Mr. President, on behalf of the people and the Government which I have the honour to represent in this distinguished world-wide assembly, I am pleased to express to you our warmest congratulations on your very fitting election as President of the sixteenth regular session of the General Assembly, and we tender to you our heartfelt wishes for your success in discharging this high and delicate responsibility.
2,» Guatemala appears before this Assembly today deeply moved by the irreparable loss which all mankind has suffered through the untimely death of our distinguished Secretary-General, Mr. Dag Hammarskjold, who fell while striving to fulfil his task of achieving peace and security throughout the world.
3. The people and Government of Guatemala share the deep sorrow that is felt today by all men of goodwill in a world made fearful by the gravity of the international situation and filled with consternation at the tragic disappearance of a man who devoted his entire life to the fulfilment of the noble principles embodied in the Charter of our Organization. bow in reverence to the memory of this great man, and we hope that his life will serve as a shining example to those in whose hands the destiny of nations now appears to rest.
4. Guatemala believes that the office which has been so tragically vacated by Mr. Hammarskjold must be filled as quickly as possible and in accordance with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.
% I must state that my country does not accept the idea of altering the structure of the office of Secretary-General along the lines proposed by the Soviet Union. We believe that it is neither desirable nor in the interests of our Organization or of the peoples
represented therein for the office of Secretary-General to be filled by three persons, because we are convinced that any kind of collective leadership would make it difficult to secure the prompt and expeditious action that executive organs must be able to take.
6. The troika may be suitable for hauling a vehicle over the Russian steppes, but we are convinced of its complete ineffectiveness as a means of ensuring that out Organization will function correctly.
7 This regular session of the General Assembly of the United Nations opens at a dramatic moment in the history of the world. It is faced with one of the gravest crises in international relations, on the solution of which the very existence of mankind may depend.
8. My country appears before this Assembly full of concern for the future of all nations. On surveying the world scene, we find a truly depressing spectacle: during the last year, international tension has increased rather than abated; in many parts of the world human rights are still being ignored, and excesses and aggressions are daily taking place; positions are being maintained by the use of force, against the will and aspirations of the people; commitments solemnly entered into are being flr ^rantly violated; and the terrible threat of war, the possibility of which has come to depend on a mere miscalculation, is now hanging over the heads of millions of innocent men, women and children in all continents.
9. During the last quarter of a century, the normal evolution of juridical and cultural institutions in general has been outstripped by the vastly accelerated development of certain branches of science and technology, and these advances, instead of being used to further the aspirations for peace and economic and social betterment, without any discrimination, of all the peoples on this planet, are being put to unavoidable uses in order to threaten the security and the very existence of enormous sections of the world's population.
10. We have been grieved to see how in the last decade the crisis of moral and juridical values has become more acute, and how this deepening crisis is placing mankind in situations of increasing difficulty. We believe that it is essential for the coexistence of nations that the essential principle of respect for the rights of others — which is the basis of international law — must be obeyed. The sanctity of international conventions is a matter that no longer admits of discussion (however, these conventions must be respected and executed strictly in accordance with the commitments entered into, because their fulfilment, which depends in the last analysis on the good faith of the parties concerned, is the means by which the use of force, with all its disastrous consequences, can be avoided.
11. We note, for example, with deep concern the attitude of the Soviet Union towards the Berlin problem. That Power, disregarding previous undertakings, has presented the world with the possibility of a war which, waged with modern weapons of destruction, would have overwhelming consequences for mankind, since neither the victim nor the vanquished would survive.
12. The problem of Berlin is an integral part of the problem of German reunification. We have on various occasions heard the Soviet representatives at this rostrum speak out when it suits their purposes in favour of the self-determination of peoples, and yet they categorically refuse to permit nations that have been artificially partitioned to exercise this right of self-determination in making a decision with regard to their future. This negative obstinacy has weighed heavily in the cold war and has been one of the greatest causes of friction in international relations.
13. If the principle of the self-determination of peoples is to be generally observed, it would be desirable for the great Powers to agree that in the case of Germany the Germans themselves should decide on their destiny by means of a plebiscite, which would be supervised by the United Nations and be carried out simultaneously in both of the parts into which that country is at present divided.
14. Furthermore, the Soviet Union, deaf to the worldwide outcry and flouting specific resolutions of this Assembly, has resumed nuclear testing in the atmosphere. Although it is true that it has not been possible to reach a final agreement on this problem as an integral part of the general problem of disarmament, it is also true that, out of consideration for world public opinion and for the harm caused by atomic radiation in many parts of the world, the great Powers had agreed to a temporary suspension of these tests.
15. Guatemala wishes to place on record that it strongly protests against the attitude of the Soviet Union in resuming these tests, which constitute a real affront to all mankind. It was encouraging for all to hear the views expressed on this matter, as well as on disarmament in general, by Mr. John F. Kennedy, the President of the United States of America, in the magnificent speech which he made in this Assembly last Monday, when he proposed the immediate conclusion of an agreement for banning nuclear tests. We had hoped that this proposal would be considered by the other interested party with the same good faith in which it was made, but we were most discouraged to note its rejection by the Foreign Minister of the Soviet Union in his latest statement before this Assembly.
16. The Government and people of Guatemala have placed all their faith in the United Nations, which is the hope of the smaller nations. We consider that this Organization, inspired by the principles and postulates which gave it life — and to which Guatemala, through me as its representative, reconfirms its firm and full allegiance — must be in a position to find a saving formula which will preserve peace, the rule of law, freedom, security and justice in the world and also promote the material and spiritual advancement of all peoples.
17. It is with this hope that Guatemala comes before this Assembly prepared to co-operate to the fullest extent possible in seeking the best solution of the grave
« problems with which the United Nations is now faced, and it reaffirms its position in the world scene as one of absolute dedication to the democratic principles of justice and freedom and of absolute rejection of aggression, violence and the disguised conquest of peoples and nations. We belong to the Western bloc of countries, which has a deeply Christian tradition and is energetically opposed to any attempt to impose a system of political and social slavery, a totalitarian, materialistic and atheistic system which shackles the conscience of peoples and individuals.
18. Guatemala was one of the first countries in the western hemisphere which found it necessary to take up arms to repulse such aggression and threats of subjugation. It is still in the process of defending itself against penetration by international communism, which has its American base in an island in the Caribbean whose Government continues to give every kind of military and economic assistance to the communist ex-President of Guatemala, Colonel Jacobo Arbenz, in his future plans for invading Guatemala and overthrowing its truly democratic Government, which is the product of the popular will expressed in completely free elections and is deeply respectful of law and human rights.
19. My country is not, however, the only one that has suffered from this foreign intervention; others, too, have been invaded by mercenaries and by intensive communist propaganda, and for these reasons — and others too numerous to mention — we have been obliged to break off diplomatic relations with that Caribbean country. Ten American nations have had to make such a decision, as a logical and proper consequence of this interference in their internal affairs. Respect for the principle of non-intervention has been forgotten. I said in this Assembly last year, and I repeat now, that in this America of ours, the cradle of such great men as Washington, Bolivar and San Martin, there can be no acceptance of systems of slavery in which. men are denied every freedom and become mere units instead of subjects of the law.
20. My country trusts that the machinery of the Organization of American States or of the United Nations, as the case may be, will be able to prevent such interference, as well as other undesirable actions, in good time. It also hopes that our Organization will continue to struggle, as in the past, against aggression, intervention, the abuse of power, economic exploitation, poverty and ignorance, and to fight for the integrity and independence of nations, for the legal equality of States and their peaceful coexistence, for freedom and the full observance of human rights, as well as for the material and spiritual progress of all peoples.
21. In this gigantic task, Guatemala renews its promise to support the work and faithfully carry out the constructive resolutions of the United Nations and to lend its determined co-operation in finding just and appropriate solutions to the innumerable problems which our Organization has to face.
22. The attitude of my country towards the problem of colonialism 4s well known in this forum. Guatemala firmly maintains its position of rejecting every form of colonialism. Today it is more convinced than ever of the truth of what it has stated on various occasions before this Assembly, namely, that it does not believe that the colonial system prepares the peoples for independence, because the passage of time has provided proof to the contrary. We continue to hold that view because many millions of human beings are still suffering under this iniquitous system.
23. It follows that we recognize and applaud the work accomplished in this field by the United Nations, whose
influence is responsible for the fact that great colonial empires are in process of liquidation and that the number of free countries has correspondingly increased during the last few years. Guatemalans deeply sympathetic towards this movement of liberation and wishes to express at this rostrum its sincere congratulations to the new countries which have obtained their independence and have become Members of the United Nations.
24. We welcome the entry of Sierra Leone as a new Member of our Organization. The Government of Guatemala wishes to extend to Sierra Leone its warmest congratulations.
25, On the other hand, my country rejects the new form of colonialism now being practised by the Soviet Union in a great number of subjugated countries, and it considers that, for the complete liberation of these peoples, the troops which now occupy them must be withdrawn and that there must be no repetition of unfortunate events such as those that occurred in Hungary.
26, Guatemala utterly condemns the policy of racial discrimination that is being applied to the indigenous population of the Union of South Africa. I would like to bring to the Assembly's notice the following statement made by General Miguel Indigoras Fuentes, the President of Guatemala:
"The Government over which I preside, giving expression to the feelings of the people of Guatemala, a country where equality among men is the rule, publicly condemns the policy of discrimination known as apartheid, which is applied in the Union of South Africa against the Negro race has culminated in violence and bloodshed. At the stage the world has reached to-day, racial inequality is nothing but bondage in disguise. Guatemala calls upon all Governments and peoples of the American continent to protest strongly against the acts of genocide and persecution in South Africa that are being directed against the Negro race, whose internal struggle is aimed solely at obtaining equality, fraternity and the restoration of its violated rights. America, must be watchful to ensure freedom for human beings all over o the world, without distinction of race or colour".
27. The Government of the Union of South Africa has also pursued its policy of apartheid in South West Africa, a territory that was entrusted to it by the former League of Nations. The refusal of the Government of the Union of South Africa to place this mandated territory under the Trusteeship System established by the United Nations Charter and its systematic denial to the indigenous population of the most elementary rights make it essential that our Organization should change its attitude. As a member of the Committee on South West Africa that was established by this august Assembly, Guatemala profoundly regrets that the Government of the Union of South Africa refused even to allow the delegation appointed by the Committee to enter its territory or the territory of South West Africa for the purpose of verifying, in view of the numerous complaints received, the real conditions obtaining in the mandated territory, and also of consulting with members of the Union Government to find an appropriate solution for the problem. Guatemala strongly protests against this disrespect for the authority of the United Nations and believes that the Organization should take immediate steps to revoke the mandate entrusted to the Union of South Africa.
28. As is well-known to this Organization, Guatemala continues to be affected by another kind of intervention by one of the most civilized of nations which, contrary to reason and right and the most elementary principles of justice and equity that are essential for intercourse among nations, has persisted in retaining part of Guatemala's national territory, which by history and law belongs to it, thus impeding development of one of the country's richest areas and impairing the vital interests of the nation. Guatemala is struggling, and will go on straggling with all legal means within its reach, to restore to its rightful ownership this part of the national territory where colonialism is responsible for living conditions of the most distressing and wretched kind.
29. My country maintains, as it has always maintained, that Belize is an integral part of its national territory, and it declares that it has at heart the advancement and aggrandizement of its people, of our brothers of Belize. That is why it sponsored Belize's admission to the Economic Commission for Latin America [ECLA] and is desirous that Belize should participate in the programme for the economic integration of Central America.
30. Once again on this solemn occasion, Guatemala reserves its rights is respect of the territory of Belize and reiterates its protest against the injustice that continues to be perpetrated against a Member of the United Nations.
31. Guatemala believes that one of the most urgent of the problems awaiting solution throughout the world, but more especially in Latin America, is the problem of economic and social development. As is well known, the extremely low levels of living and the hunger, poverty and disease that afflict the masses in every continent are breeding grounds for political instability, infiltration of doctrines prejudicial to democracy, and other evils. We consider that a very great and praiseworthy effort has been made by the United Nations in this regard, but we believe that these activities must be increased and be better co-ordinated and that they must be concentrated on certain areas of the American continent that seemingly have not benefited to the full from the Organization's large-scale programmes.
32. We feel, on the other hand, that the big countries which are unselfishly providing economic aid and technical co-operation to under-developed areas, and are giving preference to certain regions far distant from the western hemisphere, should pay greater attention to the Latin American peoples that are in need of such aid and co-operation. My country was therefore highly gratified to learn of the magnificent "Alliance for Progress" scheme that has been evolved by President Kennedy and it took part in the conference at Puata del Este, Uruguay, in the firm conviction that this scheme constitutes the most extraordinary and helpful step that has been taken for the future development of the peoples of Latin America.
33. In view of the advantage to be gained from a unified economy among countries of a given geographical area, Guatemala has been promoting a programme of economic integration in Central America. It was thus that the Central American Economic Co-operation Committee was established in 1952, with the secretariat of the Economic Commission for Latin America acting as its technical secretariat.
34. This programme of economic integration has been gradually developing. It began to gain strength in 1958, with the signing of the Multilateral Treaty on Free Trade and Central American Integration, the Agreement for Central American Integration Industries, the Central American Agreement on Road Traffic, and the Central American Agreement on Uniform Road Signs and Signals. Also that same year, the five Central American countries adopted the Standard Central American Customs Nomenclature. Guatemala's present Government has redoubled its efforts to ensure that the programme shall develop to the full, lit 1959, there were concluded, the Central American Agreement on the Equalization of Import Duties and Charges and the Treaty on Economic Association between Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, providing for the establishment of a free trade area and for special arrangements such as preferential tariffs, quotas and gradual reduction of duties on some products. The Treaty further commits the signatory countries to setting up a development fund to finance public works and private projects designed to integrate their economies. At the end of 1960, the integration programme culminated in the signing by Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua of the General Treaty on Central American Economic Integration, the Agreement Constituting the Central American Bank for Economic Integration, and a Protocol to the Central American Agreement on the Equalization of Import Duties and Charges, the object of which is to establish a Central American import tariff corresponding to the needs of economic integration and development in the area.
35. The entire programme of economic integration in Central America is operating satisfactorily, and thus when the countries of the isthmus went to the Punta del Este Conference, they presented a united front and were able to submit problems of joint concern to the whole Central American area, which will undoubtedly be solved if they are given due attention and adequate technical and financial assistance.
36. I have great pleasure in discharging my task of expressing, on behalf of the people and Government of Guatemala and of my delegation, our most heart-felt wishes for the General Assembly's success in the arduous work of this sixteenth session. We trust that the resolutions to be adopted will truly serve to safe-guard peace and the well-being of all mankind.