proud of yotir position. Your wisdom, good sense and long experience in public affairs cannot but be an asset to this Council. Please, Mr.President, be assured of the fullest co-operation of my delegation during your tenure of office. 3. I should like also to express the gratitude of my delegation to my good friend the Ambassador of Peru for the way he presided over the deliberations of the Council last month. He had a difficult task, but he acquitted himself with distinction. 4. The Security Council is once again meeting to discuss the question of Southern Rhodesia. This particular meeting stems from Council resolution 320 (1972), which requested the sanctions Committee “to consider the type of action which could be taken in view of the open and persistent refusal of South Africa and Portugal to implement sanctions against the illegal r&me in Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe)“. It is therefore fundamental that whatever action this Council now takes should squarely meet the situation which caused the Council last year to adopt that resolu- tion-namely, it should take action vis-li-vis the posture of non-co-operation and open defiance of Portugal and South Africa. 5. The situation in Southern Rhodesia itself continues to be grave. Opposition to the illegal white r&me has increased-as was expected, for it would be unrealistic to expect a whole people, in the twentieth century, to suffer the scourge of colonialism in silent inactivity. Thus, since last December, the conflict has assumed serious dimensions, pointing to a situation threatening peace and security in that part of Africa. Not that we take any comfort in the loss of life; we see it as unnecessary and a direct result of settler obduracy. The Smith rbgjme, however, instead of learning from its mistakes, has met the situation by sentencing captured freedom fighters to death and has now 
**Analysis**
The text appears to be a speech or statement made by a representative of a country in the United Nations Security Council, addressing the issue of Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). The speaker mentions the conflict in Southern Rhodesia, the refusal of South Africa and Portugal to implement sanctions, and the humanitarian consequences of the situation. The text does not mention specific economic or industrial policies, but rather focuses on the political and humanitarian aspects of the conflict.

**Category**
Humanitarian aid and relief, International relations