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REMARKS BY
MINISTER OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
INTERNATIONAL TRADE AND CIVIL AVIATION
OF THE GOVERNMENT OF ST LUCIA
THE HON. SENATOR JULIAN R. HUNTE, OBE
ON THE OCCASION OF
THE AWARDING OF THE KNIGHT OF THE
GRAND CROSS PIAN ORDER
CONFERRED BY
HOLINESS THE POPE JOHN PAUL II
PRESENTATION BY
HIS EMINENCE CARDINAL ANGELO SODANO
NEW YORK, NEW YORK
SEPTEMBER 19,
2004
Your Eminence Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Archbishop Migliore, Excellencies, Ladies
and Gentlemen:
I am, today, deeply honoured to accept the award of Knight of the Grand Cross
Pian Order, which his Holiness the Pope John Paul II has so graciously conferred
on me. I offer my grateful thanks to His Holiness for this honour, a most
treasured tribute not only to me, but also to the collective efforts and
accomplishments of the Fifty-eighth Session of the United Nations General
Assembly, for which I was privileged to serve as President.
My tenure as President of the General Assembly confirmed my conviction that the
people of the world, in whose interest the United Nations was established, want
reliable and confident action from the organization. My Presidency also provided
invaluable insights about the kind of international cooperation essential for
the most effective functioning of the General Assembly, so that it may play its
critical role in United Nations initiatives to provide leadership in a very
turbulent and troubled world.
It is cooperation
of the kind that permits all participants in the Assembly to bring their
perspectives to the table, in the interest of accomplishing the goals and
objectives set out in the United Nations Charter.
We know of the Holy See’s deep commitment to addressing the myriad challenges
facing the United Nations and the people of the world. I do believe that the
deliberations of the United Nations General Assembly on the critical issues of
our times will gain from the experience and expertise of the Holy See’s more
active participation. Now, as the General Assembly assesses where it stands, and
looks ahead to where it must go, the Holy See will be better enabled to play its
essential part. I am pleased that the Fifty-eighth Session of the General
Assembly would have made a modest contribution towards this end.
I thank you.
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