zation of the United Nations system, as a whole. 167. The PRESIDENT: I call next on the Minister for Foreign Affairs of France, Mr. Roland Dumas. 168. Mr. DUMAS (France) (interpretation from French): I shall limit my words to consideration of the role of the Security Council, as that is the item on our agenda. 169. This meeting is without precedent. There was, indeed, in 1970, a Security Council meeting at the ministe- rial level [2555th meeting], but that meeting-and inciden- tally, not all members were represented by their Minister-took place in private. For that reason it had no impact on international public opinion. 170. Today’s meeting is a public one. We wanted it to be so, for while quiet diplomacy may have its virtues, and that is often useful, even necessary, it is not the natural role of the Council, which was designed to take public positions. 171. This is, in our view, even more necessary 40 years after the entry into force of the Charter of the United Nations, at a time when the speed of means of transmis- sion and the impact of audiovisual means of communica- tion make it essential for there to be a close link between international public opinion and the persons and organs responsible for diplomatic actions. 172. We must recognize, however, that, far from growing stronger, this link has actually weakened and that today there is a real gulf between the Council and world public opinion. The image and prestige of the Council have been harmed over the past few years, and this in turn has affected the Organization as a whole. In fact, the strength of the Organization depends to a large extent on the bal- ance between the Security Council, which is more action- 
**Analysis**
This text appears to be a diplomatic speech discussing the role of the Security Council and its relationship with international public opinion. The speaker is highlighting the importance of transparency and public visibility in the Council's actions, suggesting that the current state of affairs is detrimental to the Organization as a whole. Given the context and themes presented, it is likely that the text is related to international relations and governance.

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