"Global interdependence today means that economic disasters in developing countries could create a backlash on developed countries."

"We hope the world will act in the spirit of enlightened self-interest."

"In the euphoria after the Cold War, there was a misplaced notion that the UN could solve every problem anywhere."

"The reality is that international institutions like the UN can only be as effective as its members allow it to be."

"You can change friends but not neighbours."

"The UN's unique legitimacy flows from a universal perception that it pursues a larger purpose than the interests of one country or a small group of countries."

"Poverty is multidimensional. It extends beyond money incomes to education, health care, political participation and advancement of one's own culture and social organisation."

"The Bio-diversity Convention has not yielded any tangible benefits to the world's poor."

"Our nuclear weapons are meant purely as a deterrent against nuclear adventure by an adversary."

"There was an implicit conviction that the UN would be stronger than the sum of its constituent member-states."