ThefirstC.echoslovak President, TomasGarrique Masaryk, believed that 9reatness wasDotamatterofsi.eornumbersofpopulation butratheramatterof inneratrength, truth,culture andeducation, ofthecontribution apersonora Digitized by Dag Hammarskjöld LibraryNS/cam------------------- ... A/45/PV.7 44-45 (Mt.Dignstbier. ClecholloyatiA; nationculIaketo.nrichtheconnontreasury ofhumanity, ofthevaluesheorahe villcreateandoff.rtoothers. Standing onthethreshold ofournevdemOcracy, wevuttoMetthi.chall.ng•• Th.rapid di.int'9ra~lon ofthetotalitarian structures inCentraludBastern Buropevallthefruitoftheactivities ofpeopleyearning toliveinfreedo!lina just, d.mo~ratic udprosperous society. However,itvasalsoa~roofofthefact thatayst••sincapabl. ofr.fl.ction andself-renewal ateverhigher1.vGlaare dOOMedtopassivity, rigidityudultimately toextinction. Manydictators have t.rroris.d people.inthiscentury. ~urewereStalin,Hitler, MUSSOlini, thoro ..r.nUllborllofothersinAsia,Africaul!LatinAmerica. Inthe.nd,th&yalways 1.dth.ir countri.~ tofailure anddefeat. Undoubt.dly, thesecontinuing along .t.ilarlinestodayvlll.n4upinthesameway.That,howev.r, alvaY8coatsalot ofsuffering, mis.ryudh'Q1lulives. ...alsobovfrOllourexperi.iDc. thatthosewhocaulS.sUff.ring alvaY8••ehto justify th~iractions byinvoking loftyideals, theonlytruefaith;theinterest ofthenationIthestruggl. forthebestofworlds. Thon"'maggression 1rJnotu ~r'881on butaholyvaroraliberation struggle, killingiaDOtmurderbutthe def.at02en.mi.8offr.edomorofcriminal elements. IntheUnitedNatioDs, too, wewereencount.ring thatapproach forovel'fourdecades. Digitized by Dag Hammarskjöld LibraryRC/12 Al45/PV.7 46 (Mr.pienstblftr« ClechQAloyakia) IIU'Ihappytonotethat,bytakinganunambiguOUB IItandontheIr.'atii a99re••ionagain~t Kuwait, ourOrqani.ation iscQmlngback-definitively, Ihope- toitarealmission. Onlywiththeendofconfrontation andwiththeEastandthe Kestengaging ingenuine cQ-operation willtheUnitedNatioDs ~eabletoexertmore effective effortsinprOMOting globalsecurity andhumanrights, eradicating famine andunderdevelopment, protecting an4improving theenvironment, combating drug abus.andterrorism andbuilding upmechanisms ofeconomic development and co-operation forthewhOl~worldcommunity. Ifwear.to&ucceed, weneedapeaceful, favourable international environment wherenobodyBuffers toomuchadwhereeverybody hasachance. Naturally, there arediffering priorities astocourse. ofdevelopment. Thewealthier partofthe worldisinaprocess ofeconomic integration. Buropeatpresentisseeking ways ·?warda integration DOtonlyintheeconomic spherebuta180inthepolitical and socialspheres, andperhapsindefence aswell.Mostcountrios oftheSouthhave other prloritie~1 thene.dtocopewithhunger, population explosion, debt, fallingpricesoftheirtraditional products andrawmaterials, lackof investments, aninadequate infrastructure, insufficient levelsofknow-how anda lactofacce.stomoderntechnologies. WebowwellfromourOvllexperience whatitmeustohaveamalfunctioning ecoDomy whichcreates aBystemofever-present shortages andwhatcons.quences that entail. for:thelifeofthesocietyineconomic andmoralterms. Thisisalrsothe rea80Dwhywodonotwanttos.econfirmed theanzieties thatapartofdevelopment assistance, alreadyinsufficient, mightbedrawnoffbscause oftheneedsof Central andBastern Zurope. Inthepest,development assistance wasshrouded innumerous illusions, many Digitized by Dag Hammarskjöld LibraryRC/12 Al4S/N.7 47 (Mr.DilDltbi,r, ClechollQvokia) ofthemvoicede180'inourOrganlaation. ButIvenintheformittookandthe extonttowhichitwasprovided, suchassistance hasresulted inalotofgood. Yet,fundamental iSlueshaveremained unr~Golved. Attimesdevelopment aidwas turnedintoaninstrument ofideological rivalryinthirdworldcountries, withthe Baat-West conflict loominginthebackground. Atpresent, nothing couldbeworse thanthereplacement ofthedisappearing coldwarbipolarity byaDewNorth-South bipolarity. Onehundred yearsago,Rudyard lCipUng saidl"BastisEaltandWestisWest BndDoverthetwainshallmeet". FortheauthoroftheJuggle BQOk,admirer of Asi~,AfricaandthegoldenschoolsoffishatMan~alay, thediff.rence in civililations betweenhisEngland ~dhi'Indiaseemedimpossible toovercome. Fromthemechanical viewpoint ofthatcentury. hecouldnotforeseetheagecf computers. Fromtheperiodofcolonial empires andclearly geographically defined interests, hecouldnotenvision ourglobalcivililation, wherewecanalready determine commonprinciples lead1ngtotheluccessorfailureofouractivities. Now,evenaminoriSluecanbecomeaglobalone- aconflict ofreligioDs or nationalities intheMiddleEastalsomakesitselffeltthrough murdersatan airportinRomeortheOlympics inMunich. WeCllchsandSlovaks highlyvalueourownnational identity. Throughout our history, wehadtostruggle topreserve it.Thetlsperhaps oneofthereaBons why weknowthattheidentity ofpeoplescauotbecODfuse4 withthepolitical