Exercises of Political Power

These are all modest and worthy aims and I believe they can be fulfilled without any great sacrifice on the part of the developed countries. Political independence is not an end in itself. It is only the first step to economic independence, it provides the political power for the achievement of economic security and social justice. The exercise of political power, individually or collectively, by developing countries for the attainment of their essential economic goals can by no means be regarded as hostile confrontation.

While the United Nations is the right forum for discussion of the basic problems of the developing countries, it has become clear that structural reforms are needed to enable an organisation of independent States to move in the direction of interdependence in their common interests. If the United Nations were to be established today it would be created in such a manner as to take into greater account the legitimate requirements and aspirations of developing countries.

It is unrealistic to divorce economics from politics. In its preamble, the Charter of the United Nations states : We, the peoples of the United Nations, determined to..... promote social progress and better standards of life...... (resolved) to employ international machinery for the promotion of the economic and social advancement of all people ...... ‘

The Government of the Member States accepted the obligation that they are to be instruments for the economic and social advancement of all peoples.

The main objective of the seventh special session should be to set in motion the process of change, because the pattern of change has already been established by the sixth special session. At the current session, we should, therefore, address ourselves to two main purposes, first the generation of political will in the developed countries to co-operate with developing countries in the replacement of the present system of unequal economic relations by a new international economic order based on equality and justice, and, secondly, the creation of negotiating mechanisms for finding agreed solutions to the many problems confronting us today.

A new international economic order can emerge only from multiple negotiations aimed at the achievement of binding commitments. We must all accept the political necessity of negotiating seriously and without delay in order to reach agreement on each component of a new orderly-co-operative framework for peaceful co-existence.
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Reproduced from : ‘India’s Foreign Policy’ – by Y. B. chyavan
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