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The Parties to the Treaty comprise a diverse and formidable range of countries with differing Political, economic and social complexions and include all those geographically closest to Antarctica, the most populous nations on Earth, developed and developing, aligned and non-aligned, large and small countries, all nuclear-weapon States and all permanent members of the United Nations Security Council.

Sir Abdur RAHMAN (India): Now, paragraphs 13, 14, 15 and 16 have a complexion about them which I do not like. Mr. Rand clearly stated that this part of the report should be free from complexion, and this is not free from complexion.

LIVERAN (Israel) said that the intimation the Swiss acting observer had given of the possibility that the Swiss Government might contribute to the cost of a new wing to the Palais des Nations had put a fresh complexion on the discussion. The Committee could not take a decision until it had more details concerning the offer and knew the reaction of the two specialized agen- cies concerned. 35.

AMONOO-NEIZER (Ghana) said that Africa provided a most striking illustration of the changes that had taken place in the political complexion of the world. The question which should now be considered was not whether the colonial and racist States in southern Africa had the ability to shape their destinies if they were given their freedom, but how far they could do so satisfactorily in the face of the activities of the foreign economic interests involved in those States.

LOpez on the excellent work he had d(1ne as Rap- porteur on Freedom of Information, but wi;ohed to give some explanations regarding the paragrapn on Hon- duras, which appeared on page 8 of the supplementary report (E/2426/Add.l).4 Freedom of information was fully respected in Honduras, and many new:;papers and reviews of all complexions existed in th1t country. However, the penal code provided penalties in cases of abuse, in particular subversive propaganda against the Government or the law, and incitement to crime or of- fences against persons and property.

It might also be wondered why the majority of the General Assembly, which had voted against the establishment of that standing body, had agreed to the enlargement of the Disarmament Com- mission in a way which did not reflect the political complexion of the Assembly. Besides, a commission of twenty-five members could serve propaganda pur- poses just as well as any body of eighty-one members.

There has been a gradual improvement in the administration of criminal justice since the return of the constitutional Government on 15 October 1994, despite the fact that the independence and impartiality of the judiciary were not always evident - particularly in cases with a political complexion. This improvement was attributable primarily to the re-establishment of democratic institutions and the reform efforts undertaken by the Ministry of Justice.