The Lao delegation is happy to join with other Member States in congratulating you most warmly and sincerely, Mr. President, on your election as President of the General Assembly. We feel that in your high position you will, if anything, be even better able to defend the cause of peace, to which all nations, both great and small, are devoting their most determined efforts here.
100. The Lao delegation is also happy to extend a warm welcome to the newly independent African States and to Cyprus as they take their place among our great family of nations, and it wishes, on behalf of the Lao people and Government, to express to them its cordial and sincere congratulations. This historic event marks a big step by the United Nations in its steady and sure progress towards the achievement of one of its fundamental purposes, namely, universality. We are convinced that these new Member States will make a valuable contribution to the work of our Organization.
101. Although since the end of the last session of the General Assembly, we have been happy to see new States freed from their former subjection and promoted to independence and international equality, the fact remains that in many parts of the world peace is still threatened. The fear which has plagued us in both ancient and modern times has not yet vanished from our hearts despite the terrible and needless suffering that has been imposed on mankind by the love of domination and force, which some men still wish to exercise over their fellow men and which we are determined to banish from International relations.
102. We realize only too well what this means, for Laos has not known real peace for nearly twenty years, although it has ardently been longing for peace all that time. We won our independence by our own efforts, but this did not deliver us completely from new pressures which, for all their unobtrusiveness and subtlety, are none the less all-pervading. The result is that we have now been brought face to face with a peril which we wish to bring to the attention of the Assembly, for it is the fruit of a policy that still aims at involving weak, under-developed and Under-armed nations in dangerous ideological crusades which cannot but weaken the cause of peace and must inevitably create tension between States.
103. It may seem impertinent for a small kingdom with a population of three million, and with more hopes than wealth, to appear to be making any suggestion whatever to the big Powers. We feel, however, that the world is so varied that all peoples have the right to choose, according to their special temperament and character, the social system which suits them, the religion which best expresses their philosophy of life, and the friends in whom they have confidence. Liberty and dignity, for peoples as well as individuals, must be freely chosen without any outside interference.
104. That is how our delegation understands the policy which States should adopt towards one another and the policy which the new Royal Government intends to make its own in the light of the experiences that have given rise to the present difficulties which are a cruel threat to its future. It has accordingly taken the deliberate decision to reject any undertakings which would bind it to any bloc. It wishes to remain neutral, to keep aloof from ideological squabbles and to continue on its way in accordance with its own wishes and its ancient traditions as a peaceful people, which, through history, has encroached the least upon its neighbours, shed the least blood in battle and been the least desirous of imposing its will on weaker peoples. Its moral law is peace, as its religion teaches.
105. The delegation of Laos would be very happy if this philosophy of neutrality could be accepted in this hall without our Kingdom being regarded by some as a disturber of the peace. It would particularly like the obvious conclusions to be drawn by those who want to help Laos to strengthen its independence. In this respect, the United Nations has pointed the way. The Lao delegation is deeply grateful for the assistance received from the United Nations during the serious disturbances which shook the entire Kingdom last year and which bore the stamp of foreign interference in our internal affairs. This interference is still going on; we want it to stop completely so that our part of South-East Asia can finally live in peace. Laos must cease to be a prize for one bloc or another, for a conflagration might start there which would soon spread to enormous areas and could not be put out.
106. You have been more or less aware of the present difficulties in Laos, which have been fostered from the outside by rival political interests. We realize the gravity of the situation in our country, which we hope is only temporary, but we are deliberately refraining from giving details here, as we do not wish to provide another subject for sterile and negative propaganda. However, a methodical and patient inquiry, carried out impartially by an accredited body, could not fail to uncover traces of interference by certain Powers that is becoming increasingly flagrant despite the ingenious attempts to camouflage it.
107. The geographical position of Laos in the heart of a critical area which is the battle-ground of two opposing ideologies is a terrible handicap in its efforts to strengthen its independence and territorial integrity. The most reasonable attitude seems to be to keep out of the raging storms of the cold war. By doing so, we feel we are helping to reduce friction, but in the world in which we live such a position can be effective only if it is accepted and supported by our neighbours and the big Powers.
108. We therefore welcomed with a great deal of sympathy the idea of a neutral Cambodia and Laos that was put forward from this rostrum on 29 September 1960 by His Royal Highness Prince Norodom Sihanouk, the Chief of State of Cambodia [877th meeting]. We feel that this would be the best guarantee of our independence and territorial integrity. We urge the United Nations and the Powers that are desirous of maintaining stability and peace in that area to give the Cambodian delegation’s proposal serious study.
109. I should like to say a few words about the problem which is of primary concern to the whole of mankind, that is to say, disarmament. The resounding failure of the Summit Conference in Paris, followed shortly by that of the ten-Power negotiations on disarmament at Geneva, has plunged the world into anxiety and anguish, producing breeding-grounds of crisis and of a fear which now lies heavy on the hearts of men in all continents. The Kingdom of Laos feels helpless in this raging torrent of the cold war. An atmosphere charged with threats of reprisals and nuclear destruction has greatly increased the responsibilities of the United Nations with regard to disarmament. My delegation has no intention of dwelling on this problem, but it feels that in view of the rising tide of danger, there should be no more procrastination. The dominant factor in the disarmament debate is obviously the fear of being taken in. Each party suspects the other of setting a trap for it and is afraid of paying a high price for its good faith, for there are still many unknown factors in the international situation. As long as distrust and suspicion persist, the success of even the most determined efforts to negotiate and arrive at some agreement on disarmament remains problematical.
110. That is why we beg those who hold the future of mankind in their hands to apply themselves to dissipating this distrust and to re-establishing confidence between peoples and Governments. Confidence must be born and grow strong before it is possible to disarm and free mankind from the nightmare of catastrophic war. Every opportunity that arises and every means at our disposal must be fully utilized in order to break the present deadlock as soon as possible. Consequently, the Kingdom of Laos cannot but address the most urgent plea to those who have the technical mastery and the monopoly of these new weapons that, on behalf of spiritual and moral values and on behalf of civilization, they will be wise enough and bold enough to take the path which will deliver mankind from all fear of self-destruction.
111. My delegation was much upset by the attacks made by some countries on the authority of the Secretary-General, to whom we wish to pay a tribute of thanks and deep gratitude. His great statesmanlike qualities, his competence, his selflessness and his unceasing efforts on behalf of peace must command the respect and gratitude of everyone. To attack the position of the Secretary-General is, in our opinion, to undermine the very foundations of the United Nations and to deprive the small nations of the bastion which defends and protects them. At a time when many African countries are entering the great international family full of hope and confidence, we find this offensive by certain Powers against the highest authority of the Organization very puzzling. We have placed our faith and confidence in the United Nations, but now we are afraid that the attacks and abuse by those who wish to make it their tool will cause it to sink even deeper into the ruts of the less fortunate aspects of its past. That is why the Lao delegation sincerely welcomes the Secretary-General’s courageous decision to stay at his post in spite of attacks which would have shaken many other men. It regards that decision as motivated solely by the interests of peace and the interests of all countries which need the protection of the United Nations.
112. The Lao delegation apologizes for having spoken at such length of its anxieties and political ideals, ft would have liked to deal exclusively with the problems that are of interest to what is now called the "third world", the world to which the Kingdom of Laos belongs. A human more than apolitical solution is also needed for these problems. Millions of persons are living at a subsistence level and are in danger of being swamped by despair. They must be given the hope of better days in the near future. As mankind has made unequal progress in comfort and wealth, the great crusade of this century should be to smooth out such inequalities. The nations represented here are, we are sure, acutely aware of this. The under-developed peoples lack the technical knowledge which has made the great Powders pre-eminent. It would thus be well for that knowledge to be shared with everyone, for we are all members of a world in full development, where those who are now more fortunate must pay more attention to the less favoured. The Kingdom of Laos has been lucky enough to receive an initial part of its share of this technical and economic assistance from States which it can never adequately thank for their generosity. The United Nations in particular — after the visit by the Secretary-General and the United Nations mission — drew up a programme of assistance which is now being put into effect. The Special Fund has made us substantial allocations for the Committee for Co-ordination of Investigation of the Lower Mekong Basin. The assistance from the United Nations, together with bilateral aid from friendly nations, has already proved to us that there is a great movement of solidarity between great and small States. May the work continue in our country and elsewhere, without any political strings attached and with a purely humanitarian aim. That is the great hope of the "third world", for nothing can resist an altruistic and disinterested gesture.
113. I do not wish to take up too much of your time. However, before leaving this rostrum, I should like to tell you how my delegation feels about our work at the fifteenth session. The sad spectacle of discord, ideological struggle and unbridled propaganda which the General Assembly has provided since 20 September is not likely to inspire confidence or remove anxiety or, in a word, to reduce international tension. In our view, the sessions of the United Nations seem to have become routine for the big Powers of this world, but for the small nations, particularly for those which are regaining their independence, these sessions are a source of hope. Between the routine of the great Powers and the hope of the small nations, all efforts must now be directed towards the single purpose of safeguarding peace in order to achieve real international co-operation. The fifteenth session is a difficult test for the United Nations, and it will show whether the same words, have the same meaning in relations between nations as in relations between men and whether goodwill, honesty and good faith can become part of a common language.