99. Mr. President, allow me first of all to congratulate you on behalf of the Czechoslovak delegation, on your election to the Presidency of the General Assembly. The Czechoslovak delegation is certain that under your leadership the twenty-third session of the General Assembly will be animated by a constructive spirit and will thus greatly further the high ideals of understanding and co-operation on which the United Nations Charter was founded. I should like to tell you what great personal pleasure it gives me to see as President of the twenty-third session yourself in particular, who have been long acquainted with Czechoslovakia and have, as I know, always had friendly feelings towards my country.
100. In coming before the General Assembly, the Czechoslovak delegation has a feeling of great responsibility. The Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, as a founding. Member that has, since the birth of the Organization, championed and furthered progressive ideals with regard to international co-operation, is in a good position to assess the role that the United Nations is playing in the world of today. And it is especially because of the exceptional conditions of our country’s development that we wish to express Czechoslovakia’s opinion on certain basic questions clearly and unequivocally before the world. We are a socialist country that is following the path of social progress, peace and solidarity along with all the progressive forces in the world, according to the unanimous will of its people. We shall never deviate from that path, and shall continue to strengthen our sovereignty and our international alliances on a socialist foundation.
101. It is likewise in that light that we view the complex situation of the present-day world and formulate our attitude towards the fundamental problems of today.
102. The indivisibility of peace and, in consequence, support and aid to all peoples threatened by imperialism and colonialism, the struggle for democracy and progress and therefore. an unequivocal stand against backward forces — those are the attitudes adopted in the past, adhered to today and to be applied in the future in Czechoslovak foreign policy.
103. We feel a deep reg:set at finding ourselves obliged to state to the General Assembly at its twenty-third session that during the past year there have been few improvements in the international situation as a whole.
104. After the long and difficult negotiations that took place during the resumed twenty-second session, we at last reached agreement on the conclusion of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons [resolution 2373(XXII)]. That was truly a sure advance and was welcomed with satisfaction by the peace-loving nations of the world. The Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, whose representatives had worked actively from the outset to that goal, regarded that outcome as proof that an understanding could be reached even on very complex matters.
105. At present the basic task is still to rid mankind of the threat of thermonuclear warfare. The American aggression in Viet-Nam, the situations in the Middle East, Korea and other areas of the world, are all examples of a global strategy of force, links in the chain of threatening phenomena with incalculable consequences that endanger the security of nations.
106. During recent months the world has welcomed with relief and hope the opening of direct talks between the United States and representatives of the Democratic Republic of Viet-Nam on the chances of ending the war in Viet-Nam. Those hopes, however, were very soon dashed by the intransigent attitude of the United States delegation, which is refusing to cease bombing the territory of the Democratic Republic of Viet-Nam and committing other acts of war against that State. It is absolutely necessary that the United States should realize that the sole road leading to end of the bloodshed in Viet-Nam is that of respect for the just demands, based on the 1954 Geneva Accords, of
the Government of the Democratic Republic of Viet-Nam and of the National Front for the Liberation of South Viet-Nam. Until those demands are met, the Government and people of Czechoslovakia will continue to lend their support and assistance to the Viet-Namese people in their heroic fight against American aggression.
107. Nor was the past year notable for any change in the Middle East situation. The hope raised by the Security Council resolution [242(1969)] adopted on 22 November 1967, and its offer of a good road towards a solution of the complicated situation in that region, was not fulfilled. The Arab States, and in particular the United Arab Republic, accepted that resolution, which they considered to offer an opportunity for a settlement. To that end the Government of the United Arab Republic suggested the drafting of a plan designed to implement, by stages, the settlement of the situation. We give our fullest support to that initiative. Israel, on the contrary, is evading the Security Council resolution of 22 November 1967 and refusing to implement it. In the face of that fact even the untiring action of Mr. Jarring, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative to the Middle East, whose efforts to reach a political settlement in accordance with the Security Council resolution deserve, we feel, to be admired and encouraged, has not for the present borne fruit.
108. We still consider political settlement to be the only path towards a solution of the chronic Middle East crisis. That settlement, based on the Security Council resolution, entails first of all the withdrawal of the Israel armed forces from the occupied territories of the Arab States and stresses the need for every United Nations Member State of that region to recognize that each country has the right to exist as a national, independent State, as well as the right to live in peace and security.
109. In accordance with the policy of peaceful coexistence among States having different social régimes, the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic is for the elimination of any element that can lead to increasing tension in the world. in that connexion it is giving special attention to the European situation. It is attempting, through its policy, to establish normal relationships and to contribute to mutually-advantageous security and co-operation among all the European nations. Likewise in that spirit it is encouraging positive trends in Europe; and it sees evidence of them in the efforts that are being made to deal constructively with the pressing problems of European security. Stabilizing and creating the conditions for an effective system of security depend above all, in our opinion, on recognizing and respecting the situation created in Europe after the war. In that respect the need to recognize the existence of two German States is still paramount.
110. The Czechoslovak Government has already stressed several times that any attempt by militarist circles in West Germany to obtain access to nuclear weapons is incompatible with the interests of peace and security in Europe. Unfortunately, we have sufficient information on the activities of the militaristic and neo-nazi revanchist forces in the Federal Republic of Germany to prove that they have not abandoned their plans for altering the results of the Second World War. They must be combated with resolution, for their resurgence poses a serious threat to the peaceful evolution of Europe.
111. During these autumn days, in the present rather complex situation, the Czechoslovak people are remembering other important anniversaries.
112. Fifty years ago, on 28 October 1918, the Czech and Slovak peoples, by renewing ancestral revolutionary traditions, especially the famous Hussite movement of the fifteenth century, set out upon the path of independent political, economic and cultural evolution. However, as early as the 1930s Hitler fascism appeared on our frontier and, exactly thirty years ago at Munich, deprived Czechoslovakia of its sovereignty and independence. The Munich diktat imposed on the Czechoslovak State earned a permanent place in history as an act of treachery by the great signatory Powers and their sacrifice of a small State to serve their own interests.
113. It is an historical fact that, in those times that were so difficult for our two peoples, only the Soviet Union of all the great Powers stood up completely and unequivocally in defence of Czechoslovak independence. We recall the Munich pact today because it was one of the acts that led to the outbreak of the Second World War, with its tragic consequences for all mankind.
114. Our people never submitted to the Munich diktat nor to the occupation that followed it. That is proved by its resistance and its active struggle. During that struggle against fascism, close co-operation was established with the other enslaved peoples that had suffered the most severely from nazism, as well as with other States. At the same time the foundations of the new social and political organization of the Czechoslovak Republic were created. For it must be recalled that before 1938 the Czechoslovak Republic had not found the solution to all the problems with which it was faced, particularly its social and nationality problems. The hopes placed in their new State by the Czechoslovak people and reinforced by the great Socialist October Revolution had not been fully realized.
115. The liberation of the territory of the Czechoslovak Republic, thanks in particular to the Soviet Army, gave our peoples a chance to fulfil the revolutionary dreams that the pre-Munich Republic could not. By nationalizing industry, mining and banks, by organizing agriculture on a co-operative footing and by adopting other measures, the Czechoslovak people set out to transform their economy and build a socialist society. That has been a difficult and complicated process and has inevitably led to problems that have had to be overcome and to a search for new ways of organizing economic, social and political relations. The irrelevant and distorting factors hindering the construction of the new social system in the past, some of which were due to our difficulties during the years of the cold war and of acute international tension, convinced the Czech and Slovak peoples that they must erase the contradictions that the years had increased. At the beginning of this year the leading political force in our Republic — the Czechoslovak Communist Party — took the lead in a movement aimed at great changes, for it was convinced that, founding itself on the Marxist-Leninist concept of the building of socialism and respect for the broad principles of socialism, and taking into account the special conditions of Czechoslovak development, it could transform our country into a modern and prosperous socialist society, firmly attached to the community of socialist countries. That entire process which since January 1968 has developed in complex circumstances and has had to avoid the extremes of both right and left — including attempts to exploit it harmfully — has opened the way for the unparalleled creative drive of our people. It has been proved that the socialist path of our development, based on the historic traditions of the workers’ movement, has become an accepted fact for the overwhelming majority of our population.
116. During the current session of the General Assembly some delegations have referred to recent events in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. I therefore feel I must say a few words on that subject.
117. Last August our country’s Government was confronted with a new factor. Troops from five socialist States entered Czechoslovakia. In that new situation the Czechoslovak people maintained their composure and displayed exemplary unity and discipline, thereby demonstrating their full confidence in and support for their constitutional representatives, headed by Ludvik Svoboda, the President of the Republic. The Czechoslovak Government was aware of the gravity of the occasion and of the fact that our nation’s future was at stake.
118. The newly-created situation was the subject of talks held between the political and constitutional representatives of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic and the Soviet Union leaders in Moscow from 23 to 26 August to reach a political solution. They resulted in a document whose implementation will bring about the complete normalization that is planned and the departure from Czechoslovak territory of the troops from the five socialist States. The Czechoslovak Government stated, and reiterates, that it will for its part scrupulously observe the agreements that were concluded.
119. We expect the Governments of all States and their representatives at the current session of the General Assembly to understand that situation and to take no action conflicting with the Czechoslovak Government’s desire to settle the existing situation in accordance with the decisions arrived at in the Moscow talks. The Czechoslovak Government has therefore also asked that the item concerning the situation in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic that was placed on the Security Council agenda at the instance of certain States be withdrawn. It would serve the interests neither of the United Nations and its goals nor of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic if the situation in Czechoslovak were exploited in an attempt to revive the atmosphere of the cold war. On the contrary, we consider that the systematic pursuit of a policy of relaxing tension is integral to a settlement of the situation in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic.
120. The recent events in Czechoslovakia gave rise to widespread reaction throughout the world. Allow me to recall the words spoken by Prime Minister M. O. Černík in his government statement to the National Assembly on 13 September 1968, thanking all those who during that time openly bore in mind the well-being of the Czechoslovak people and the future of socialism in Czechoslovakia. We are grateful to them for their expression of sympathy and
their sincere advice. On the other hand, we have no illusions about the motives that impel some representatives of the imperialist States and their friends to show the sudden concern for the fortunes and the future of socialism in Czechoslovakia which we have also witnessed in this hall. In that connexion we once again assure all our friends, and our opponents, that Czechoslovakia is and will remain a socialist country and that the essential direction of its policy will not change.
121. The Czechoslovak Government has set up a programme aimed at strengthening the socialist system within the country and developing its international relations. In this regard particular attention will be devoted to future increased co-operation with allied socialist countries in accordance with the principles adopted in the Bratislava statement of 3 August 1968.
122. Allow me to turn now to some of the problems with which this Assembly will be dealing in its work.
123. The problem of disarmament is one of the major questions of decisive importance for the future of the world. The threat of nuclear war can be systematically and totally eradicated only by banning and destroying all nuclear weapons and achieving general and complete disarmament. Since that goal is for the moment still far distant, we must therefore proceed gradually through the adoption of partial measures. The results already achieved must be taken into account, particularly those connected with the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons. It is true, of course, that the efforts to implement the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons are not being made in a vacuum, and are being influenced by the general world situation. Nevertheless, we consider that any attempt to associate or link accession to the Treaty on non-proliferation, or adoption of other measures concerning disarmament, to problems not directly relevant to these matters
can have no useful effect at all. The Czechoslovak Socialist Republic regards the approval of the Treaty at the resumed twenty-second session of the General Assembly as a triumph of good sense, and attaches great importance to its implementation in the near future. Its effectiveness depends on its adoption by the greatest number of States of all continents. Notwithstanding certain ill-omened portents that have recently been observed in that connexion, we should like to believe that the majority of countries will respond to the General Assembly’s appeal and accede to the Treaty.
124. Talks on disarmament also include many other projects aimed at the execution of partial measures in the field both of nuclear weapons and of conventional armed forces and their equipment. Those projects have been broadly enumerated in the USSR memorandum [A/7134] submitted to this session of the General Assembly, and in other documents. We are convinced that those proposals could form an appropriate base for future agreement on other measures which if achieved would halt the arms race and strengthen the security of all members of the international community.
125. Another important objective is implementation of the provisions of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples. Our Organization is bound to work still more energetically so that the remaining colonial territories may disappear from the world map and colonialism in all its forms and manifestations be eradicated once and for all.
126. United Nations efforts are rightly aimed at solving the complex problems of the world economy and international economic co-operation. It is particularly necessary to solve the crucial problem of the present-day world economy: that is, to bridge the economic gulf that separates the developing countries from the industrially-developed States.
127. As for the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, the attention of its Government continues to be focused on adapting its socialist economy to the present-day requirements of the scientific and technological revolution — on the process common to all developed economies. We are convinced that through those efforts we shall soon be able not only to ensure the orderly development of the economy and to raise the living level in Czechoslovakia, but also to foster the future growth of economic co-operation with other States, in particular the socialist countries. We also regard as important European economic development and co-operation, the work of the Economic Commission for Europe, and the implementation of all progressive forms of world co-operation, particularly in trade with all countries and especially with developing countries.
128. We start from the assumption that the international division of labour, based on concerted world action and on the principles of equal rights and mutual advantages, can be of widespread value. The Czechoslovak Socialist Republic is in favour of those principles and is endeavouring to give its economy its optimal place in the world division of labour.
129. This year has been dedicated to greater efforts to promote human rights throughout the world. Czechoslovakia’s participation in those efforts is widely recognized, and the Czechoslovak delegation informed the world of that participation at the Teheran Conference. The Czechoslovak Government, in the statement it made on 24 April, pronounced itself in favour of action aimed at effective implementation of human rights and civil liberties. To that end I was also instructed to sign, on behalf of Mr. Ludvik Svoboda, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights [see resolution 2200A(XXI)]. We expect the Assembly to take at this session resolute action in other fields, such as the eradication of all forms of racial discrimination, and the completion and adoption of the draft convention on the non-applicability of statutory limitations to war crimes and crimes against humanity.
130. The General Assembly has become the cross-roads where many international problems meet. Some of those problems have to do with a few States; others concern the entire international community. Nevertheless, they make up a picture of the present-day world that no one can ignore. In that picture the United Nations has an important place.
131. The Czechoslovak Socialist Republic has remained and continues to remain faithful to the principles of the United Nations Charter, namely the duty of States to co-operate with each other, the principle of the equal rights of peoples and their right to self-determination, the principle of the sovereign equality of States, the principle of respect for international commitments, the principle of non-intervention, the principle of the peaceful settlement of disputes and the prohibition of the threat or use of force in international relations. Those are the principles that must underlie peaceful coexistence and equitable relations among peoples. Nevertheless, our Organization must still face a whole series of unsolved problems that are impeding the full effectiveness of its action. In the first place, it is absolutely necessary to realize completely the concept of universality by restoring to the People’s Republic of China its legitimate rights in the United Nations and by admitting to membership of this Organization the States that have shown a warranted interest in it. We are in favour of admitting to the United Nations both German States: the Democratic Republic of Germany and the Federal Republic of Germany.
132. In conclusion let me say that, despite all the explosive problems existing in the world today, the constitutional representatives of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic and its people not only retain an unshaken confidence in the feasibility of peaceful international co-operation, but they are convinced that only through the development of that co-operation can the conditions necessary for an honest solution to all problems be established. Political negotiations and the solutions adopted must always bear in mind the interests of all peoples and must respect above all their independence and sovereignty. Our planet’s future depends on understanding and co-operation between States with different political and economic systems.
133. I should like to state the Czechoslovak Government's conviction that the work of the current session of the General Assembly will contribute towards the attainment of that goal. We believe that that work will exhibit a responsible spirit in defence of the values whose protection is one of the tasks incumbent on the United Nations. Notwithstanding the complex problems confronting our country at the present time, the Czechoslovak delegation
will make every effort to contribute in a valid and constructive manner to the positive advancement of our labours.