[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1992, Book I)]
[January 31, 1992]
[Pages 175-177]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks to the United Nations Security Council in New York City

January 31, 1992
    Thank you, Mr. President, for your key role in convening this first-
ever summit of the United Nations Security Council.
    Fellow members and Mr. Secretary-General, congratulations to you, 
sir, as you take office at this time of tremendous challenge and 
opportunity. And for the United States, it's a high honor to 
participate, to speak at this history-making event.
    We meet at a moment of new beginnings for this institution and, 
really, for every member nation. And for most of its history, the United 
Nations was caught in a cold-war crossfire. And I think back to my days 
here in the early seventies as a Permanent Representative, of the way 
then polemics displaced peacekeeping. And long before I came on the 
scene and long after I left, the U.N. was all too often paralyzed by 
cruel ideological divisions and the struggle to contain Soviet 
expansion. And today, all that's changed. And the collapse of imperial 
communism and the end of the cold war breathe new life into the United 
Nations.
    It was just one year ago that the world saw this new, invigorated 
United Nations in action as this Council stood fast against aggression 
and stood for the sacred principles enshrined in the U.N. Charter. And 
now it's time to step forward again, make the internal reforms, 
accelerate the revitalization, accept the responsibilities necessary for 
a vigorous and effective United Nations. I want to assure the members of 
this Council and the Secretary-General, the United Nations can count on 
our full support in this task.
    Today, for these brief remarks, I'll talk not on the economic and 
social agenda so eloquently addressed by President Borja, but rather 
I'll mention the proliferation of mass destruction, regional conflicts, 
destabilizing renegade regimes that are on the horizon, terrorism, human 
rights. They all require our immediate attention.
    The world also challenges us to strengthen and sustain positive 
change. And we must advance the momentous movement toward democracy and 
freedom--democratization, I believe Boutros-Ghali called this, our 
distinguished Secretary-General--and expand the circle of nations 
committed to human rights and the rule of law. It's an exciting 
opportunity for our United Nations, and we must not allow it to slip 
away.
    Right now, across the globe, the U.N. is working night and day in 
the cause of peace. And never before in its four decades has the U.N.'s 
Blue Helmets and Blue Berets been so engaged in the noble work of 
peacekeeping, even to the extent of building the foundation for free 
elections. And never before has the United Nations been so ready and so 
compelled to step up to the task of peacemaking, both to resolve hot 
wars and to conduct that forward-looking mission known as preventive 
diplomacy.
    We must be practical as well as principled as we seek to free people 
from the specter of conflict. We recognize every nation's obligation to 
invest in peace. As con-

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flicts are resolved and violence subsides, then the institutions of free 
societies can take hold. And as they do, they become our strongest 
safeguards against aggression and tyranny.
    Democracy, human rights, the rule of law, these are the building 
blocks of peace and freedom. And in the lives of millions of men and 
women around the world its import is simple. It can mean the difference 
between war and peace, healing and hatred, and where there is fear and 
despair, it really can mean hope.
    We look to the Secretary-General to present to this Council his 
recommendations to ensure effective and efficient peacekeeping, 
peacemaking, and preventive diplomacy. And we look forward to exploring 
these ideas together.
    We have witnessed change of enormous breadth and scope, all in but a 
few short years. A remarkable revolution has swept away the old regimes 
from Managua to Moscow. But everywhere, free government and the 
institutions that give it form will take time to flourish and mature.
    Free elections give democracy a foothold, but true democracy means 
more than simply the rule of the majority. It means an irrevocable 
commitment to democratic principles. It means equal rights for 
minorities. And above all, it means the sanctity of even a single 
individual against the unjust power of the state.
    The will of the majority must never degenerate into the whim of 
majority. This fundamental principle transcends all borders. Human 
dignity, the inalienable rights of man, these are not the possessions of 
the state. They're universal. In Asia, in Africa, in Europe, in the 
Americas, the United Nations must stand with those who seek greater 
freedom and democracy. And that is my deep belief; that is the belief of 
the American people. And it's the belief that breathes life into the 
great principle of the universal declaration of human rights.
    Our changed world is a more hopeful world, indeed, but it is not 
absent those who would turn back the clock to the darker days of threats 
and bullying. And our world is still a dangerous world, rife with far 
too many terrible weapons.
    In my first address here to the United Nations as President, I 
challenged the Soviet Union to eliminate chemical weapons and called on 
every nation to join us in this crusade, His Majesty King Hassan of 
Morocco making this point so well right here today. What greater cause 
for this great body: to make certain the world has seen the last of 
these terrible weapons. And so, let us vow to make this year the year 
all nations at long last join to ban this scourge.
    There is much more to do regarding weapons of mass destruction. Just 
3 days ago, in my State of the Union Message here, I announced the 
steps, far-reaching, unilateral steps, that we will take to reduce our 
nuclear arsenal. And these steps affect each element in our strategic 
triad, the land, the sea, and the air.
    In addition to these unilateral steps, we are prepared to move 
forward on mutual arms reduction. I noted his constructive comments here 
today, and tomorrow, in my meeting with President Yeltsin, we will 
continue the search for common ground on this vitally important issue. 
He responded with some very serious proposals just the other day.
    We welcome, the world welcomes statements by several of the new 
States that won independence after the collapse of the U.S.S.R. that 
they will abide by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. And yet, 
realism requires us to remain vigilant in this time of transition.
    The danger of proliferation remains. And again, let me single out 
the earlier remarks by the President of the French Republic, President 
Mitterrand, on this subject, the clarion call to do something about it. 
We must act together so that from this time forward, people involved in 
sophisticated weapons programs redirect their energies to peaceful 
endeavors.
    We'll do more in cooperation with our allies to ensure that 
dangerous materials and technology don't fall into the hands of 
terrorists or others. And we will continue to work with these new States 
to ensure a strong commitment in word and deed to all global 
nonproliferation standards.
    Today, the threat of global nuclear war is more distant than at any 
time in the nuclear era. Drawing down the old cold war ar-

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senals will further ease that dread. But the specter of mass destruction 
remains all too real, especially as some nations continue to push to 
acquire weapons of mass destruction and the means to deliver them.
    Our triumph in the Gulf is testament to the U.N.'s mission. Its 
security is a shared responsibility. Today, this institution spearheads 
a quarantine against the outlaw regime of Saddam Hussein. It is the 
strong belief of my country that we must keep sanctions in place and 
take the following steps to preserve our common security: We must 
continue to focus on Iraq's capability to build or maintain weapons of 
mass destruction. And we must make clear to the world and, most 
important, to the people of Iraq that no normalization is possible so 
long as Saddam Hussein remains there, remains in power.
    As on all of the urgent issues I've mentioned today, progress comes 
from acting in concert, and we must deal resolutely with these renegade 
regimes, if necessary, by sanctions or stronger measures, to compel them 
to observe international standards of behavior. We will not be blind to 
the dangers we still face. Terrorists and their state sponsors must know 
there will be serious consequences if they violate international law.
    Two weeks ago, this Council, in unity, sent a very strong message to 
Libya. And let me repeat today Resolution 731, passed unanimously by 
this body, by the Security Council, calls on Libya to comply fully with 
the requests of three states on this Council. And I would just like to 
use this meeting today to call on Libya to heed the call of the Security 
Council of the United Nations.
    Last year in the Gulf, in concert, we responded to an attack on the 
sovereignty of one nation as an assault on the security of all. So, let 
us make it our mission to give this principle the greatest practical 
meaning in the conduct of nations.
    Today, we stand at another crossroads. Perhaps the first time since 
that hopeful moment in San Francisco, we can look at our Charter as a 
living, breathing document. And yes, after so many years, it still may 
be in its infancy, requiring a careful and vigilant nurturing of its 
parents, but I believe in my heart that it is alive and well.
    Our mission is to make it strong and sturdy through increased 
dedication and cooperation, and I know that we are up to the challenge. 
The nations represented here, like the larger community of the U.N. 
represented by so many Perm Reps here today, have it in their power to 
act for peace and freedom.
    So, may God bless the United Nations as it pursues its noble goal. 
Thank you, Mr. President.

                    Note: The President spoke at 12:18 p.m. in the 
                        Security Council Chamber at the United Nations. 
                        In his remarks, he referred to Prime Minister 
                        John Major of the United Kingdom, Acting 
                        President of the United Nations Security 
                        Council, and President Rodrigo Borja of Ecuador.