soviet Union laid the main emphasis on collective efforts based on the full use of the machinery and potential of the united Rations. It gave unequivocal preference to a solution of tie crisis by diplomatic 
**Analysis**
The text appears to be a diplomatic statement, discussing international relations, conflicts, and the actions of governments. It does not mention specific economic, environmental, or social issues, but rather focuses on the political and legal aspects of a crisis. The language used is formal and diplomatic, suggesting that the text is a formal statement or declaration.

**Category**
International humanitarian aid and relief, Politics and diplomacy