129. Mr. President, allow me to take this opportunity to pay a tribute to you and to extend to you my delegation’s congratulations upon your election to this high office of President of the General Assembly. It is with a sense of gratification that my delegation sees this office occupied by a representative of another small country. Your well-known experience in United Nations work, and your outstanding personal qualities, which have been eloquently described by other speakers, are certain to add lustre to the office of President of the Assembly, and your performance of your duties will most certainly cast new distinction upon yourself as well as upon your country.
130. Allow me also to express, on behalf of the Icelandic delegation, our thanks and appreciation to the President of the twenty-second session of the General Assembly, His Excellency the Foreign Minister of Romania, Mr. Manescu, who handled his delicate and often difficult job with such outstanding tact, ability and efficiency.
131. The past year has been a year of contrasting developments in international politics, a year of hopes and a year of frustrations. There were hopeful signs of progress in the conclusion of the treaty to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and in the opening of preliminary peace talks between North Viet-Nam and the United States. But those hopes have been marred by the frustration over our Organization’s inability until now to solve the bitter conflicts that threaten the peace in the Middle East and in southern Africa, or to avert the tragic sufferings of the civilian population of Nigeria, which has been torn by a fratricidal civil war. For some years we have watched the hopeful signs of a lessening of tension between East and West. But the recent occupation of Czechoslovakia has turned back the political clock in Europe and has left a scar on the international body politic that will show for years to come.
132. The United Nations may not be formally seized of all the different issues involved. However, they have a direct bearing and impact on our work in this Assembly Hall and put our Organization to a grave test. By our Charter we have individually and collectively dedicated ourselves and this Organization to high ideals. We have resolved to maintain international peace and security and to develop friendly relations among nations, based on respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples. According to Article 2, paragraph 4, of the Charter:
“All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State ...”.
133. Our Organization has bravely endeavoured to live up to the aims and ideals of the Charter. Admittedly, there have been many failures to avert conflicts and frustrations, when it has not proved possible to contain a conflict or to reach a satisfactory settlement of a dispute. In most such cases, however, the United Nations has been faced with situations where spontaneous events have overtaken planned action by statesmen and Governments. Old enmities, national pride or economic and ethnic disparity have sparked events beyond the control of Governments and statesmen of goodwill. We must expect such setbacks even in the future, while persevering in our efforts to keep the chain reaction of political events from getting out of hand.
134. We admit the shortcomings of our Organization when it is faced with explosive situations created by a world of economic upheaval and national emancipation. At the same time, we must be permitted to voice our deep concern when a great Power, aided by its allies, invades and occupies a friendly neighbouring country, without any provocation, in order to dictate to that country the kind of Government it should have and what internal or external policies it should pursue. I refer, of course, to the recent dramatic occupation of Czechoslovakia by military forces of five Warsaw Pact countries, a country whose people are known and respected the world over for their dedication to peace and democracy, and whose Government and leaders had dedicated themselves to proceeding along the road of democratic socialism, a peaceful way of government that did not threaten any State or nation. My Government and the people of Iceland find it difficult to see how this action can be construed to be compatible with the principles of Articles 1 and 2 of the Charter of the United Nations.
135. The Government of Iceland is opposed to and condemns any threat or use of force in relations between States. We consider it to be the duty of the United Nations Organization to voice its deep concern, whenever and wherever such force or threat of force is employed, and irrespective of whether the United Nations may be in a position to avert the use of force or to solve a conflict that has already broken out.
136. Our Secretary-General has himself stated that he regards the developments in Czechoslovakia as yet another grave blow to the concepts of international order and morality set out in the Charter and also a serious setback to the détente between East and West which was showing some signs of vigour in recent months.
137. At the same time, my Government does not agree with those who feel that the tragic events which have befallen Czechoslovakia are a valid reason for discontinuing the encouraging dialogue between East and West in order to lessen world tension. Whatever setbacks we have in our common endeavour to build a world of peace should rather make us redouble our efforts to work for a real détente. So also in this case.
138. Our Secretary-General has pointed out in the introduction to his annual report that the strengthening of the peace-building and peace-keeping capability of the United Nations system would be a constructive and helpful act in this context [see A/7201/Add.1, para. 195].
139. Another and related area in which we can usefully continue our endeavour to reduce tension is the area of disarmament and arms control. The successful conclusion of the treaty on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons was an achievement of momentous importance, as a first step on the road to real disarmament. Notwithstanding the serious undermining of mutual confidence which recent events have caused, and perhaps because of that very undermining, it is now all-important to secure the ratification of the treaty by the largest possible number of States; and primarily the great Powers involved should take the necessary steps to live up to the undertakings which they entered into at the time of the conclusion of the treaty, to pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to the cessation of the nuclear arms race and on a treaty on general and complete disarmament. This would help to rebuild the atmosphere of mutual trust which we must all strive to re-establish.
140. A major conflict that has proved beyond the means of the United Nations to stop is the devastating war in Viet-Nam. The fighting and destruction go on with unabating fury, and the loss of human life is a tragic and appalling spectacle. Earlier discussions of the issue here in the General Assembly had made it clear that a majority of the Governments of the world have been deeply troubled by the growing intensity of the conflict. All the same, the United Nations has been powerless to reverse the trend or to produce a negotiated settlement, despite the noble, selfless and sometimes thankless initiatives and efforts of the Secretary-General to bring the conflict to the conference table. Some hopes were raised, however, with the opening of preliminary peace talks in Paris, between North Viet-Nam and the United States. Although the talks have now dragged on for some months without any tangible results, it is the sincere hope of the Government of Iceland that they will soon result in the establishment of a cease-fire, paving the way for negotiations towards a peaceful settlement.
141. Little progress has been made towards settling the grave problem left by the war of early June 1967 in the Middle East, and no early or easy solution is in sight. The war came to a quick end; a cease-fire was brought about through the efforts of the Security Council. But the year which has followed has been marked by tensions and frustrations, with frequent breaches of the cease-fire and a series of incidents of fighting of varying intensity and scope. The Security Council has had to meet on several occasions as a result of such incidents.
142. Under the terms of Security Council resolution 242(1967) of 22 November 1967, the Secretary-General appointed as his Special Representative Ambassador Gunnar Jarring of Sweden, who proceeded to the Middle East. Since December 1967, the whole world has followed his itinerary with compassion and with fingers crossed, wishing, for the sake of all nations concerned, that he might have some measure of success. We have all watched Ambassador Jarring tread the path of peace, gingerly but steadfastly. To our dismay, however, we have seen that every breach of the cease-fire, every incident of violence in
the area, has been a rock thrown onto the peace path which Ambassador Jarring has been walking on behalf of the world community.
143. My delegation fully endorses Ambassador Jarring’s mission and sincerely hopes that it will be continued and that his selfless efforts may be crowned with some success — that he may succeed in bringing the partners to the conflict into a position of negotiation which in turn may lead them onto the path of a final and irrevocable settlement of their long-standing and difficult dispute.
144. The civil strife in Nigeria has caused terrible suffering to the civilian population of that country. My country has been deeply distressed by this tragic situation. The Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iceland recently joined the Foreign Ministers of the other Nordic countries in a joint message to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, based first and foremost on humanitarian reasons, encouraging him to continue his efforts to alleviate the sufferings of the Nigerian population and asking his advice as to what
additional measures might be taken. The Nordic Ministers have pledged the continued participation of their Governments in the assistance work which has been carried out by the International Red Cross, UNICEF and other humanitarian and philanthropic organizations, as well as by the Secretary-General through his Representative.
145. The last stronghold of colonialism in the southern part of Africa continues to defy the authority and the will of the United Nations. Our Organization has in a series of resolutions sought to bring pressure to bear on the régimes of South Africa, Southern Rhodesia and Portugal in order to persuade them to abandon their policies of apartheid and subjugation of the African population in their territories. These efforts are becoming increasingly difficult owing to a new and somewhat disquieting trend, namely, the formation in the southern part of Africa of an entente between the Governments of South Africa and Portugal and the minority régime in Southern Rhodesia. The General Assembly drew particular attention to this problem in its resolution 2189(XXI) of 13 December 1966. The alarm sounded by that resolution was not unfounded. Co-operation is indeed increasing among the ruling groups of southern Africa. The mandatory sanctions imposed by the
Security Council against Southern Rhodesia have been thwarted to a large, and perhaps to a decisive, extent by the help given Southern Rhodesia by South Africa and Portugal. My Government hopes, however, that the comprehensive mandatory sanctions adopted in Security Council resolution 253(1968) of 29 May 1968 may prove effective. Iceland has declared itself ready to abide in full by the terms of that resolution. It also remains clearly and
unequivocally opposed to the South African policy of apartheid, which constitutes a flagrant breach of the fundamental principles of our Charter.
146. At this session the General Assembly will consider the important question of the membership of China for the eighteenth consecutive year. This is one of the most difficult questions facing the United Nations and one which has divided the Member States into two opposite camps. The problem is one of fundamental importance, for it touches upon certain basic principles of our Charter and of the work of the Organization.
147. It would obviously be desirable that the biggest and most populous country in the world should be a Member of the United Nations. The present state of affairs is unnatural and there are dangers involved in perpetuating it, for by standing outside this Organization the People’s Republic of China appears to become increasingly isolated from the world community and more and more unco-operative in its attitudes. My Government favours the principle of universality of membership of the United Nations. It is therefore opposed to the idea of expelling Members from the Organization or from its specialized agencies on the basis of controversial policies followed by those Members in their internal affairs. In the same way and on the same premises Iceland considers that countries like the People’s Republic of China should be Members of the United Nations. But it follows from that same premise that my delegation has always been opposed to the idea of admitting mainland China at the price of expelling the Republic of China from the Organization. We believe that the only fair and reasonable solution of the problem would be that both States should be Members of the Organization. It was therefore a great disappointment to my Government that at the last General Assembly so many States rejected the draft resolution put forward by Italy and other countries proposing the appointment of a committee to explore and examine the possibilities for new solutions to this problem.
148. In keeping with the stand that I have outlined here, during this Assembly my delegation will support all efforts that aim at new approaches and solutions to this question. But the basis of such solutions will have to be that the admission of the People’s Republic of China to membership of our Organization must be accompanied by a guarantee of the right of self-determination for the population of Formosa, of the territorial integrity and the sovereignty of that country and of its future membership of the United Nations.
149. I have touched briefly upon some of the most serious problems with which our Organization is faced today, directly and indirectly. The over-all picture is not an encouraging one. I therefore feel the need to reiterate my Government’s faith and confidence in the United Nations. The human race has failed so far to establish effective rules for the conduct of nations, as our Secretary-General so aptly put it in a recent statement to the press. But the human race must continue to try, and try again, to establish such rules. And the instrument best suited for this continuous effort is without a doubt the United Nations.
150. While success in our different efforts in the political sphere may seem to be far off, there are other areas in which the United Nations has made considerable headway, notably in economic, social and humanitarian matters. To be frank, what has been achieved in the extremely important field of combatting the phenomenon of under-development is still inadequate. That is regrettably borne out by the very limited achievements of the second session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development held in New Delhi this year. At the same time, the work of giving technical and material assistance to the underdeveloped nations is being pursued with dedication by the competent specialized agencies of the United Nations, despite the insufficient funds available for these very important activities. One encouraging factor was the relatively high increase in the gross national product of many developing countries in 1967.
151. A major task to which we must continue to apply ourselves is the battle against hunger. In large areas of the world, the production of foodstuffs is not keeping pace with the rapidly growing population. This alarming trend must be reversed. The United Nations and its specialized agencies have played a significant role in this field and must continue to do so.
152. My country is a producer and exporter of foodstuffs, primarily fish products, a valuable food source, rich in proteins. Our nation hopes to continue to be an important supplier of this nutritionally valuable foodstuff and thus make its contribution to the fight against malnutrition and hunger. But the resources of the sea must be husbanded wisely in order to secure optimal yield and avoid over-exploitation. Increased international co-operation is called for. In his statements in the general debate during the twenty-first [1430th meeting] and the twenty-second [1579th meeting] sessions of the General Assembly, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iceland called attention to this problem. A resolution adopted by the twenty-first session of the General Assembly has resulted in a study which is being submitted to the twenty-third session of the General Assembly. This is a study of the resources of the sea and the possibilities for their maximum utilization, with proposals for increased international co-operation in the exploration and use of these resources. The Icelandic Government has noted with satisfaction that this matter will be pursued during the present session of the General Assembly.
153. Another important matter concerning the resources of the ocean is the subject introduced at our last session by the representative of Malta relating to the peaceful uses of the resources of the seabed and ocean floor and its subsoil. An Ad Hoc Committee of thirty-five Member nations was formed to make a preliminary study of this question and to report to the twenty-third session of the General Assembly.
154. In the view of my delegation, the peaceful use of the ocean floor and its resources is a question of great importance. Present rules of international law are inadequate to regulate the activities of States in this new and challenging environment. New principles and international agreements need to be elaborated. It has been a privilege for my country to have been able to participate in the preliminary work done by the Ad Hoc Committee. We have tried to make a modest contribution to that work and hope to have the opportunity to take part in the further consideration of this item.
155. It is the opinion of the Government of Iceland that the General Assembly and its respective competent organs should prepare the groundwork for the elaboration of new and satisfactory international rules and agreements to regulate the whole marine environment — the jurisdiction over, and the utilization of, the resources of the sea and of the sea-bed and its subsoil. When that preparatory work has been completed, we foresee the necessity of convening a third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea. Its task would be two-fold. First, it should elaborate and conclude an international convention to fill the lacunae in international law regarding the sea-bed and its subsoil outside national jurisdiction. Secondly, it should take up for revision the 1958 Geneva Conventions on the Law of the Sea, in so far as they have become obsolete and inadequate in the light of rapidly advancing technology in the utilization and harvesting of both the living and the mineral resources of the sea and the sea-bed.
156. The delegation of Iceland has already on earlier occasions drawn attention to the necessity for expanding international co-operation and for improving international regulations for the wise utilization and harvesting of marine resources. In his statement to the twenty-first session of the General Assembly [1430th meeting] our Minister for Foreign Affairs advanced the suggestion that, at an appropriate date, a new Conference on the Law of the Sea might be convened for this purpose. My delegation reserves its right to revert to this matter later, at an appropriate moment, and make concrete proposals.
157. The Foreign Minister of Iceland, Mr. Emil Jonsson, concluded his statement in the general debate in this Assembly last year by warning us not to expect too much, too quickly of our Organization. “Undue optimism”, he said, “is a poor guide on our way to new achievements” [see 1579th meeting, para. 92]. At the same time he stressed his belief that many of the problems facing us today will be solved only through our concerted efforts within this Organization, but that patience and goodwill are of paramount importance. My delegation is ready to make whatever modest contribution it can to our common work of striving to build peace, and to the co-operation needed in order to create a better life, a life of human dignity, for all men.