118. May I take this opportunity to express publicly the satisfaction it has given my Government to see you elected, Mr. President, to the high office which you now occupy.
119. From the beginning of their common struggle for independence, Peru and Uruguay joined forces to attain the common ideal and later to establish friendly relations. In testimony of this immutable and lasting union, I recall with emotion the fine statue of General Garzon, the courageous Uruguayan leader who led his native troops in the campaigns to liberate Peru, which your people erected, as a gesture of gratitude, in one of the most beautiful parks of Montevideo. It bears witness to American solidarity, born in stormy times and unfailingly strengthened day by day.
120. I am proud to be the true representative of a little country which, small and weak as it is, through its respect for law and freedom and its sense of international coexistence, is adequately qualified to raise its voice in this Assembly, rich in the present but even richer in the future.
121. It may be asked why the fact that we are a weak and a small country gives us the right to speak. It is because, in my opinion, strength and material power can and will make themselves heard anywhere. Those who are weak and small can only make themselves heard where silence and attention are the outcome of respect for law and devotion to principles. Blessed, therefore, be this hall, in which all the peoples of the world assemble and in which the weak can debate on equal terms with the strong and seek a solution b their problems along the path of justice and law.
122. Among the things that entitle us to be represented in this Assembly I have mentioned our love of freedom, our respect for law and our sense of international coexistence. Those values are the very fabric of our existence; they are the goals we are constantly pursuing. They are the product of our earliest history, of the legal memories, the municipal, legal and practical freedoms we inherited from Spain. From the earliest days of our country they were a clear and permanent feature and they found expression in the remarkable personality of our greatest national hero, Jose Artigas, who in the last century paved the way for the solidarity and coexistence of nations when he became the champion of self-government for all countries and fought to unite the peoples of the old viceroyship of the Rio de la Plata under federal rule. In that struggle he received the title of "Protector of Free Peoples" — an incomparable prize. In that single title we find the two cardinal features of our idea of international solidarity: union in freedom, and freedom within the united community.
123. The many events attesting to our respect for law would form a long list, but it would be out of place to recount them here. I should merely like to mention a recent event which took place only a few months ago: the change of government in Uruguay. As a result of free and democratic elections, a political party which had been in power in Uruguay for nine decades handed over the reins of government to the opposition, thus bowing to the popular verdict, without the slightest disorder or clashes. This fact certainly does honour to the people of Uruguay and to the parties which lead it.
124. Indeed, all the citizens of the country which I have the honour to represent respect the same basic principles and the same fundamental values. That is the significance that Uruguayan representation can have in this assembly of nations.
125. We consider that our mission in this Assembly is clearly determined by the special character of our people and by the circumstances which I have described. It is a mission of peace, of harmony, of reason and of love. It cannot be otherwise. We have no problems which pit us against other nations in bitter obstinacy. That very fact enables us to collaborate in the objectives of this great Assembly with the serenity of a people at peace with the world. In the rivalries, sometimes tremendous, which shatter what should be the basic unity of the human race, we are in a position to help so far as possible to soothe ruffled feelings and to facilitate solutions, thus contributing within the limits of our ability and goodwill to the cause of world peace. We shall, not abate our efforts to that end. Our country is not trying to blaze a trail or to direct world policy. If it were, we should be losing our sense of proportion and balance. It can, however, make a useful and important contribution if we understand and practise those virtues. I should like to emphasize that this position I have outlined is not a profession of faith in the sense of an irresponsible position of neutrality, which would be against nature if we adopted it in respect of all potential conflicts. Our spiritual position is clear: we are prepared to defend, within the limits of our ability, the fundamental values of the civilization to which we belong whenever they are threatened by reactionary forces. Peace among nations is a very important value to preserve, but it should not be preserved at the price of all the other moral and spiritual values which make up our civilization. "Peace", as a great statesman of this country has said, "is a coin with two faces. One is a renunciation of force; the other is the granting of justice. Peace and justice are inseparable". Uruguay will accordingly promote and support with all its moral and spiritual strength those solutions which tend to bring about peace based on justice and respect for those fundamental values and rights.
126. The Uruguayan delegation has come to this fourteenth session of the General Assembly in a spirit of calm and moderate optimism. When, at San Francisco, it voted for the establishment of this world body, it was confident that events would show the wisdom of that initiative. When the Second World War ended, the world was in a state of chaos and anxiety; sources of incalculable wealth had been destroyed; vast masses of people were in despair and youth had been demoralized. The failure of the League of Nations, which had been established following the First World War, did not shake our conviction of the necessity and value of some form of juridical international organization. Although we do not subscribe to the myth of unlimited progress or regard material and scientific advances as more important than human destiny, we firmly believe that in cultural circles there is a gradual evolution which is leading towards the universalization of culture, the interdependence of nations and the grouping together of human beings. The isolation of man within the community and the isolation of nations living side by side in the world in an atmosphere of hostility is virtually the law of the jungle and is maintained basically by constant shifts in the balance of power, a process which leads to war and various other manifestations of hatred. The path of progress must therefore be that which gradually leads out of chaos, from de facto coexistence based on power relations to coherent organization based on law.
127. If we adopt a realistic and sensible approach, the balance is satisfactory. The United Nations has gradually been winning the confidence of the peoples of the world. It has been successful in restoring peace, in putting an end to localized conflicts which could have spread dangerously; it has important accomplishments to its credit in the field of technical and economic assistance — a less spectacular aspect of its constructive work but of no less importance than the political aspect. These achievements are, in our view, full and sufficient justification for its existence. Restless and impatient spirits may feel that they are not enough, that the United Nations is ineffective because it is unable to settle all international disputes or because it has no power to compel States, particularly strong States, to respect and comply with the principles of the Charter and the decisions of the Assembly. In our view, that way of looking at the matter is not altogether correct.
128. It may be accurate in terms of human life. Human life is short and its brevity gives wings to man's impatience. As individuals, we measure time in minutes, hours and days. Yet we must agree that in the slow succession of generations phenomena, in terms of communities and species, follow another rhythm. Progress, development, changes, if you will, are sometimes imperceptible when measured in terms of the individual's concept of time. History is like a coral reef, whose growth and change is not perceptible to the small creature which builds it. To all appearances, we are moving today at a much faster rate than the meteoric advances in scientific knowledge which have brought peoples closer together by abolishing distance. Nevertheless our progress is still relative. The rapid succession of events is primarily an external manifestation, but the spiritual changes in man, in his psychology, in his moral fabric are not taking place at a much more rapid rate than in the past. That is why we consider that what the United Nations has achieved represents substantial progress and we hope it will be maintained and strengthened,
129. This new Assembly will certainly have to tackle some troublesome issues. For example, those related- in its many and complex manifestations — with the ever-present threat of an apocalyptic war and those, no less varied and multiform, relating to human welfare as it is affected by the economic imbalance of nations.
130. With regard to the prospect of another war, the use of gigantic weapons of destruction which the scientific genius of man is inventing daily, in a headlong race, fills us with alarm and anxiety. We see with regret that the moral conscience of mankind is not developing at the same rate as his intellectual capacities,
131. On this aspect of world peace, Uruguay will bend its will and its efforts to. the consolidation of peace and will support all proposals for material disarmament and an end to the cold war, contingent of course upon effective progress in achieving collective security and the protection of Western civilization, to which our future is bound. It will also support any measures that represent an advance in respect of the use of atomic energy for peaceful purposes which will enable all peoples to free themselves of the poverty which wrecks the prospects of peaceful and happy coexistence, for such coexistence depends on an equal opportunity for all peoples to enjoy a minimum degree of well-being.
132. We are confident that the glimmers of hope which are appearing on the troubled horizon of today will shed a lasting light on the future of the world. For perhaps the first time in history, fear is working in a positive direction, that is, in favour of peace. The prospect of a war in which there will be no victors may discourage those nations that have nurtured designs for aggression on a world-wide scale and they may be led, not out of goodness but as a result of cold calculation, to suppress their impulses to do evil.
133. Another important group of problems which we shall have to face and which are more directly connected with the individual and his sufferings are those that relate to human rights, to the protection of all those human beings who for one reason or another are victims of political and social events occurring in the area in which it is their fate to live.
134. These tremendous problems can be approached in two ways: theoretically, by the preparation and study of a covenant of human rights; and practically, by the adoption of measures to help those who are in a particularly arduous situation. Perhaps it would be better to speak of the long-term and the immediate approach, for the covenant will tend to prevent and correct that which the measures will remedy.
135. With respect to the first, and in accordance with the stand it took at two recent conferences in Santiago — the fifth Conference of Ministers of Foreign Affairs and the fourth Inter-American Council of Jurists — Uruguay will support the preparation of the covenant — at present being drawn up by the United Nations — which will ensure the protection of human rights wherever they may be violated: an effective protection, by legal means and with the necessary guarantees, for the activities of individuals and private organizations. In that sense, Uruguay is only seeking to extend to the international field the provisions and attitudes that it considers vital for the defence of values which are constantly observed in Uruguay.
136. With respect to the second approach, Uruguay will co-operate enthusiastically, within its limited means, in the solution of one of the most difficult problems of our time: the refugee problem. The fact that millions of men have been displaced from their homes and are living in sub-human conditions, without employment and without hope, is one of the stigmas on the world of today, being the result of its political and social convulsions and maladjustments. The World Refugee Tear, which began in June 1959, is a fine expression of human solidarity and we hope that it will make an effective contribution to the solution of this problem.
137. With regard to the sharp conflicts which exist in some parts of the world and which are likely to spread, owing to their potential ramifications, Uruguay reiterates its unshakable faith and confidence in the principle it has always professed: that of peaceful solutions, through arbitration, mutual understanding and the intervention of appropriate jurisdictional bodies freely agreed upon.
138. What we urge is that no people's rights or destinies should be forgotten. Through the ages peoples evolve, creating their own collective conscience and with a legitimate right to self-determination. If this destiny can be fulfilled by means of understandings, so much the better. Hence Uruguay, true to its traditions and faithful to its spirit, is not showing partiality or lacking in generosity when it takes a stand in those conflicts which sunder peoples who for various reasons merit its respect and friendship. Even when a superficial examination appears to indicate that one of the parties has more right on his side, we prefer to exercise our modest influence to bring about an understanding by peaceful and legal means that allow of a serious and thorough examination of the case of both parties and of the basic causes of the dispute. We cannot support a priori judgements, but once judgement has been given, let us be firm and decisive in demanding that it should be faithfully carried out.
139. It is for this reason that we view with sympathy the constituent efforts of new nations. Those of us who have suffered and struggled for the achievement of our own individuality cannot betray our past. But that past has taught us a painful lesson: the difficulties that beset a new nation that lacks any constructive means of safeguarding its own existence.
140. Times have changed, and the possibility of giving technical, economic and moral assistance is one of the most constructive aims of the United Nations. This is a fact which should be borne in mind, for it entails a great responsibility for those who lead the world.
141. In present world conditions, the struggle against economic and social under-development cannot be carried on successfully by the mere good will of each, nation although we realize that every nation is called upon to make a constructive effort.
142. Historical and geographical factors of various kinds have exercised their influence in the creation of States with very different opportunities for wellbeing and progress. Some are favoured by nature with a wealth of natural resources or with conditions which make human efforts highly profitable. There are others which have neither the resources nor the favourable conditions. Others, again, possess resources but lack the material or human means to develop them. Then there are some countries which, as was once said of some territory, are like a beggar seated on a golden throne but dying of starvation and poverty.
143. If the goal of this association of nations is to deliver peoples from despair and to intervene effectively in the dialectic contradictions of history in order to achieve good through man's rational and spiritual action, it cannot allow this state of affairs to continue. The living conditions, sometimes sub-human, prevailing in many areas of the globe are fertile soil for many aberrations, for every kind of despotism and despair. In an era when interdependence among nations is becoming increasingly strong and widespread, the sad consequences of such evils are not confined to the countries where they exist, for they inexorably spread to disturb the tranquil existence of those more fortunate countries which might have believed themselves immune from the fluctuations of history. Solidarity based on understanding becomes a rational imperative if world peace is to be consolidated on a firmer basis than that of a balance of armaments. The duty of the hour, the need of the moment, is to free men from the anguish of the wretched present and the uncertain future; to vanquish the despair which darkens the mind, hardens the spirit, blunts noble sentiments, destroys the impulse to love and converts man into an instrument or an agent of aggression and hatred.
144. It is necessary, indeed it is imperative, to begin this very day what the representative from Brazil so aptly called the "war against under-development, against the slavery to which two-thirds of mankind is subjected." [797th meeting, para. 4] Full technical and economic co-operation, dissemination of information, trade facilities, freedom of movement by keeping open to all the use of those international routes which are a common heritage of mankind — these are. the elements of this, the only noble and exalting struggle. Whatever may be the nature of the conflict, in this or that area, free navigation of the seas and the inter-oceanic canals must be ensured as a fundamental principle of international law for all time and for all nations, including Israel. Our earnest hope for the Near East, to which I have referred, is for a peace which, based on the rights of each individual, will promote understanding and harmony among the communities involved.
145. These hopes are not just theoretical; they are a real part of my Government’s policy, as an effective contribution to the building of a better world.
146. As evidence of our readiness to co-operate so far as we can in the task of achieving universal wellbeing, I should like to mention two facts.
147. Firstly, at this very moment representatives of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Peru are meeting in Montevideo at the invitation of the Uruguayan Government, in an effort to find legal and practical ways of increasing the possibilities for the production and distribution of goods, as an essential element in strengthening the regional economy, through the establishment of a free trade zone to further Latin American economic integration. This is an understanding favoured by the Governments in order that private enterprise may operate in conditions favourable to a better development that will contribute to the well-being of man.
148. Secondly, with the recent signing of a pact linking Paraguayan interests with those of our host country and of my own country, and effective step has been taken towards correcting that geographic misfortune suffered by all land-locked countries. In order to facilitate the communications of the interior of the American continent with the outside world, Uruguay, with its favourable geographical situation on the Rio de La Plata, has set up free zones in which, in absolute liberty, without paying any fees or being subject to any tax laws, the commerce of the world has a base for its transactions, concentrating on the production of wealth and its world-wide distribution through unprecedented exemptions granted by the Uruguayan Government as a contribution to better economic co-operation in the world.
149. Thus we give practical proof of our attachment to the most fundamental principles of the Charter, which we signed in the hope that this association of peoples would be able to find the shining road along which a happier mankind could make Its journey, secure in spiritual peace and physical well-being.