1. Let me first congratulate Mr. Arenales on his election to the Presidency of the General Assembly at its twenty-third session. We are confident that with his great experience in international affairs and with his personal qualities of wisdom and understanding he will guide us to a successful and fruitful conclusion of the issues before this Assembly. It is unfortunate that illness prevents him from being present with us today, and it is the sincere hope of my delegation that he will make a speedy recovery.
2. I must also pay a tribute to his predecessor His Excellency Mr. Corneliu Manescu, the Foreign Minister of Romania, whose wisdom and patience and unquestionable diplomacy were of great service to the deliberations of the twenty-second session.
3. My delegation also extends its most cordial congratulations and welcome to Swaziland as it takes its rightful position in the family of nations. It is a happy occasion for us here when we see the practical application of the principle of self-determination which the United Nations has done so much to promote. To the people of that young State we wish lasting prosperity.
4. It is customary at this time for us the Member States of the United Nations to become introspective, to examine the progress or otherwise which this Organization has made towards its expressed goal of universal peace and brotherhood, and to show our individual attitudes towards the issues and problems which stand in the way of achieving that goal. There have been years when the dominant theme has been confidence in the ability of the Organization to achieve its ends; there have been years when grave doubts have been felt about the ability of the United Nations to survive at all. I think it is important each year, before we go on to the business of thrashing out the items on the agenda in the various Committees, that we should take an objective look at our Organization to see where we stand today.
5. As we begin the deliberations of this session we have cause neither for jubilation nor for deep foreboding. Unsolved problems drag on and continue to cause tension in various parts of. the world. The war in Viet-Nam, the dangerous situation in the Middle East and the continued imposition of racial injustice on the non-white population of southern Africa are all issues which are evidence of failure on our part. Their effect is hardly outweighed by such encouraging developments as the endorsement of the nuclear non-proliferation Treaty and the imposition of comprehensive mandatory sanctions on Rhodesia. None the less I should like to reiterate a view that my delegation has expressed before in this Assembly: that in the United Nations Charter we have the guidelines for the development of an international morality. The steps we are taking towards the acceptance and implementation of that morality are slow and halting, but they are being made, and we hope they will develop in strength and purpose. I should like to outline the attitude of my Government on some of the main issues which are the concern of the international community.
6. The long-drawn-out suffering of the people of Viet-Nam continues even while the talks in Paris give some hope for an end to that terrible war. While my Government hopes that both sides will use the conference table to work towards a speedy end to the war, we believe that the United States has an international and moral obligation to stop the bombing of North Viet-Nam and so to initiate those first steps which can create the conditions necessary for meaningful negotiations to take place. It is at least possible for the United States to make this gesture and to place the onus for responding to it, in the cause of peace, on the Government of North Viet-Nam. We repeat our conviction expressed last year: that the Viet-Namese people alone have the right to decide how they should turn to the building of a unified State, and to decide what form that State should take.
7. The continued occupation by Israel of Arab territories in defiance of resolutions of the Security Council and the General Assembly is an equally dangerous source of international tension. Israeli forces have repeatedly violated the cease-fire; the shelling and bombing of Arab villages and cities have increased tensions; Arab lands and property are being expropriated to make way for new waves of Israeli colonizers, and, as has been pointed out by the Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, several hundred thousand more Arab refugees have been rendered homeless and forced to take refuge in neighbouring Arab countries.
8. The Arab people of those occupied areas cannot be blamed for the deep hostility which they harbour against the Israeli régime, nor can anyone deplore the resistance movements which have developed to counteract the occupation of Arab homelands. Similar movements arose during the Second World War when so many European countries fell under the yoke of Nazi tyranny. Those fighters of the Resistance won the admiration of all freedom-loVing people for their undying courage and patriotism. It is the same force of patriotism and the same courage born of defiance to tyranny which lies behind Arab resistance today.
9. At the international level, my delegation considers that this Assembly should not only express strong condemnation of Israel’s occupation of Arab territory, but should also take meaningful action which would bring about a termination of that occupation. It must be made clear that territorial expansion brought about by war cannot be condoned and that the use of territorial gains to exact political concessions is equally unacceptable. Furthermore, it is most important that the United Nations should press for the solution of the problem on the basis of the resolution of November last, and that the vital mission of Ambassador Jarring in this matter should not be deflected by spurious arguments.
10. The habitual opposition of the Israeli Government to United Nations attempts to solve the problem of the Middle East will no doubt be further demonstrated in its response to the Security Council resolution [259 (1968)] of 27 September recommending the despatch of a special representative of the Secretary-General to investigate the violation of human rights in the occupied territories. In this context it should be noted that the International Conference on Human Rights held in Teheran earlier this year has condemned Israel for violating the human rights and fundamental freedoms of the population in the occupied territories. However, reports emanating from Tel Aviv already point to a negative and unco-operative attitude towards this matter by the Israeli authorities, in keeping with the defiance which they have customarily displayed towards international opinion.
11. Like the Middle East and Asia, parts of Africa have also been the scene of human conflict and suffering. In the great Republic of Nigeria the life and progress of the people have been afflicted by civil strife which has caused horrible suffering to the civilian population. The Somali Republic, at the recent summit conference of the Organization of African Unity, was one of those States which strongly supported the adoption of a resolution which appealed for the cessation of hostilities and which urged the secessionist leaders to co-operate with the federal authorities in order to restore peace and unity in Nigeria. It is the hope of my Government that this appeal will meet with a positive response and that all concerned will co-operate to facilitate the urgent delivery of essential supplies of food, clothing and medicine for the civilian population in the affected areas. In a situation of this dimension there will be need for forbearance and magnanimity. Consequently, it is our hope, as the OAU resolution has recommended, that the Federal Military Government of Nigeria will, on the cessation of hostilities, declare a general amnesty and will co-operate with the Organization of African Unity to ensure the physical security of all the people of Nigeria alike until mutual confidence is restored. The international community on its part should refrain from any action detrimental to the peace, unity and territorial integrity of Nigeria.
12. The situation in southern Africa which is of particular concern to the free people of that continent must remain a vital concern of the international community as well. The plight of the millions of Africans who are held in bondage under the system of apartheid is not constantly held up to public view through the mass communication media. South Africa is not a free country and under the repressive conditions that prevail there it is difficult to obtain the type of visual commentary that would bring home to people everywhere the fact that one of the greatest of crimes against humanity is daily being enacted in that country. In these circumstances the United Nations, which is the self-proclaimed champion of human rights, has a special responsibility to lead international public opinion in a moral crusade against apartheid and to use every means at its disposal to attempt to bring an end to this evil system. While apartheid continues to be applied with increasing severity with a consequent increase in the disruption and misery that attends the lives of the black people of that territory, the system continues to be supported by Members of this Organization which not only maintain but also increase their trading connexions with and material support of the Government of the Republic of South Africa. In addition, Member States, by their lack of co-operation, make the relevant resolutions of the General Assembly and the Security Council ineffective.
13. The danger of apartheid spreading like an infectious disease has now become very real. As the Secretary-General pointed out in his report, the South African Government has not only continued to ignore the decisions of the United Nations with regard to Namibia, but is also extending to that Territory the typical apartheid pattern. The ruthless suppression of any form of protest and the dehumanizing process of segregation are now well established.
14. My Government reiterates its opinion that the continued occupation of Namibia by the Government of South Africa is an act of international aggression. The General Assembly, as the sole authority responsible for Namibia, should again call on the Security Council to take all measures necessary to ensure self-determination and independence for the people of the Territory. In Southern Rhodesia too the signals are clear. In addition to the denial of political rights to the majority of the people of the Territory the white minority régime is moving steadily towards racial segregation with all its attendant social injustice. While my Government welcomes the application of mandatory sanctions to Rhodesia, we believe that the problems of southern Africa must be tackled at the roots — which lie in the Republic of South Africa.
15. In the face of the dangerous tensions which the situation in southern Africa engenders, and confronted by the moral responsibility to fight against apartheid, it would be dishonest of any Member State which directly or indirectly supports the policies of the Government of South Africa, to point a finger of accusation at any other Member on the grounds that the Charter or the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is being abused.
16. With regard to other territories in Africa which are still under colonial control it is the hope of my Government that the Administering Authorities will take heed of the recommendations made by the United Nations Committee on Decolonization and by the General Assembly for the speedy implementation of the measures proposed for the early advancement of those territories to independence through the process of self-determination. It is appropriate that my Government should express its satisfaction with the manner in which Spain has co-operated with the United Nations in facilitating the independence of Equatorial Guinea. We welcome the Government and people of that Territory to the family of nations.
17. On the question of French Somaliland my Government hopes that the Administering Authority will take those necessary measures recommended by the United Nations for the early advancement to independence of the people of that Territory. Somalia’s interest in this particular question stems not only from its close association with the people of French Somaliland, but also from its desire to see that the people of the Territory are allowed to determine their political future freely and in an atmosphere of peace and harmony.
18. Once again this Assembly will consider the question of the admission of the People’s Republic of China to the United Nations. It is the hope of my Government that this question will be viewed by all with objectivity and that reason will at last prevail so that a great Power may take its rightful place on the Security Council and as a Member of the General Assembly. It is clear to my delegation that there is only once Chinese nation. The Government of the People’s Republic of China is in fact and in law the legitimate Government of the Chinese people and as such should be able to send its representatives to join in our deliberations. Furthermore, the absence of the Government of the People’s Republic of China makes progress towards the solution of many international problems difficult. Such a problem is that of disarmament, where the co-operation of all the major Powers is necessary for a definitive solution.
19. My Government welcomes the conclusion of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons [resolution 2373 (XXII)], which is the culmination of ten years of intensive effort in the United Nations and by the Disarmament Committee in Geneva. My Government is aware of the shortcomings of the Treaty, but having regard to the dangers inherent in the proliferation of nuclear weapons, considers it an important advance towards the goal of nuclear disarmament. My delegation does not believe that an extension of the nuclear arms race to more and more countries would improve their security, neither does it accept the contention that the deliberate maintenance of the mutual fear of extinction constitutes an element of security or an inducement to the lessening of tensions. We expect the nuclear Powers, however, to terminate their nuclear arms race at any early date and to enter into serious and urgent discussions which would result not only in the destruction of all nuclear weapons, but also in tangible progress towards a treaty on general and complete disarmament. In this respect my delegation was happy to see an item inscribed on the agenda of the present session of the General Assembly designed to initiate action in this direction.
20. Representing a country which is now involved in an intensive programme of national economic development, I find myself in agreement with many of the conclusions which the Secretary-General has recorded in the introduction to his annual report for the current year [A/7201/Add.1]. The importance of the role to be played by the regional economic commissions cannot be overstated. My country, for example, has found the services offered by the Economic Commission for Africa, as a vital part of our own national development and for promoting a high degree of social and economic co-operation with sub-regional groups, most essential for rapid and effective development.
21. On the other hand, my Government, like many others, is disappointed with the results of the second session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. There should be reform of the institutional machinery of the Conference so that it is capable and sufficiently resilient to give practical effect to trade and development principles and policies. There was, unfortunately, an absence of political will on the part of the developed countries to enter into a more meaningful and equitable economic relationship with the developing countries. Again, the Conference showed that its institutional machinery required reform to make it capable and sufficiently resilient to translate into practical terms trade and development principles and policies.
22. Industrialization, as a phenomenon of our century, is now being accorded top priority in the economic planning of every government. To meet the urgent needs in this field of the developing countries the General Assembly has established the United Nations Industrial Development organization [2152 (XXI)]. Unfortunately, available resources are not sufficient for that new important organization to carry on its task. It is our hope that substantial financial contributions will be given to the Organization during the forthcoming Pledging Conference. While industrialized countries should bear the main burden, developing countries must also make an effective contribution.
23. I should like to end my speech on the same note of cautious optimism with which I began it. The United Nations has an organization and a set of principles which could enable it to be an effective agent of progress and peace. But the United Nations will fulfil its purpose only when nations large and small have accepted the fact that it must be used as the basic instrument for international relations. The world cannot wait much longer for this attitude to crystallize and it cannot wait too long for the United Nations to acquire the strength, the acceptance and the respect which it lacks. We need a great effort of will on the part of Member States. The United Nations has reached a crossroads in its existence; the principles have been laid down; the problems which arise in applying those principles have been defined. We can take the road to chaos or the road to peace and freedom through morality and international justice. The choice is ours.