52. Mr. President, your election to the high office of President of the General Assembly has taken place at a time when the United Nations, on the threshold of the third decade of its existence, is faced with many problems the solution of which demands great efforts from all States. In adding the warm and sincere congratulations of the Romanian delegation to those already addressed to you — congratulations directed as much to you personally as to your country, for which the Romanian people cherish friendship and esteem — we should like to express the hope that this session will help the United Nations towards the fulfilment of its task as an instrument of international peace and co-operation.
53. The peoples of our time long to live in peace and to take part in fruitful international co-operation, based on mutual respect among the nations. This is a characteristic of the contemporary world, in which the national unity of peoples is being increasingly affirmed at the world level,
54. Scores of nations, called upon to play an ever more important part in international life, have made their appearance upon the world stage, like those nations which had an opportunity before them to bring their creative ability into play. All those peoples who, at the cost of great sacrifices, have freed themselves from the yoke of foreign domination, are determined to throw everything into the effort to consolidate their national independence and their right to decide freely their own future.
55. It is essential that these countries should be able to put their human and material potential to use in the interest of progress, prosperity and civilization. Despite the many obstacles lying in their path, the peoples will never grow weary of fighting to achieve their free and independent development.
56. Far from being out of date, nations will continue for a long time yet to constitute the basis for the evolution of society. The whole of international life must offer a propitious setting for the development of the process of consolidation. "The decisive condition for any progress in international relations in respect for the right of each people to decide its own fate freely, with no outside interference, and to follow the path of development which corresponds best to its own desires and to its fundamental interests" said Nicolae Ceausescu, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Romanian Communist Party.
57. History, and the history of our own times in particular, bears witness that wars, crises, threats to peace, arise out of attempts at domination, external interference in the domestic affairs of States, and efforts to subjugate other peoples.
58. In the final analysis, the consolidation of world peace and security depends upon the organization of relations between States on a new basis, upon the principles of national independence and sovereignty, equal rights, and non-interference in the domestic affairs of others. These principles, which are being increasingly recognized throughout the world, are the only generally acceptable rational basis for the development of relations between States, for strengthening mutual trust and esteem between peoples, and for consolidating peace.
59. No one can speak of the rules governing international relations without thinking at once of South East Asia, where the United States is waging a war of aggression against the people of Viet-Nam, bombing centres of population, towns and villages, economic targets, causing material damage and loss of life, and incurring a grave responsibility towards the peoples of the entire world.
60. The delegation of the Socialist Republic of Romania desires to reaffirm once again from this high rostrum the position of the Romanian Government and people, which strongly condemn the war of aggression being waged by the United States in Viet-Nam, an exceptionally grave war which endangers the peace and security of the peoples of the whole region and is a threat to the peace of the entire world.
61. We listened to the statement by Mr. Goldberg [1412th meeting] in which he sought to justify the aggression In Viet-Nam, but the escalation of the war there and the continued bombing of the Democratic Republic of Viet-Nam flagrantly contradict the declarations of good and peaceful intentions contained in his statement.
62. The Romanian people sympathize fully with the aspirations of the people of Viet-Nam for freedom, independence and the reunification of their country, for they were for centuries driven by the same aspirations. They wish to state their complete solidarity with the people of Viet-Nam, and their profound feeling for them in their just struggle in defence of freedom, independence, and the affirmation of their national identity. They offer and will continue to offer them full material and political support.
63. All mankind is looking with legitimate anxiety towards Viet-Nam, where the American aggression rages. It is anxious that the conflict should be settled and it awaits from the Government of the United States not declarations of peaceful intentions but effective action on behalf of peace.
64. The Romanian Government and people are convinced — and their conviction is mirrored more widely every day in world public opinion — that there is only one way to solve the serious situation now existing in Viet-Nam: that indicated by the Government of the Democratic Republic of Viet-Nam and by the National Front for the Liberation of South Viet-Nam, namely, that the United States must end its aggression in Viet-Nam, cease bombing the Democratic Republic of Viet-Nam, recognize the National Liberation Front as the representative of the people of South Viet- Nam, and apply scrupulously the Geneva Agreements on Viet-Nam. All foreign armed forces must be withdrawn from Viet-Nam and the Viet-Namese people must be enabled to settle their domestic affairs, including the realization of national unity, freely and in accordance with their own wishes and aspirations.
65. The bombing by the United States, which has involved itself in war in Viet-Nam, of a free and sovereign State — the Democratic Republic of Viet- Nam — the launching of air attacks on Hanoi and Haiphong, causing material damage and killing civilians, have caused the deepest concern among peace-loving countries. These acts of military aggression are totally at variance with the standards of international conduct, with the rules of international law, and with the principles upon which our Organization is based.
66. One of the measures most urgently required is the immediate, unconditional and definitive cessation by the United States of its bombing of North Viet-Nam. It is for the United States to take this step because it is the aggressor; it was the United States which, without any justification whatsoever, began the bombing. In this way, not only would an end be put to the undeclared, unjust war being waged by the United States against a sovereign State — the Democratic Republic of Viet-Nam — but respect would be paid to world public opinion which demands the creation of conditions which will make it possible to stop the Viet-Namese conflict.
67. As an European country, Romania is naturally drawn to concern itself to a large extent with the evolution of the situation in Europe. In the opinion of the Romanian Government, the building up of European security is one of the most important problems in the political life of that continent, and its consequences affect the whole international situation.
68. We believe that present conditions must be analysed in the light of the part played by Europe in the progress of the material and spiritual life of mankind, Moreover, it can never be forgotten that it was Europe that saw the first flames of two world wars, which caused untold destruction throughout the world. Although more than two decades have passed since the end of the Second World War, its results are still felt; sources of tension and danger to peace still exist.
69. Nevertheless, it is noteworthy that an increased desire for inter-European co-operation and rapprochement has manifested itself on our continent in recent times more forcefully and on a larger scale. In the declaration adopted at Bucharest this summer by the parties to the Warsaw Treaty, it was rightly stressed that "despite differences in socio-political systems, and in ideological and political concepts, the peoples and States of Europe have a common cause which corresponds to the vital national interests of all, namely the task of refusing to tolerate the violation of peace in Europe and of restraining the forces of aggression".
70. The Government of the Socialist Republic of Romania believes that there is at this moment a possibility of broaching the problem of security on bases acceptable to all European States.
71. Building European security is, of course, a task of many aspects and clearly a sequence of actions must l)e followed which will make it possible gradually to eliminate tension and friction between States, as well as the fear of war and aggression.
72. Factors such as the development of political relations between States, the expansion of economic and trade relations, the multiplying of contacts and forms of co-operation in the fields of science, technology, education and the arts, and in any other field of common interest, are decisive to the safeguarding of European security.
73. Romania is developing bilateral relations with all the European countries, regardless of their political and social regimes.
74. As part of this policy, Romania is seeking to develop co-operative and good-neighbourly relations with all the Balkan countries. The Romanian Government notes with satisfaction that these relations have developed in a positive manner, particularly in recent times; it is according and will continue to accord all due importance to an expansion of economic, political., technological, scientific, cultural and touristic exchanges with the other Balkan States. In our view, the development of the traditional ties which unite the Balkan States, based on mutual respect and esteem and on bilateral and multilateral meetings between the representatives of these States, is in the interest of all the peoples of this region and will have a beneficial influence on the cause of peace and security in Europe and throughout the world.
75. The contacts established by Romania with States belonging to different social and political systems, situated in different parts of the world, have contributed to a better knowledge on both sides of each other's points of view, aspirations, anxieties and interests. The inauguration of a climate of mutual trust and co-operation has made it possible to conclude bilateral agreements in various fields, the importance of which far from being the exclusive concern of the contracting parties contributes to a general improvement of the international atmosphere.
76. Romania is a firm and constant believer in peaceful coexistence, which is vital not only as the sole alternative to thermonuclear war but also because the progress of contemporary civilization has made the permanent exchange of material and spiritual values a vital necessity for all peoples. In our view, the path leading to the achievement of international co-operation and the genuine normalization of international relations as a whole must necessarily proceed by way of the development and consolidation of bilateral relations. Direct contact between States makes it possible to identify more easily and more precisely fields and factors of mutually advantageous cooperation and points of sympathy between sovereign and independent States.
77. The Romanian Government attaches particular importance to resolution 2129 (XX) adopted unanimously at the last session of the General Assembly, on the proposal of nine countries — Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Romania, Sweden and Yugoslavia — advocating measures at the regional level to improve neighbourly relations between European States belonging to different social and political systems. The welcome extended to this initiative by other States in Europe and throughout the world, and the action taken during the period that has elapsed since the resolution was adopted, show how useful and timely are the principles contained in this document and constitute an expression of the growing interest in the development of inter-European co-operation.
78. We are convinced that all States, regardless of the extent of their territory or the size of their population, or their military and economic potential, are responsible for the maintenance of peace. Fully qualified as they are to take part in the solution of the problems that trouble mankind, the small and middle-sized countries can make an increasingly important contribution to the cause of international co-operation and the peace and security of the peoples.
79. We cannot speak of the great world problems of today without attaching appropriate importance to the United Nations, which shoulders such vital responsibilities. In our opinion, the essential condition for the United Nations to be able to live up to its responsibilities is that it should be a faithful reflection of the realities of the contemporary world.
80. To improve the working of the United Nations it is necessary to make of it first a universal organization. This year again, many delegations have emphasized that without the participation of representatives of a quarter of the v/world's population, no realistic and viable solutions to the fundamental problems of international life can be imagined.
81. Reaffirming its unvarying position, the Romanian Government demands that the legitimate rights of the People's Republic of China in the United Nations and other international agencies should be restored and that the emissaries of Chiang Kai-shek who have for seventeen years usurped the place of the representatives of the great Chinese people should be dismissed. We should like to express the hope that the discussion of this item, which was placed on the agenda at the request of nine States, including Romania [A/6391], will bring about the ending of an abnormal situation which hampers the ability of our Organization to carry out the role laid down in the Charter.
82. We support the application of the German Democratic Republic for admission to the United Nations [see A/6443]; we believe — as we have already had occasion to state — that the admission of the two German States would make an important contribution to the strengthening of international peace and security.
83. The United Nations is called upon to play a leading role in the matter of action to ensure the elimination of the danger of nuclear war and to lead to general disarmament with nuclear disarmament as a first step.
84. In examining the many and complex aspects of disarmament, we must take into account the fact that the nuclear arms race and the existence and unprecedented destructive power of atomic weapons constitute an incalculable danger to mankind. Hence, the prime importance of nuclear disarmament. It is necessary that effective measures in which the peoples can trust should be taken at once for the reduction and complete elimination of the nuclear threat.
85. The Romanian delegation believes that one essential step which must be taken to eliminate the nuclear danger and guarantee the security of all States in the banning of nuclear weapons and the destruction of stockpiles.
86. In our opinion, an agreement on non-proliferation, although not leading to the elimination of the danger, could nevertheless constitute a step towards a relaxation of tension, provided that it was followed in the course of the disarmament process by the essential measures I have just referred to.
87. As the work of the recent meetings of the Eighteen-Nation Committee at Geneva has clearly shown, it is necessary — and this is a requirement of the highest practical and theoretical importance — that a treaty on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons should establish a mutually acceptable equilibrium of responsibilities and obligations between the nuclear and non-nuclear powers, so as to give guarantees of security to all countries and thereby meet with the widest possible support. An agreement imposing unilateral obligations on only those Powers not possessing nuclear weapons could not answer the rightful demands of all peoples that their equal right to security should be assured. It is for this reason that it is necessary that the non-proliferation treaty should contain an undertaking by the nuclear States not to use nuclear weapons and never to use them against non-nuclear countries. Guarantees of this kind to States without nuclear weapons would encourage these States not to try to procure them and would help to secure the non-proliferation of these weapons. This is the only way in which a treaty on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons could contribute to a relaxation of tension and create conditions which would lead to the prohibition and destruction of atomic weapons.
88. We believe that a useful transitional step would be to set up denuclearized zones in Europe and other regions of the world, reinforced by an undertaking by the nuclear States never to use atomic weapons against non-nuclear countries.
89. In order to eliminate the sources of international tension which hamper the establishment of normal and healthy relations between sovereign States, the Romanian Government is in favour of liquidating the anachronistic system whereby the world is divided into military blocs, of dismantling foreign bases, and of withdrawing all armed forces from the territory of other States.
90. The Romanian delegation supports the proposal of the Government of the Soviet Union [A/6397] regarding the implementation of the Declaration on the Inadmissibility of Intervention in the Domestic Affairs of States and the Protection of their Independence and Sovereignty. It also considers that the General Assembly should pay the requisite attention to the item placed on the agenda at the request of ten States including Romania [A/6394], regarding the withdrawal of the American troops and other foreign forces now, under the aegis of the United Nations, occupying South Korea.
91. Many of the items on this session's agenda are related to the struggle of the peoples to defend and consolidate their national independence against colonialism and neo-colonialism.
92. The progress of the national liberation movement, and the changes that have taken place in the economic, political and social conditions of the peoples who have in recent years acquired the right to an independent life, constitute one of the most significant aspects of the irreversible forward march of mankind.
93. Romania enjoys friendly relations within the countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America. It will continue in the future to devote full attention to initiatives to promote and expand co-operation with those young States which are struggling to wipe out the vestiges of colonial domination and build their own economic and social prosperity.
94. We must also note that the process of liquidating the last vestiges of colonialism is going forward disappointingly slowly, and that there are still peoples languishing under colonial oppression.
95. Disturbed by the threat to international peace and security which the prolongation of this state of affairs constitutes, Romania condemns the policy of apartheid maintained by the racist Government of South Africa despite the protests of the entire world. It fully supports the liberation struggles of the peoples of South West Africa and Southern Rhodesia.
96. One fundamental requirement, if the young States are to be able to play the active and creative role in international life to which they are entitled, is the consolidation of their national economies as independent entities. This is a particularly pressing requirement just now when most of these countries have only just freed themselves from the colonial system which had held back their development for centuries.
97. Economic development, within the framework of national programmes established in accordance with the individual historic circumstances and with the aspirations of the nations concerned, is the essential basis for true political independence, which makes it possible to expand and diversify international economic relations on mutually advantageous terms.
98. The achievement of these objectives, the rational exploitation of the human and material resources of each country, and the consolidation of the national independence and sovereignty of States, all depend upon industrialization, to such an extent that it can be said that in our day these two concepts — development and industrialization — have become synonymous.
99. It is by pressing on perseveringly with industrialization and working out a plan with wide perspectives that my country has succeeded not only in increasing its industrial production, which is more than six times larger today than fifteen years ago, but also in imposing a steady rhythm of modernization on every branch of production and in developing education and scientific research on a large scale.
100. A demonstration of the complex development of our national economy is the increase in national income, which has quadrupled in this period, thus creating favourable conditions for the systematic raising of the standard of living of the population.
101. The progress made by its economy as a result of sustained effort enables Romania at the same time to extend its activities on behalf of international economic co-operation.
102. Taking account of the concern of Member States to develop their national economies, the United Nations has put into operation a whole series of programmes, mechanisms and international agencies which form a useful complement to the ties which are being formed among States in the fields of economic, technological, scientific and cultural co-operation. Of course, no international mechanism, no matter how perfect, could replace a State's own initiative in drawing up its development policy or its responsibility for the implementation of that policy. On the other hand, the obligations of the United Nations machinery and its specialized agencies are many as regards exchanges of experience and ideas in spheres of common interest, access to what has become the joint patrimony of the contemporary world, and the intensification and acceleration of the efforts made by the United Nations in response to the requests of Member States which are putting such programmes into effect.
103. The General Assembly has a highly responsible task in this connexion at the present session, the task of setting up a new specialized agency to round out the institutional framework of the United Nations in a vital sector of development: industrialization.
104. Sharing in the hopes raised by the establishment of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, the Romanian delegation believes that the achievement of the important objectives which the United Nations has set itself in this field implies," at the same time, a reworking of the assistance which it gives to developing countries as regards for example inventories of natural resources, affirmation of national sovereignty over those resources, elimination of illiteracy, training of cadres at every level, planning, free access to the discoveries of contemporary science, the elimination of barriers and discrimination from international trade, and the transformation of international trade and financial relations into an effective instrument of progress.
105. The complexity of the problems to be solved leads us to turn our full attention towards efforts to secure maximum efficiency from international co-operation, not only through the co-ordination of the various activities of the United Nations in these fields but also by drawing up long term plans capable of giving these activities the necessary long-range orientation.
106. The annual report of the Secretary-General [A/6301] brings to our attention a vast range of problems and activities, all of which demand energy, zeal and abnegation and to which U Thant — to whom the Romanian Government once again expresses its esteem and appreciation — through his experience and devotion, makes a remarkable contribution that Romania sincerely hopes will be continued.
107. I said at the beginning of this statement that the solution of the complex problems of international life demands sustained effort on the part of all States.
108. May I end by assuring you that the Romanian delegation is determined to take part in the discussion of the items on this session's agenda so as to work in co-operation with other delegations to ensure that the United Nations plays its proper role ever more fully, and responds to the expectations of the peoples who long for the inauguration of a world of peace and uninterrupted progress, and for the promotion of international relations on the basis of the sovereign equality of States.