The peoples of the world are grieved by the untimely death of the late Dag Hammarskjold, the Secretary-General of the United Nations. We cherish remembrance of Hammarskjold as a rare spirit among men and a symbol of human striving towards world peace, law and justice. His selfless devotion, his fearless dedication and his endless sacrifices in life cause us to realize that the world has lost a great man, a man of integrity and ability, a staunch guardian of world peace, a devout defender of human rights and a man who sought world peace with Indefatigable energy, unswerving courage and wise statesmanship. We hope that Hammarskjold did not die in vain, for we know that he died for peace so that millions of us could live.
51. The Yemen people and Government express their heartfelt condolence to the families of Mr. Hammarskjold and his associates. To his native Sweden and to the world at large, we express our deep sympathy.
52. Permit me to congratulate Mr. Slim, his country, and the whole Arab people for the honour .bestowed
on them by his election as President of this historic session of the Assembly, at this critical time when the United Nations is at a turning point. We consider his unanimous election to the Presidency as a token of the respect and esteem in which we all hold him and his country.
53. We pray that the struggle of the Tunisian people will not be in vain and will culminate in the evacuation of French troops from Tunisian territories and the return of peace to the area. The Tunisian struggle is justified, and receives the full support of all nations who believe in justice and respect for sovereign rights.
54. We hope that the French decision to end the occupation of the city of Bizerta will be followed by complete and unconditional withdrawal of French troops from Tunisian soil,
55. My Government and people fully support the people and Government of Morocco in their struggle to regain the occupied territories of Morocco and prevent imperialist intrigue from severing an important segment of Moroccan territories on the pretext of encouraging independence.
56. We cannot tolerate having our Arab brothers of Palestine deprived of their inherent and natural right to live in the land of their ancestors, and their right to enjoy independence and freedom, and to demand the end of the occupation of their territories by foreign elements, against their will and without their consent. We request that elementary principles of law be upheld, that the illegal seizure of the properties of the Arab refugees be corrected, and that adequate, fair and prompt compensation be approved for those who request it. The right of the refugees to return to their homes must be recognized,
57. No power exerted by the Zionist conspiracy will blind honest people to the truth. No distortion, misrepresentation or falsification will change our belief in the justice of the Arab cause in Palestine. Those who are talking peace and waging war cannot fool the people all the time. Ignoring the rights of the Arab refugees and defying the General Assembly and Security Council resolutions on Palestine is a continuing act against peace and international morality. Vicious propaganda against the Arabs everywhere will not help anyone, even its instigators.
58. We were hopeful that at this session the Algerian question would be behind us, solved on the basis of the legitimate aspirations of the brave Algerian people. We were hopeful that there would be an independent, united Algeria, recognized by France and having a seat in the Assembly. But unfortunately negotiations are still lagging and dragging, and old ideas which have been forced on us in the past, ideas about amputating parts of the body of a nation, are being tried again in the Algerian Sahara. We are now wiser, more mature and more experienced. It will be impossible to tie the solution of the Algerian question to blackmail in the Sahara. Sooner or later, France will come to its senses and will come to terms with the legitimate Government of Algeria, and thus the curtain will fall on the last scene of the struggle of a great nation that made many sacrifices for independence. The Algerian war of independence is second to none among the battles for freedom, and it will always be commemorated in the annals of honour, dignity and courage.
59. My Government fully supports the Declaration of the Belgrade Conference,-?/ part III, paragraph 3 of which stated:
"The participating countries consider the struggle of the people of Algeria for freedom, self-determination and independence, and for the integrity of its national territory including the Sahara, to be just and necessary and are therefore, determined to extend to the people of Algeria all the possible support and aid. The Heads of State or Government are particularly gratified that Algeria is represented at this Conference by its rightful representative, the Prime Minister of the Provisional Government of Algeria."-^
60. The question of Oman comes before the General Assembly again after being postponed from the fifteenth session. The negotiations in Lebanon between the Sultan of Muscat and the Imam of Oman in 1960 and 1961, in which the United Kingdom participated, were broken off when Oman's right to independence was not recognized and when the British refused to withdraw their troops from Oman and pay reparation for war losses.
61. This reluctance to recognize the sovereignty of the Imam and the right of Oman to self-determination and independence is another example of imperialism and domination. The presence of British troops in any part of the Arabian Peninsula is an act of subjugation and an affront to the Arab people. The security of the Arab world did not devolve by default on the British, so that they might claim that their unwelcome presence is essential for the security and welfare of the Arabs. The sooner the British leave the Arabian Peninsula, the better it will be for all concerned. Their mere occupation of Arab territories is a threat to the peace and security of the world.
62. We hope that the General Assembly will take a decision at this session to give Oman its legitimate independence and to order the evacuation of foreign troops. This action would result in the return of peace and security to the area in the place of terrorism and attacks on civilians, which have caused many casualties among men, women and children.
63. The Yemen delegation joins the majority of Member States of the Organization in asserting the importance of combating imperialism and preventing its existence in any country or on any continent. Imperialism is contrary to the spirit of the twentieth century, which is an era of liberation from injustice and slavery, an era of science, civilization and progress. We deplore imperialism in any place because we are experiencing this dreadful form of domination, for a part of our country is still under the yoke of colonialism and has been for a hundred years. That part of our sacred territory is occupied illegally by the imperialists. This has resulted in incidents and in fighting, with considerable loss of life, destruction of property and disruption of the population. Consequently, the harmonious and peaceful atmosphere of this area has been disturbed.
64. The Yemen Government hopes that a satisfactory accord with the Government of the United Kingdom may be reached to solve this controversy on the basis of returning the part to the whole and fulfilling Yemen's rights.
65. We deeply regret that some territories are still under colonial rule, and we urge those who are holding back to yield to the tide of world public opinion before it is too late. We advise the colonialists to free the remaining colonies and to give up their ambitions to regain control over those territories that have gained self-government and independence. We deplore the use of brutal force in Angola, and we fully support the people of Angola in their heroic struggle for freedom and independence. We are confident that Angola will soon join the community of nations as a sovereign State and that Portugal will soon realize that the cruel methods it uses in its attempt to suppress a rising nation will not succeed, because Angola is not alone in its fight but has the support of the smaller nations of Asia and Africa, which exert great moral power.
66. My country has been watching very closely the events in the Congo and the achievement of the United Nations in its efforts to bring about peace and security and prevent the imperialists from putting obstacles in the path of independence and progress. We cannot but register with great admiration the efforts of the late Secretary-General and the United Nations personnel in the Congo in their efforts to achieve conciliation between Mr. Tshombe and the Central Government and also the setting up of that Government with the participation of all political segments in the Congo. We also welcome the cease-fire in Katanga.
67. We wish that others shared our views that the excellent administration of the late Secretary-General should continue, for now more than ever we are in urgent need of a strong executive whose work is unhampered by the political considerations that prevail elsewhere in other principal organs of the United Nations.
68. My delegation takes note with alarm of the rising world anxiety over a new spurt in the arms race, the resumption of nuclear testing, the collapse of the Geneva talks on a nuclear test ban-^ and the collapse of general disarmament talks. We feel that the People's Republic of China should not be ruled out in any disarmament negotiations, and that some neutrals will participate in these negotiations.
69. We deplore the failure of France to stop testing in the Sahara, against the will of the African people and the General Assembly resolution [1379 (XIV)].
70. We aspire to have an interim Secretary-General, and eventually a Secretary-General, who has the late Mr. Hammarskjold's personal attributes, which were his greatest legacy to us. We want a Secretary-General who will set us a magnificent example of fortitude in meeting crises. We want a man of calm determination and dedication and willingness to work unceasingly in the cause of peace no matter how great the difficulties might be. If we give way to despair, to gloom or to doubt because a great man is gone, this will be an expression of our failure to believe sincerely in the mission entrusted to us by the Charter.
71. Let us continue to work confidently and with fearless determination for the cause of peace. This can be accomplished by electing a head of the Secretariat to lead, to control and to guide, not a man controlled by Power blocs, or whose hands are tied and whose voice is muted. In selecting the Secretary-General, whether on an interim or permanent basis,
M Conference on the Discontinuance of Nuclear Weapon Tests, opened at Geneva on 31 October 1958.
we must take into consideration the desire of the largest group in the United Nations, namely the Asian-African States, which represent half the membership of the United Nations.
72. The Yemen Government is pleased to co-operate with all nations to safeguard international peace and security, to preserve the Charter of the Organization and to establish tranquillity and calm in the hearts of the people of the world in place of fear, alarm and anxiety.
73. The world is passing through terrible and fearful times due to the international crises which are choking the world, and which arose originally from the difference of the views between East and West, where each side is endeavouring to mobilize and concentrate against the other, ignoring that the effect of this on the world is increasing tension and that civilization and humanity may be disintegrated and destroyed as a result of this dreadful struggle.
In these hectic days the world is in need of quiet and a flag of justice and love to flutter over it, and it is regrettable that we do not see any sign of hope that love and peace will replace hate and disagreement, and that welfare and prosperity on earth will replace poverty and misery.