The Chronicle interview.

• Position: Interview with Uruguay Minister of Foreign Affairs Didier Opertti Badan - Interview

You will be presiding over the last session of the General Assembly to take place entirely within this century. Does this at all affect your expectations of it and the role you envision as its President?

At this session of the General Assembly, we shall be at the threshold of the year 2000. The United Nations must make the necessary preparations to make this moment in history an extraordinary occasion; it should propose an agenda focused on the key issue of extreme poverty-a searing reality that has no place in the modern world-as an indicator of progress. At the same time, it must not neglect globalization as a framework for the world economy.

Preparation for this great Assembly in 2000 is one of the major tasks of this session, over which Uruguay is presiding, without prejudice to all matters relating to reform of the United Nations Charter and any progress that can be made in that connection.

In its statement to the last session, the Uruguay delegation had observed that "the forum where the principle of juridical equality of States reigns supreme is undoubtedly the General Assembly (and) we need to find practical ways of revitalizing and invigorating (its) activity". Have you any ideas in this regard?

Revitalizing the role of the General Assembly is tantamount to reaffirming the role of all States Members of the international community. This means that we must be particularly mindful of Article 10 of the Charter, which recognizes the General Assembly as an organ with the competence to discuss any issue falling within the sphere of the Charter, within the limits laid down by Article 12.

This article attributes sole competence to the Security Council with respect to matters concerning peace and security. However, in practice, a flexible interpretation has enabled the Assembly to consider a matter that is before the Council, but without making any recommendations.

To mm to another issue - a more complex one that involves problems that are hard to solve, which does not mean that the matter cannot be raised - it would be inappropriate to exclude the potential role of the Assembly in an analysis of the conduct of Security Council members in the event that, among possible changes in the current Council membership arrangements, provision is made for a formula linking permanent Council membership to assessment of members' performance regarding observance of the fundamental principles laid down in the Charter.

I am fully aware of how tricky this issue is; moreover, I repeat, it is linked to a decision that could be adopted as part of the current process of reforming the membership of the Council.

Your delegation had also spoken of the "great moral and political force" of General Assembly decisions. Given that these are not mandatory, how do you feel they can be given the added weight of "greater operative force" which Uruguay has mentioned as necessary?

Needless to say, when speaking of giving "greater operative force" to General Assembly resolutions, Uruguay was not suggesting that the nature of Assembly resolutions should be...