colonialist legacy; inthisconnection, ourOrganization hasta~endecisions guaranteeing theself-determination oftheNamibian people. Weshallfightall necessary diplomatic battlesuntilfreedom andjustice arerestored inthat esteemed AfricanTerritory. Ablemishpersists onthisplanet: Racialdiscrimination isstillpresent in SouthAfrica. Thelatesteventsinthatcountry haveonceagainshownthetruth abouttheinfamous Pretoria regime, which,inthewordsofPopeJohnPaulII, undermines theentirehumanrace.DlS/18 A/40/PV~4 79-80 (Mr.Ramirez OC;unpo# Colombia) Wereaffirm theneedforbothArgentina andGreatBritain toreturntothe negotiating tableandresumethedialogue thatwillenablethemtoreconcile Argentine sovereignty overtheMalvinas Islands withtheinterests oftheislanders. Itpleases ustoseethattalksbetween thetwoKoreashavebeenresumed, a.longwithexchanges ofvisits byeconomic, sporting andRedCrossgroupsfromboth countries. Weareconvinced thatthePeaceful routeofmutualunderstanding isthe onlywaytocometoasatisfactory agreement. Wealsoexpress ourfirmhopethatajustandviablesolution willbefoun1 forthequestion ofCyprus, inconformity withUnitedNations resolutions; werenew oursupport forthemission undertaken bytheSecretary-General inthisconnection. Itwas10yearsagointhisveryAssembly thatColombia firststatedits position withregardtotherightsofequatorial Statessuchasoursinthe synchronous geostationary orbit. Sincethen,wehaveparticipated intensively in theappropriate forumstoobtainuniversal acceptance ofourtheses, basedonan assertion ofoursovereignty andonthesearchforequityintheframework ofanew bodyofspacelaw,whichwasinaugurated onlyin1957,withthelaunching ofthe firstSPUTNIK andwhichcoversoneofthemostbreath-taking adventures of twentieth-century man. Colombia looksforward toanopendooronactiveandequitable international co-operation, takingintoaccount therightsofdeveloping countries andthe special geographical location oftheequatorial nations.* *ThePresident returned totheChair.BG/l9 A/-40/PV ..-4 81 (Mr..Ramirez OCampo, Co~ombia) Theideaisthataccesstothislimited natural resource willservetoclose, notwiden,thetechnological gapinspace,asoneoftheelements thatmustdefine thenewinternational economic orderforwhichwearestriving. Extremely important decisions havebeentakenduringthese10years;more specifically, atViennaattheUnitedNations Conference ontheExploration and Peaceful UsesofouterSpace(UNISPACE-82), wherethemainprinciples ofequity werelaiddownforthepeaceful useofthegeostationary orbitintheserviceof allmankind, andnotonlyofthegreatspacePowers. AttheConference ofPlenipotentiaries oftheInternational Telec~mmunication Union(ITU)inNairobi, alsoheldin1982,onthebasisofaproposal byColombia, articles 10and33oftheInternational Telecommunicatiqn Convention weremodified topermitaneljuitable, efficient andeconomic useofthegeostationary satellite orbit,takingintoaccount thespecific needsofdeveloping countries andthe special geographical location ofcertain countries. IntheCommittee onthePaaceful UsesofOUterSpace,Colombia, together with Ecuador, KenyaandIndonesia, submitted adraftcontaining principles designed to permitestablishing specialsetoflegalrulesforthegeostationary orbit,adraft regarded bythedeveloping counlries asthebasisfornegotiations toestablish a suigeneris legalregimethattakesintoaccount thetechnical, legalandeconomic aspects oftheproblem. Recently, theConference ontheuseoftheorbitandtheplanning ofthespace services thatwoulduseit,convened bytheInternational Telecommunication Union (ITO)inGeneva, declared itselfincompetent todecideonoursovereign rightsin theorbit,anditempowered theSecretary-General ofthatUnitedNations specialized age~cytoaddress theSecretary-General oftheUnitedNations and, through him,theCommittee onOuterSpace,inordertohavethisbasicquestion analyseq anddefined.A/40/PV.4 82BG/19----~-------I I (Mr.Ramirez OCampo, Colombia) Wehavethusentered anewstageinwhichtheUnitedNationswillbeableto confirm, asinthecaseofthelawofthesea,itscapacity toreassert the sovereignty ofcountries occupying aspecific geographical location. Inrecentyearswehavehelplessly witnessed a·process ofdeterioration in multilateral co-operation asaresultofthegrowing preference ofStatesfor bilateral relationships fromwhichtheyexpecttoobtainpolitical andeven economic dividends. Multilateralism isthemost approprht~ andfai!'mechanism for disseminating theproducts ofgenerosity andgoodwill totheneediest countries, without anyformofconditions ordiscrimination. Therehasbeenanunfortunate weakening ofsomeunitedNations agencies that haverendered invaluable services tohumanity inthepastasaresultofthe
**Analysis**
This text appears to be a speech or statement from a representative of Colombia at the United Nations, discussing various international issues and emphasizing the country's stance on specific topics. The speech touches on themes such as sovereignty, colonialism, racial discrimination, and international cooperation, with a focus on the use of space and the geostationary orbit. The text also mentions the importance of multilateralism and the need for a new international economic order.

**Category**
Science and technology, International relations