150. Mr. President, may I express to you my warmest and most cordial congratulations, and those of the Government which I represent, on the honour which has been done to you in electing you President of this Assembly. Your election is a recognition of your great and widely known personal qualities and your unfailing devotion to the cause of the United Nations. It is also a tribute to your country, a tribute which we heartily endorse in view of the unbroken ties of friendship between us and the close solidarity and understanding which, for historical and cultural reasons and in the light of our common ideals, should unite the countries of Latin America.
151. Guatemala is taking part in this, the fourteenth session of the General Assembly, imbued with faith in this world Organization, and with the firm belief that all Member States are willing and able to lay the foundations of peace, liberty, justice and dignity in the strife-torn world in which we live.
152. The Government and people of Guatemala once more declare their sincere support for the purposes, principles and fundamental aims on which the United Nations is based and which were solemnly enshrined in the Charter signed at San Francisco. By its terms, "we the peoples of the United Nations” declare that “we are determined to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war"; we reaffirm our "faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small"; we declare that we are. resolved "to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained", and we undertake "to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom".
153. Fifteen years after that memorable Conference at San Francisco, these declarations and undertakings remain in full force and still provide guidance and hope in a troubled world, where the threat of another war, more cruel, more destructive and more diabolical than the last, still hangs over mankind. We see with sorrow, however, that human rights and the freedom, integrity and independence of peoples and nations are still being openly trampled upon; justice and respect for International obligations are not yet fully triumphant and freedom is severely curtailed by the hunger, ignorance and poverty which still afflict mankind.
154. Nevertheless, it is encouraging and a source of satisfaction to witness the great efforts which mankind has made during the past fifteen years, Under the auspices of the United Nations, to carry out the difficult task of preserving peace and justice, of furthering respect for human rights and of protecting those rights, of prompting the economic' and social advancement of all peoples and of endeavouring to establish in every part of the globe living conditions that are consonant with the dignity of the human person.
155. We are confident that these efforts, with judicious support from the specialized agencies and the regional organizations, must succeed in putting an end, once and for all, to aggression, intervention in affairs of other States, totalitarianism, the domination of some nations by others, economic exploitation, poverty, hunger, malnutrition and ignorance, and that they will promote the progress and welfare of all nations.
156. We also believe that by contributing to the maintenance of international law and order, the United Nations can, through its moral influence, ensure that all nations live together in peace, thus making it ever more rare and more difficult for powerful nations to commit abuses and for the strong to exercise dictatorship, and giving effect to the principle that, in law, all nations are equal. We believe that respect for the principles of international law is an important factor in maintaining the peaceful co-existence of States. This is especially true with respect to freedom of navigation. The application of those principles may affect fundamental national interests; nevertheless, my delegation wishes to emphasize the importance of upholding the freedom of the seas and of international waterways as the expression of a principle which may benefit or affect all mankind.
157. The benefits brought by this world Organization are not, however, confined to the sphere of law, nor do they affect States merely as political organizations: the principal and ultimate objective of the Organization is the peoples themselves; it is man as a human being, and the work of the United Nations is designed above all to ensure his happiness through his material and spiritual progress,
158. It is accordingly our belief that the best contribution the Member States can make to the world-wide work of the United Nations is to uphold it in its efforts, supporting and carrying out the constructive resolutions which it adopts and throwing their doors wide open so that the justice, freedom and social advancement for which the Organization stands may penetrate to the uttermost parts of their countries and reach every one of their citizens. Member States can also help the Organization by lending it their sincere and disinterested support and the widest possible measure of co-operation in its task of finding just and appropriate solutions for the numberless problems which stand in the way of peaceful co-existence, hamper economic development and restrict the rights, freedoms and progress of the peoples of the world.
159. These are our convictions and this is the spirit in which Guatemala is participating in the present session of the General Assembly, bearing no hostility and making no pretensions; it is ready to co-operate within its limited means in ensuring the success of the United Nations and in solving the problems which afflict mankind.
160. On this occasion Guatemala once more proclaims its attachment to the principles of the Charter, its determination to order its life democratically in justice and freedom, its uncompromising condemnation of aggression, of interference, and of the subjection of peoples and nations, its belief in the peaceful solution of international disputes and its unqualified respect for the international agreements to which it is a party and for the fundamental rights and freedoms of peoples and individuals. I have pleasure in stating that, as a consequence of this policy, Guatemala enjoys harmonious relations with all democratic countries and more especially with those of this hemisphere, in accordance with the principle of inter-American solidarity. 1 am also glad to say that a solution satisfactory to both countries has been found for the unhappy incident that occurred on 31 December 1958 between ourselves and Mexico, our sister country and our neighbour, whose people are linked to ours by traditional ties of friendship, culture and common interests.
161. The Pan-American movement has unquestionably acquired a new meaning. The nations of Iberian origin which make up this continent are convinced that the strength derived from their indestructible spiritual unity will help their peoples to achieve that progress and advancement without which democracy cannot exist. It is essential that the countries which are in a position to contribute to the economic development of Latin America should realize the far-reaching importance of this movement, which will be reflected in future sessions of the General Assembly as one of the most significant expressions of solidarity. We therefore feel that "Operation Pan-America", so aptly referred to by the distinguished representatives of Brazil and Argentina, [797th meeting] is of great importance in America’s fight against the poverty and hunger which are so inimical to peace and real freedom. I have furthermore the pleasure of reporting that, thanks to this policy and to the valuable assistance given by the United Nations through the Economic Commission for Latin America, the efforts to bring about the economic integration of Central America continue to make progress, to the benefit of the peoples of the five States concerned.
162. Guatemala also reiterates its belief that the freedom and independence of peoples and the reality and effectiveness of human rights depend largely on the extent to which States can achieve a fair and equitable economic system that will enable them to provide their people with an adequate and appropriate standard of living, since no true freedom or happiness is possible for States whose people lack the essential requirements for their material and spiritual development,
163. Guatemala maintains unchanged its traditional stand against all manifestations of colonialism, which it still holds should be banished from the face of the earth. In the present century, when the principles on which the United Nations is based have developed so far and won such general acceptance, any form of domination of one people by another is out of date and incompatible with the existence of human rights. There is no longer any room for the theory that there are superior and inferior peoples and that the world can be divided into masters and slaves. The world will not be deceived by the false argument that less-developed peoples need guidance and assistance from those who are more advanced, since the usual practice has been domination rather than guidance, and exploitation rather than assistance.
164. We believe that in the matter of colonialism the United Nations has made a valuable contribution. We are now witnessing the peaceful collapse of the colonial empires, and it gives us great satisfaction to see in this Assembly, playing a full and important role in our proceedings, representatives of many free and independent countries which less than fifteen years ago, when the United Nations was established, were suffering under the old colonial rule. We know that many of them had to make great sacrifices and to overcome incalculable difficulties in order to come to the United Nations and express their longing for liberty, and we have witnessed the wonderful process of the emergence of a number of nations and of the transformation of these former subjects of imperial rule into the citizens of a free country. It is Inspiring to see that the number of these new independent countries continues to increase. We rejoice to hear that Somaliland, Nigeria and the Cameroons will all become independent in a few months’ time. Nevertheless there are millions of human beings who are still denied the right of self-government, the right to be masters of their own fate.
165. Guatemala itself has long suffered from the effects of colonialism in being deprived of its legitimate sovereignty over a large part of its territory called Belize and incorrectly described as British Honduras; this has had a detrimental effect on the development of the rich and important province of Petén, in the north of Guatemala. It is an anachronism that in the twentieth century attempts should be made to uphold the colonialist system, and it is incomprehensible that the United Kingdom, which has always stood for the principles of justice, liberty and equality among the free countries of the world and has been one of the bulwarks of democracy, can obstinately persist in refusing to recognize the lawful rights of Guatemala over the territory of Belize. We hope that the United Kingdom will give us our due, that it will honour its word and its long tradition and will give us back Belize, which for the United Kingdom is just a scrap of territory but for us is vital.
166. As far as our brothers in Belize are concerned, Guatemala has no wish to impose on them a way of life foreign to their customs; our sole desire is to promote their economic and cultural development, to respect their traditions and to free them once and for all from any form of colonialism. Guatemala wishes to see Belize freed from any form of dominion and restored to the motherland, which for geographical and political reasons is best equipped to provide Belize with economic assistance and to raise the level of living of its people; unfortunately, little or nothing has been done in this field by the governing Power, for it is obvious that in all these years no steps have been taken to alleviate the wretched living conditions there. It is not right that this state of affairs should continue any longer.
167. Guatemala will strive to liberate Belize from this situation, which is both unjust and anachronistic, and to offer its people greater opportunities for development and progress. We accordingly hope that the countries represented here, especially those who owe their existence to anti-colonialism, will bring their moral influence to bear in finding a solution to this problem.
168. I should like to refer briefly to the position of the Guatemalan delegation with regard to some of the more important items that will be debated at this session of the Assembly, so that our view on these problems may be clearly established.
169. Firstly, we are glad that efforts have recently been made to find possible grounds for agreement among the great Powers in order to bring about a peaceful settlement of differences and to relax the tension that the cold war has maintained during the last few years, which has made it so difficult to find solutions for various grave and urgent problems.
170. In this connexion we note with satisfaction that the four great Powers, recognizing the responsibility that falls upon the United Nations in a question of such complexity, have agreed to seek a solution to the disarmament problem.
171. We cannot refrain from reiterating our concern over the instances of aggression and Intervention, which not only constitute a danger to peace in the various areas of the world but have imposed divisions upon many peoples, sundering brother from brother for reasons quite unrelated to their feelings, work or interests.
172. We consider that the United Nations should find a way of bringing about the reunification of the divided peoples of Germany, Korea and Viet-Nam; that would be a major step towards relaxing international tension and would satisfy the common aspirations by which each of those peoples is animated by reason of their common origin, language and customs.
173. In a spirit of international co-operation Guatemala has been a member of the Committee on Information from Non-Self-Governing Territories and is at present a member of the Committee on South West Africa and the Commission on Permanent Sovereignty over Natural Resources, I feel I must assure this distinguished Assembly that in carrying out these noble tasks our only concern has been, and will continue to be, to uphold the Purposes and Principles of the United Nations Chapter and the basic interests and social, economic and cultural advancement of peoples.
174. In conclusion, I wish to express on behalf of the Government and people of Guatemala the most fervent hopes for the success of this fourteenth session of the General Assembly, so that its work may result in peace, justice and liberty for all nations and for all the men, women and children who make up the great family of mankind.