Thepeace-keeping rolooftheUnitedNations continues toattract ahighlevel ofinterest andislitelytodo80fortheforeseeable future. Ifpeace-keeping is toberetained asanintegral partofthepeace-making activity ofthe Organization, itmust- Irepeat, must-beaccorded adequate political and financial support. Digitized by Dag Hammarskjöld LibraryJB129 Al4S/PV.9 134 (HL,.Collfps, Ireland) Themandate giventoourpeace-keeping f,orceaisnevaraneasyone.Our forcesoperate underdifficult, indeedoftenhostile conditions. Theirmotivation toservethehigherinterest ofpeaceandstability isandshouldbebeyond question. Everyeffortmustbemadeatthepolitical leveltoensurethatthat co~itment isnotinvain. IfIdwellonthis,itisbecause mycountry has,whenasked,givenliberally, andbecause webelieve in.theimportance ofthisrole.Inparticular, Ireland has participated intheUnitedNations Interim Force ~nLebanon (UHIFIL) sinceits establishment in1978.Thathal!inotbeenwithout humancost.Thirty-one Irish soldiers havediedvhileonservice withUNIFIL, 11ofthembyhostilefire.Our involvement, however, willcontinue asaconcrete expression ofIreland's ~upport forbringing peacetoLebanon. IftheUnitedNationsistocarryouttheexpanded functions inprospect in thepeace-keeping area,itmustbegivenadequate resources todoso. Prope~ funding, clearguidance andthepolitical willofthemembership areallnecessary infullmeasure toensureasustained effort. Wehaveachallenge beforeusto emulat~ theefforts ~JpastyearsinordertomaketheUnitedNations system relevant inthepromotion ofpeace ~~ddemocracy internationally. Thepromotion ofhumanrightsandfundamental freedoms isinscribed inthe CharteroftheUnitedNations andint~eUniversal Declaration ofHumanRights, as wellasinthetwointernational Treaties onhumanrights, whichguide 80muchof ourworkinthisfield. InDecember 1909,Irelandratified boththeInternatioDal Covenant onCivilandPolitical Rights, andtheInternational Covenant onEconomic, SocialandCultural Rights. Atthesametime,Ireland accededtotheFirst Optional Protocol tothefo~erCovenant, whichper,mits complaints byindividuals. Itherefore reaffl~ Ireland's wholehearted commitment totheprinciples enshrined inthoseCovenants andthepractices theyimply. Digitized by Dag Hammarskjöld LibraryJII/29 AI..S/PV.9 135 (Mr.eolll»" IrelADA) Throughout thevorld.therearestillsomecO\U1trie. wherethehuman ~ights 8ituatioll i8le8.thansatisfactory. wherepol1tii:el andSOCilllsysteml§ contInua to ••i8tiawhichhumanrightsandfundem8ntal freedQms areviolated. Irishpublic opinion continues tofollowwithconcern thethreatstohumanrightsthatItill ••iat. Digitized by Dag Hammarskjöld Library1M130W..5/PV.9 136 (Mt,CollinG« Irelagd) NewelcOIIO thecontinued improvement inEast-West relations odthegenuinely revolutionary developments inCentrol andEaster~ Burope. Thepolitical andsocial orderestablished asanoutcome o~theSecondWorldWarhasbeenoverturned bythe clearly ezpressed villofthepeople, ozpresse4 initially through peaceful mass demonstrations andrestated throughthedemocratic elections thathavetaken place.Inmostofthoeecountries moribund political andeconomic systems have beenreplaced byvibrant Dewdemocracies thatarenowbeingconsolidated, while refor.msareunderwaytobringaboutmarket-oriented economic systems. Animportant .ymbolofllIuchchangesistherapidprocessofGerman unification. Thi!lunityisapositive factorinthedevelopment ofBuropeasa wholean4oftheBuropean Community inparticular. Itistakingplacefreelyand democratically, infullrespectoftherelevant agreements andtreaties andofall tbeprinciples defined bytheHelsinki FinalAct,inaconteztofdialogue and East-West co-operation. Wewholeheart~dly welcome thosedevelopments andare p16dgedtosupport thominappropriate ways,bothbybilateral actionandthrough ourmembership oftheEuropean Community. Theoverallpositive trendisencouragitig andsuggests thatitiapossible to establish newrelationships toreplacetheRistrust thathasdominated Europefor almost45year.andtheconfrontation between twomv~'~lly antagoni8tic and mistrustful alli~nces. Theartificial division ofEuropemustgivewaytounity basedODmutualtrustandtherecognition ofthecommonEuropean identity and interdependence. Inourviewthemostappropriate waytodothisistoenhance and