The dedication with which your predecessor, Mr. President, discharged his duties makes it incumbent upon us to pay him a just tribute. We are convinced that you are actuated by the same feelings, and we are gratified at the choice the General Assembly has made in electing you.
2. There are situations in which words do not adequately render feelings. I cannot find terms sufficiently strong, sufficiently warm, to express my country's gratitude to the United Nations, to which it largely owes the very fact of its existence today. The significance of this undertaking, unique in the history of our Organization, extends beyond my country's borders. It is a fact that progress, in bringing us closer together, has made us more sensitive to events, no matter where they may take place.
3. The Cuban crisis caused the world to tremble; the Moscow Treaty has restored the world's confidence. The Congo, which has come to appreciate that peace is the primary condition for progress, immediately acceded to that Treaty. The Congo hopes that this first step will be followed by others and that the world will eventually be freed from the haunting fear of destruction. It is because of this hope that we welcome with the greatest interest the suggestions made from this rostrum by President Kennedy [1209th meeting] and Mr. Gromyko [1208th meeting] with a view to continuing our progress towards this objective.
4. But peace will be threatened as long as injustice exists and man is oppressed by man. To abolish injustice means to struggle for peace. Although facing many problems, my country has never failed in its duty in this regard. It is fully aware of the mission imposed upon it by its geographical situation. It is aware of the hopes placed in it by those countries of our continent which have not yet been liberated. I wish to affirm from this lofty rostrum of human conscience that we shall never shirk our task or disappoint those hopes.
5. At our borders, Angola is the scene of a colonial war, with its toll of affliction, blood and tears and its trail of refugees. Our country is not unaffected by this war. The situation is all the more deplorable as the true representatives of Angola, those who are leading the fight, are prepared, as they continually emphasize, to make peace even today if necessary, provided the desire of their people to be masters of their own fate is satisfied. No one can deny that this is a legitimate claim.
6. We, for our part, have unfailingly done everything in our power to bring peace closer. That is why we recognized the revolutionary Government of Angola in exile. We wished by this gesture to affirm the personality of that African brother country, which today is passing through a phase we have all, in varying degrees, experienced.
7. In spite of the intransigent statements of the Portuguese authorities, we have not lost hope that wisdom will prevail and that a solution will be found to shorten the sufferings of both peoples. This hope is matched only by our resolve to give our brothers who are fighting for their freedom every support.
8. Our attitude towards Angola is also our attitude towards all the Territories under Portuguese domination. Our support is assured to all who are fighting for their independence, without any exceptions.
9. Nevertheless, I should like to deal in particular with two questions to which the Organization has turned its attention: Southern Rhodesia and the policy of apartheid. We are strongly opposed to the view that the solution of these problems should be postponed because they do not constitute an immediate threat to the peace. Should the fire be left to smoulder under the ashes until a conflagration breaks out? We cannot remain indifferent in the face of a persistent policy which raises racial discrimination to the level of a State institution. This policy strangely recalls nazism, and everyone knows the tragedy to which that movement led.
10. The only solution to all these problems lies in self-determination, which is a fundamental principle of the Organization's Charter. We shall reject any solution departing from that principle and designed to perpetuate racial or colonial hegemony in some sort of disguise.
11. I should also like to stress the importance for the problems of decolonization of the historic Conference of Addis Ababa. The hope of those who are fighting has been strengthened by the resolve of the African countries to unite their efforts to support them. The Addis Ababa Conference and more recently that of Dakar, will thus have been landmarks in the life of our continent.
12. Does not even what has been called "the Congolese problem" represent one of the aspects of decolonization? The efforts made by the international Organization to help our country have opened up a new road and offer the countries still fighting for their independence a new opportunity for realizing their people's wishes. This precedent is sufficient in itself to justify the magnitude of the effort which has been made to assist our country. But the fight has been a hard one, costing many lives and demanding many other sacrifices.
13. May I be permitted once again to pay a tribute to the memory of those heroes of international solidarity, of whom Dag Hammarksjöld is the most outstanding example. May I also be permitted to express our gratitude to all the nations which have come to our aid and also to the Secretary-General for the dedication which he has displayed in our country's cause.
14. The importance of the work done by the United Nations in the Congo makes it imperative for us to safeguard the results achieved. Although our country's territorial integrity has been restored and national unity has been re-established, there is one threat which still persists and to which the Secretary-General has appropriately drawn attention in his report on the situation in the Congo. This threat, which weighs upon our southern borders, is maintained by two colonialist regimes. Documents which have fallen into our hands corroborate this and show that those who are dreaming of a new secession have not laid down their arms. They maintain liaison with their agents still stationed on our borders who are waiting for a favourable moment to act.
15. In these circumstances, the retention of the United Nations Force is imperative. The importance which the Congolese Government attaches to this point is indicated by the fact that it has delegated its Prime Minister to explain to the General Assembly the reasons for its actions. I am gratified by the interest which the General Assembly has taken in this matter, and we have noted with satisfaction that considerable attention has been given to it by the majority of speakers who have come to this rostrum. I am also gratified that a substantial majority of the Assembly has come out in favour of our request, but we would like to see unanimity on this matter, particularly as it actually involves nothing more than the continuance of an operation whose duration the Security Council has left it to the Congolese Government to determine.
16. The operation cannot, of course, continue indefinitely, and we fully agree with the Secretary-General when he suggests a progressive disengagement. What our request amounts to in fact is a modification of the rate of such disengagement, so as to allow our own police forces, which are at present being trained, gradually to relieve the United Nations Force.
17. We are fully aware of the financial difficulties that this involves for the international Organization. My Government is not seeking to evade its responsibilities in the matter, and I can assure you that if we were able to bear the financial burden of this operation, we would certainly have done so. We hope that a decision will be reached soon because continued discussion might jeopardize the operation itself. Let us not forget the old adage about leaving well enough alone.
18. I should also like to point out that the Congolese question is a test of the ability of the United Nations to maintain peace, for if, today, our Organization suffered a set-back in this task for which it was created, might it not for the same reasons tomorrow be prevented from intervening in a conflict elsewhere in the world? Our attitude today must close the door to such a possibility.
19. For us, the strengthening of the peace which the Congo has now regained is not an end in itself; it is rather a means of achieving what our people really hope to gain from their independence, namely, social betterment. The full import of this problem can only be understood by recalling the special circumstances of our country at the time of its attainment of independence. The Congo was on the front pages of the newspapers, but it was rarely mentioned that out of 15 million inhabitants on 30 June 1960, only some fifteen were university graduates with a master's degree and 132 with a bachelor's degree. Thanks to United Nations technical assistance, which is of vital importance to us, we have been able to improve this situation to a considerable extent. Today the Congolese have taken over in several sectors, and the results fully justify the continuation of this assistance. We are well aware that we are not the only nation in need of such assistance, but the paucity of bilateral aid compels us to ask for it.
20. As regards education, for example, bilateral assistance has provided us with only 1,200 teachers, whereas 30,000 teachers are supplied to other countries having a population only four times greater than ours. These examples could easily be multiplied. The situation is similar with regard to physicians of whom only some fifty are supplied through bilateral assistance, and with regard to agronomists of whom we have only about a dozen for a country the size of Europe. I think these facts call for no further comment.
21. Another reason justifying United Nations technical assistance to the Congo is our country's economic potential and possibilities of development. The training of key personnel in our country should be pursued in harmonious fashion. Our most cherished hope is, in fact, to man all sectors, and our ambition is to pay off the debt which we have incurred by assisting those who may need help in the future. That would be the best return our country could make and the best tribute to the work of the international Organization.
22. The United Nations is now eighteen years old. During this period the world has undergone many changes. Many countries have joined the great family of the United Nations. All these changes must find their counterpart in our Organization and faithfully reflect the hopes that millions of persons in the developing countries place in it. If this is to be achieved, the principle of convening a conference for the review of the Charter must be accepted, and the sooner the better. The new forces which have emerged must be equitably represented in all United Nations organs. This concern stems from our attachment to the United Nations and our wish that its prestige should grow to new heights and its principles triumph everywhere. From this rostrum we reaffirm our resolve to do everything in our power so that this may be achieved.