Text, Audio, Video Excerpt |
"In giving our approval to
the Declaration today it is of primary importance that we keep clearly in
mind the basic character of the document. It is not a treaty; it is not an
international agreement. It is not and does not purport to be a statement of
law or of legal obligation. It is a Declaration of basic principles of human
rights and freedoms, to be stamped with the approval of the General Assembly
by formal vote of its members, and to serve as a common standard of
achievement for all peoples of all nations."
"Not every man nor every
government can have what he wants in a document of this kind. There are of
course particular provisions in the Declaration before us with which we are
not fully satisfied. I have no doubt this is true of other delegations, and
it would still be true if we continued our labors over many years. Taken as
a whole the Delegation of the United States believes that this is a good
document, even a great document, and we propose to give it our full
support." |
