150. I should like to convey our felicitations to the President of the General Assembly at its twenty-first session on his election to the Chair. I should like to express what a pleasure it is for me to sit under his chairmanship. I say that for two reasons: first, because I am confident that, under his wise guidance and in the light of the experience which he possesses in the working of this Organization, our deliberations will be most fruitful; second, due to our long and close personal association over a number of years, and in view of my personal knowledge of his qualifications as an eminent scholar, an able statesman and diplomat, and a great poet, I take particular pride and pleasure in being associated with him in this session. I wish him every success in his high office.
151. As the President has done so eloquently already in his statement, I should like to convey to all delegations our gratitude and the gratitude of our country, Afghanistan, for the confidence which the entire Assembly has placed in the President and for the token of esteem which they have bestowed upon him.
152. I should like to take this opportunity also to express our profound appreciation to Mr. Amintore Fanfani of Italy for the distinction with which he carried out his responsible functions as the President of the General Assembly at its twentieth session.
153. May I take this opportunity, at the outset, to welcome the new Member of the United Nations, the State of Guyana. The Government and people of Afghanistan view with great admiration such auspicious occasions of admission of young, vigorous and progressive newly independent States — States which have thrown off the last remnants and shackles of colonialism and gained their rightful place among the free nations of the world. We are confident that the membership of the State of Guyana will further contribute towards the noble aims and objectives of this Organization.
154. The return of Indonesia to the United Nations will be remembered as one of the most significant achievements of the twenty-first session of the General Assembly. In welcoming Indonesia to the United Nations, we are confident that the presence of that great and peace-loving country will contribute to the strengthening of this Organization and to the cause of peace.
155. For the past five years U Thant, our distinguished Secretary-General, has carried out his duties and responsibilities with great distinction and effectiveness. He has dedicated his time and energy to the services of humankind. He has rendered his services to the United Nations with zeal and Integrity and served the cause of peace and well-being of peoples of the world. We have confidence in him and we all appreciate what he has done for us. Members of the United Nations may have discord and diversities but they all are united in their confidence in the person of the Secretary-General, We earnestly hope that he may reconsider his decision and permit his tenure of office to be extended. It will be a serious loss to the United Nations if he gives effect to his decision not to continue, We sincerely hope that the circumstances which caused the Secretary-General to come to that decision will be so ameliorated as to make it possible for him to remain with us for another term.
156. We are living today in a constantly changing world, and so each year, each month and even each day brings evidence of fresh events which affect anew the minds of statesmen and responsible personalities all over the world, and consequently engaged their attention in a search for ways and means to cope with them. The events of the period since this Assembly met last year do not strike notes of harmony and optimism, and consequently promise no favourable political situation in the world and, in particular, in Asia.
157. In this age of unprecedented technological development, the human interrelations due to fast-moving means of conveyance, travel and communication, have acquired a new trend and perspective. Peoples and nations of different parts of the world are no longer apart from each other in their thoughts and aspirations. Today, unlike in the past, a nation may not be able to live alone and determine its course of action separately. A change in a particular region on our planet may affect, to a great extent, the trend of thought and action in other parts of the world. Hence, in due recognition of that universal interdependence, we in Afghanistan believe more than ever that human societies are in need of better understanding and closer co-operation with each other. We believe that unrest and lack of stability in any part of the world constitute a great danger to the peace and security of the nations at large.
158. Afghanistan, during the past year, has continued further with its progressive social, economic and cultural development in order to vitalize the Afghan society and enrich the life of the people in its material, social and cultural dimensions. In the process of development of the country a certain amount of groundwork had been laid and work towards the establishment of the economic infrastructure is well under way.
159. I am pleased to report that the primary objective of the social and cultural reform programme of the new Government of Afghanistan, as was announced recently, is to promote a free, progressive and prosperous society in which respect for human dignity, the rule of law, equality, social co-operation, and a balanced development in all walks of life will prevail.
160. In its foreign relations, Afghanistan has continued to follow, without change, its traditional positive non-alignment, taking into consideration the principles contained in the declarations of the Bandung, Belgrade and Cairo Conferences, maintaining and expanding its friendly relations and co-operation with all the nations of the world, irrespective of their social systems or economic and political philosophies, and promoting sincere good-neighbourliness with all its neighbours.
161. That policy, a natural outgrowth of the people's judgement, is based upon mutual respect, mutual understanding and confidence. Furthermore, as has perhaps been mentioned many times and as I should like to reiterate and emphasize once again, adherence to this Organization's Charter, respect for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, support of the right to self-determination, abolition of colonialism in all its forms, support of the principle of coexistence, general, complete and universal disarmament, and the promotion of international co-operation constitute the basis of Afghanistan's policy. That policy honours the cherished aspirations of the Afghan people and is consonant with the task of national development. We firmly believe that, in the light of present-day world affairs, that policy will enable us on the one hand to serve with intelligence the cause of world peace and, on the other, to carry out our enormous task of social and economic development; for we believe that the social and economic development of nations will be best accomplished and their aspirations fully realized when there prevails a state of peace and tranquillity among nations and a spirit of co-operation among the peoples of the world.
162. The Government of Afghanistan has always held the conviction that disputes, of whatever origin, should be settled at the conference table. For experience has shown that wars and armed confrontation cannot and will not settle any existing differences.
163. It was a source of great satisfaction to Afghanistan when the peace efforts of the United Nations and the invaluable intermediatory efforts of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics played an effective role in promoting a cease-fire and, subsequently, the meeting of the leaders of the two nations — two great Asian countries — involved in the Indo-Pakistan conflict. We are pleased to see harmony and concord again prevailing in the relations between Indonesia and Malaysia, two neighbouring countries. That, I am certain, will contribute greatly to the maintenance of peace in Asia and the world.
164. We hope that the United Nations and its Member States will, for the purpose of safeguarding world peace and security. demonstrate constantly their determination to fulfil their responsibilities, no matter how intractable the problems involved.
165. The chronic conflict in Viet-Nam and the serious deterioration of the situation there is a cause of concern to all and is widely considered as a factor of serious danger to Asia and the world. The conflict in that part of the world has brought untold suffering to men and women on both sides. Afghanistan has on many occasions expressed its grave concern, for we believe that this situation creates an ever-growing threat not only to peace in Asia but to world peace as well. Afghanistan believes that the Geneva Agreements of 1954 could form a reasonable basis for a peaceful settlement of the present conflict in Viet-Nam.
166. It is the hope of the Afghan delegation that all those directly concerned will earnestly search for ways and means to create a climate in which the problem of Viet-Nam may be brought from the battlefield to the conference table and the people of Viet-Nam will be guaranteed the possibility of determining their future and their political destiny, of their own free will and without any interference from outside. We are confident that in that way the lives of a great number of young men and women on both sides will be spared and the people of Viet-Nam will regain their peace and prosperity and will enjoy a socially healthier life.
167. Twenty-one years ago, a group of nations — fifty- one of them — assembled together and contemplated the foundation of a United Nations. They drew up a Charter whereby peace and justice might prevail all over the world and war may be banished once and for all.
168. During the ensuing period of time, in which man has attained unprecedented achievements in science and technology, he has, alas, been unable to attain a parallel growth in moral and spiritual values. The scientific advance of recent years has placed before him the means to create for himself a better, healthier and fuller life. However, man has been and still is unable to rise above himself and to discover his weaknesses, failures and shortcomings. The fear by man of man and his suspicions about his fellow human beings have never been conquered.
169. As time passed, in an atmosphere of fear and suspicion, man began to fortify himself in order to maintain peace on earth. Nations, therefore, directed their thoughts and actions not so much towards fostering peace and prosperity as towards strengthening and fortifying themselves for a possible future of war and confrontation. Even today, in spite of the fact that the General Assembly has since its very inception given its most earnest consideration to the problem of disarmament, the deteriorating situation in the world has caused an intensification of the arms race. General and complete disarmament constitutes one of the important items on the General Assembly's agenda. As we have said on many occasions, the Government and people of Afghanistan fully support, for the above- mentioned reasons, the principle of general and complete disarmament. For it is in general and complete disarmament that lies the hope of mankind for lasting peace and security. It is indeed a cause for concern to find that the meetings of the Eighteen-Nation Disarmament Committee have not produced the desired result and that the positions of the parties on the main issues remain unchanged.
170. The Afghan delegation earnestly hopes that the world disarmament conferences — an idea initiated at the Conference of Non-Aligned Countries in Cairo and endorsed by the General Assembly, by its resolution 2030 (XX) — will be given due consideration during the present session.
171. The Government of Afghanistan view with deep concern the continuance of nuclear tests. We were gratified when the partial test-ban Treaty was concluded. We hope that that Treaty will receive universal adherence and will be followed by a ban covering all environments. We believe that efforts should be exerted to continue to seek solutions to the questions connected with nuclear and thermonuclear armaments and the prevention of the wider dissemination of such weapons.
172. It is common knowledge that the arms race endangers, and indeed imperils, sincere understanding and widens the gap between nations. Armaments and wars will not settle problems but, rather, will create international misunderstanding and consequently add to the misery and misfortune of the human race. Conversely, peace and tranquillity will bring economic abundance and a higher standard of life.
173. Afghanistan welcomes the processes and means whereby peace will prevail. For it is only under such conditions that we can fulfil our national aims and aspirations. Moreover, It is only under such conditions that humanity will be saved from annihilation and total destruction.
174. As I mentioned above, the admission of the State of Guyana was a source of great joy for all of us. First, because we welcome a vigorous, young and independent State among us which will contribute enormously to the cause of the United Nations. Secondly, because the admission of the new Member State takes the Organization another step forward towards the attainment of the principles of universality which we believe can usefully add to the authority and influence of the United Nations. We are still far from attaining a state of universality in our Organization, for still the voice of nearly a quarter of the population of the world is not heard, Today, more than ever before, in view of recent developments in the field of atomic weapons in mainland China and its inherent relation to general and complete disarmament, and the impact and repercussions of mainland China's absence from the international conferences held for the purposes of maintaining peace and security all over the world, make the presence of the Chinese People's Republic in theUnited Nations imperative.
175. We therefore view with regret the absence of the People's Republic of China from the United Nations. We are confident that the presence of that country can contribute enormously to the work of this Organization.
176. With due regard to the painstaking deliberations and the enormous and earnest labour of the Special Committee on Peace-keeping Operations, little progress has been made in the direction of finding a way out of this impasse.
177. It is hoped that this session will consider this all-important item with fresh and vigorous determination. To maintain peace and security in the world is the main objective of the United Nations. Let us not lose our noble aims and objectives in a political mist covered within a financial and constitutional halo. For, as the Secretary-General mentioned in the introduction to his annual report.
"The present situation, certainly, has most serious implications for the United Nations and for its effectiveness as an instrument for peace in the world." [A/6301/Add.1, p. 5.]
178. Every one of us in this Assembly, I am certain, desires that the United Nations should have a peacekeeping operation. It is up to this body to re-examine the situation and to endeavour to find and to offer new directives either to the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations or, if you will, to an altered and reconstructed body, or any other method which will be deemed advisable In the present circumstances by the entire membership.
179. But whatever the decision may be, the General Assembly should beau in mind that peace-keeping operations of the- United Nations have played and will continue to play an important role in the process of creating an atmosphere of calm, as the Secretary-General put it,
"in which alone efforts to resolve the issues giving
rice to the conflict map he hopefully pursued "[ ibid.].
180. We are cognizant of the fact that political freedom. without economic abundance, better living conditions and spiritual attainments will not fulfil the basic requirements of national security and national freedom. Therefore, in the course of resolving accumulated political problems for the purpose of enhancing international solidarity and friendship as a means for world order, we hope that economic problems will, in like measure, receive the proper attention of the United Nations.
181. It is a well-known fact that economic growth, living standards and financial progress are so closely and directly associated with the social set-up of communities that improvement in one area will result in progress in another. Therefore, in order to avoid social conflict, it is imperative to ensure a balance between the economic and social development of the people. Herein lies, to my mind, one of the important factors in the process of evolution of a developed and balanced society.
182. The preamble of the United Nations Charter speaks of promoting "social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom". It was for the fulfilment of this objective and high purpose that the General Assembly designated the current decade the United Nations Development Decade, As has been mentioned many times, we are already in the second half of this memorable decade, and yet the pace of economic development of the developing countries Is painfully slow. The struggle of the under-developed countries in order to advance and bridge the gap between the developing and developed nations is, of course, tedious and hard.
183. The establishment by the General Assembly on 30 December 1964 [resolution 1995 (XIX)] of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development was a new and fruitful development. Through this important measure, the United Nations intended to accelerate the economic development of developing countries. These countries, which are struggling hard for their economic amelioration, placed high hopes and attached great importance to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.
184. This, as you all know, was established as a permanent machinery for co-operation In trade and development and was intended to solve some of the most urgent problems faced by the developing countries. However, there exists a widespread concern over the lack of more rapid progress in the implementation of the recommendations adopted in Geneva. The Afghan delegation earnestly hopes that more fruitful results may be obtained from the second United Nations Conference on Trade and Development which will be convened next year. As far as the work of the Conference is concerned, we favour those measures that help to create facilities for trade exchange among the developed and developing nations and that would help promote free trade and consequently a higher standard of life for the peoples of those nations,
185. Human rights has been one of the bade and important aspects of United Nations programmes. As you all know, efforts are being exerted to extend the international protection of basic individual liberties by means of new methods and institutions. Though the effectiveness of recommendations on human rights is affected by the reactions of the Governments at which recommendations are directed, nevertheless, it is heartening to note that the political organs of the United Nations rarely refrain from discussing any human rights issue which is put on the agenda. We welcome further measures to promote and intensify efforts in the area of human rights. In this context we highly esteem and appreciate the proposal [resolution 1961 (XV III)] that the General Assembly should designate the year 1968 as the International Year for Human Rights. The establishment of the office of High Commissioner for Human Rights [resolution 2062 (XX)] is an indication that more attention will be paid to measures of implementation. Afghanistan attaches great importance to and looks favourably on both the appointment and its implications.
186. The views of our Secretary-General, U Thant, on the mechanism of maintaining and securing peace are worthy of esteem and admiration and should be given serious thought and consideration by this Assembly. In the introduction to his annual report he advises:
"It is not enough, in my opinion, for the United Nations to deal where it can, and as the case arises, with each specific problem that threatens world peace, The causes of tension in the world have to be attacked at all of their many roots." [A/6301/ Add.1, p. 14.]
187. The Afghan delegation agrees with the view that the activities of the United Nations and its specialized agencies in the fields of economic and social development and human rights, implemented diligently and properly, can play an effective role in the reduction of the causes of tension, and In this way will serve effectively the cause of peace and tranquillity in the world.
188. The efforts of the United Nations to promote peace and prosperity through economic and social progress are worthy of esteem and appreciation. Afghanistan is actively moving forward, helped by the co-operation of friendly nations and assisted by the United Nations and its specialized agencies and we are grateful for this.
189. We are alive to the Impressive achievements of United Nations organs and agencies that are working to improve the international economy and the lot of man. They endeavour, through science and technology, to improve the standards of life and to create a better social and spiritual atmosphere. Nevertheless, as the Secretary-General described In the introduction to his report:
"... the stark fact which emerges intact from all the studies, reports and discussions devoted to the subject in the course of 1966 is that international aid is stagnating while the capacity of developed countries to provide such aid .,. has become greater." [Ibid., p. 6.]
190. The economic picture of the past five years painfully indicates the continuing inadequacy of growth in the developing world. The per capita gross domestic product of developed nations is more than twelve times that of developing States. This indicates an even greater divergence than existed at the beginning of the United Nations Development Decade.
191. We hope that these stark facts regarding the economic stagnation in the developing countries will not lead us into despair and inactivity; on the contrary, they should stimulate and prompt our Governments and the United Nations toward more intensified efforts to meet this challenge, remove the poverty and misery from amongst ourselves, and make this world of ours a better place in which to live.
192. Aside from the tensions and unrest which are due to poverty and less developed economies, there are instabilities, differences, diversities and grave tensions which are the direct outcome of colonialism and the outcry of the subject peoples. There is no doubt that, in recent years, the number of territories under colonial rule has decreased; nevertheless, the process has by no means been completed. As I have asserted earlier, Afghanistan is opposed to colonialism in all its forms and shades. We are gravely concerned, therefore, at the slow rate of progress in the application of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples.
193. It is indeed alarming that in spite of the United Nations resolutions and international peaceful but firm efforts, the white minority refuses to relinquish its control over Angola, Mozambique and Southern Rhodesia. It resists the efforts of the Organization to establish self-government and majority rule in these territories or to .supervise the advancement of the inhabitants of South West Africa.
194. The decision of the International Court of Justice regarding the case of South West Africa, presented to it by Ethiopia and Liberia, was indeed regrettable and alarming. After nearly twenty years of discussion on the South Wept African problem in the United Nations, no progress has been made. South Africa has not taken a single step to implement the resolutions of the General Assembly, and has refused to co-operate with the United Nations. The United Nations has a special responsibility in the matter, and it is essential that it should find rapid means of ending the Mandate and of helping the people of the Territory to attain independence and freedom. It is with these considerations that Afghanistan has co*’ sponsored a draft resolution [A/L.483 and Add.1] which was introduced so brilliantly by the representative of Ghana and several other colleagues. We earnestly hope that the General Assembly will give this draft due consideration and will approve it with an overwhelming majority, so that people who are living under a colonial system in any form may determine their destiny for themselves.
195. The problem of the Palestine refugees, which constitutes a cause of grave concern and distress, should be considered conscientiously and urgently. The Afghan delegation has, in the past, consistently brought the matter to the attention of the General Assembly. The solution of this problem would not only enhance an atmosphere of calm and peace in this region of the world, but it would also alleviate the untold sufferings and miseries of the Arab refugees, who were deprived of their land and property through no fault of their own. The Afghan delegation earnestly hopes that, honouring the principles of human rights and fundamental, freedoms, the case of the Palestine refugees will be given its just and proper consideration.
196. I hope that in the course of the fulfilment; of our responsibilities and service to the cause of the United Nations and the world, we shall all move forward in the direction of creating a climate that will bring about prosperity to the human race and a lasting peace and tranquillity to the world.