152. The opening of each yearly session of the General Assembly is a source of inspiration for the human spirit. It is proof that there is continued hope of fulfilling the aims of this noble international organization, despite all the adverse circumstances which have brought sorrow and bloodshed, and it is especially proof of the desire to secure and maintain peace. I would like to associate myself with those who have already spoken in this general debate and to compliment Mr. Pazhwak, firstly on his election — the culmination of a life rich in service — and secondly because his election also marks the beginning, for the President and the Organization alike, of fresh struggles for the welfare of mankind, I should also like to mention the outstanding contribution of the distinguished statesman who presided over last year's General Assembly, Professor Amintore Fanfani. His name has happy associations, which are not confined to Latin and Latin American circles.
153. It is true that not all prospects are encouraging as this session opens. Poverty, hunger, disease, suffering and ignorance are in evidence in the world. The magnitude of the problems is such that nothing seems to have been accomplished at all. Unhappily, we also see violence, lawlessness and terrible injustices between nations and individuals alike. Worse still, we detect the menacing presence of war. All this might give rise to pessimism, but, as the President said, optimism is a duty. Forgive me for drawing your attention to what would be happening in the world at this very moment if the United Nations did not exist as the supreme instrument for the promotion and maintenance of peace through the rule of law and international understanding and as a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations in the attainment of common fundamental ends in the service of mankind. That is a further reason why this Organization must be defended, strengthened and perfected, for as that wise and noble "expert in humanity" Pope Paul VI said, during his historic visit to this international forum on his pilgrimage of peace: "The peoples turn to the United Nations as to the ultimate hope for harmony and peace" [1347th meeting, paras. 24 and 25]. How awesome then, gentlemen, is your responsibility and ours.
154. It is thus that the Republic of Ecuador, whose people and Government I now have the honour to represent, once again expresses, through me, its faith in the principles of the Charter. It does so with greater earnestness because, as a small country, it takes no part in the conflicts of interest between the great Powers which seem to be the fundamental cause of the tensions and dangers now besetting mankind.
155. Ecuador likewise reiterates its support for the noble principle of the sovereign equality of States which overrides all differences, whether economic, social, political or of any other kind, so that all are members of the community with full and equal rights and duties.
156. At the same time, this principle, which we endorse and defend, alerts us to those differences which still threaten peace when the great Powers, in the perilous confrontation in which they habitually involve us, attempt to exploit their might and their high degree of development in the conduct of international relations. I therefore share the view that while the responsibility of the great Powers is decisive, that of the smaller countries is no less so since they must encourage the former to consider the issues calmly. Consequently, I could not but welcome the enlightened speech which, less than a month ago, was given by the Secretary-General at the University of Chile and in which he recalled that the developing countries could strengthen the Organization by giving it the cohesion which it still largely lacked, particularly
in view of the serious differences between the great Powers. He said that the future of the United Nations rested to a considerable degree with the small nation - on their sense of responsibility, their independence and objectivity, their dedication to the principles of the Charter and, above all, their collective determination to help attenuate and bring an end to the dangerous tensions which have affected international relations so adversely during the last twenty years. He added that a constant effort, year in and year out, on the part of all nations, both large and small, was essential to build a lasting peace.
157. That important speech clearly and objectively points to many of the causes of tension in the most recent international crises and to the factors delaying fulfilment of the objectives of the Organization.
158. In the former League of Nations, unbridled "power politics" was the major factor in the outbreak of the war. The Secretary-General regretfully recognizes that that policy continues to be a threat. The Ecuadorian representative who is currently Chairman of the First Committee remarked, in a statement which he made at the seventeenth session of the General Assembly in 1962, on the great step forward which had been achieved when the simple concept of a league was replaced, in the United Nations, by the concept of a community, which makes it imperative for the "power politics" denounced by U Thant to be replaced at last by a policy of co-operation.
159. The fact that we have still not achieved full international co-operation is proved by the failure of the great Powers to reach any final agreement on disarmament. The arms race has not ended even in Latin America. Ecuador, of course, gives its fervent moral support to the efforts being made to end the arms race and joins in the appeals which have been made to all Powers to release the untold resources which they are devoting to destructive weapons of war and to use them instead for the benefit of mankind in the fight against disease, illiteracy and hunger. As Pope Paul VI so rightly stated early this year in his letter to the Secretary-General:
"There is no denying the fact that each passing day shows more clearly that no lasting peace can be established among men without an effective general and controlled reduction of armaments. Each passing day also heightens the painful and tragic contrast between the huge sums squandered on the manufacture of weapons and the immense and growing material distress of more than half of mankind, who are still waiting to see their most elementary needs satisfied."
160. Ecuador condemns all forms of violence because it believes in spiritual values and in the subordination of physical force. It therefore holds that any aggression, however slight, is an offence against the human race and a useless waste of lives and material resources which would be better employed if they were devoted to the raising of cultural levels, the betterment of moral values and the eradication of poverty. My Government feels compelled to appeal to the sense of responsibility of the more developed countries by pointing out how paradoxical and illogical it is for them to express support for major programmes of technical and social co-operation and at the same time to devote the greater part of their energies to an arms race that is incompatible with the principles of social betterment and the spirit and wishes of the peoples of the world.
161. Further evidence of the lack of a policy of full co-operation is the nuclear testing that is conducted for military purposes. The Moscow Treaty was signed three years ago and seemed to offer fairly good guarantees of avoiding new nuclear testing. Yet that Treaty still allows underground testing and, what is more, not all the nuclear Powers have acceded to it. My country condemns all testing of nuclear devices for military purposes. It acceded to the Moscow Treaty considering it to be a necessary step although still incomplete and imperfect until all nuclear testing for military purposes has been abolished. Ecuador regards all explosions of nuclear devices as a threat to peace because they foster the power politics which inevitably lead to war.
162. For all these reasons, Ecuador, like other countries, deplored the latest nuclear tests, the dangers of which cannot be scientifically disproved.
163. We are concerned at the proliferation of nuclear weapons and the danger that technological advances in this sphere will be used for the purposes of war; we are also concerned at the increase in membership of the exclusive nuclear club. In this context, and in order to safeguard peace, the Latin American countries have held a number of meetings for the purpose of drawing up a denuclearization treaty. Ecuador's position has, as always, been clear and constructive and designed to bring about the signing of a mandatory instrument to eliminate nuclear weapons and the use of them from Latin America. This is an objective which we continue to pursue and to which we will devote our most vigorous efforts, inviting the nuclear Powers to respect, from now on, Latin America's desire for denuclearization.
164. I must say on this occasion that the painful prolongation of the war in Viet-Nam is a source of anguish to the peaceful spirit of my country, for we believe that peace in the world is indivisible. So long as there is tension or armed struggle in any part of the globe, the maintenance of international peace and security is compromised. If we are truly a community, suffering and bloodshed anywhere on earth cannot but distress us all. We would therefore remind the great Powers of their responsibility for the events in Viet-Nam, While we condemn communist aggression, we also reject the continuation of the fighting. The will of the Viet-Namese people must be respected. Would that all obstinacy should cease and that the parties should agree to negotiations without insisting on conditions which would make peace impossible. I fervently hope that the war in Viet-Nam will end.
165. The news from the Middle East is disturbing and indicates that a grave threat to peace might be developing there. The Middle East is in any case one of the current danger spots, and I hope that the tensions there will abate.
166. I take this opportunity to reiterate Ecuador's firm rejection of war as a means of settling international disputes. War does not solve conflicts but incites and multiplies them as in a chain reaction.
Ecuador supports and proclaims the view that the only positive way to understanding which will permit the development and betterment of peoples and by which all States are legally bound is the solution of disputes by the peaceful procedures provided by law without under any circumstances resorting to the illegal expedients of war, violence or threats.
167. The total prohibition of war as a solution to disputes is a necessity bound up with the very existence of mankind. In Latin America there has existed as a legal ideal, unfortunately not always realized in practice, the principle that victory creates no rights. This ideal has been incorporated in the principles of the world Organization as well as of our own regional organization. We believe, however, that theoretical declarations are not enough unless ways are found to remedy injustices and to re-establish violated rights by peacefully restoring the spoils of armed conquest.
168. Within the inter-American sphere, Ecuador's attitude has been reflected in numerous proposals for the establishment of suitable machinery for the peaceful settlement of disputes. Ecuador has consistently urged that effective provision should be made for such machinery within the regional system, and we shall continue to work towards that objective, Ecuador's attitude within the international sphere is identical and is based on the provisions of Article 2 (3) of the Charter.
169. This attitude was also evident when the Netherlands took the auspicious step of submitting to this Assembly an interesting plan for the establishment of a body to determine what acts might lead to international conflicts.
170. We must insist that the conquest of territory or the gaining of advantage by force of arms is repugnant to the legal conscience of the world and devoid of all legal force and institutes a permanent hotbed of discord which prevents neighbouring peoples from embarking on the tasks necessary for their progress in a spirit of brotherly co-operation.
171. It is for all these reasons that the item concerning the peaceful settlement of disputes, which was suggested last year and is to be discussed at this session, is of singular importance, and that is why Ecuador, a peace-loving country par excellence, requests that this item be studied with great interest.
172. In order that breaches of the peace may be prevented, it is most important that recourse to regional or world organizations and machinery by one of the parties to the dispute in the peaceful quest for a legally acceptable solution should gain universal acceptance. There is also a need for some means by which the international community can take cognizance of and co-operate in solving those conflicts which a policy of looking the other way seeks to ignore. These are the cases where one party has imposed an unjust solution by force and attempts to make this act of coercion legitimate by the simple expedient of denying it.
173. The United Nations International Law Commission has stated the principle that treaties imposed by force are invalid. It could not be otherwise, for to recognize the validity of instruments signed under obvious pressure which makes free consent by one of the parties impossible is a legal and ethical absurdity incompatible with peace and justice. Such instruments cannot really be treaties because they are void ab initio; what is void from the beginning is nonexistent, and what is non-existent can never have any legal effect.
174. An order based on void instruments is no order at all; sooner or later — unless a peaceful way to international justice is found — it will crumble under the tide of events. Instead of safeguarding peace, all that such instruments have succeeded in doing is to lay the foundations for permanent conflict, since they perpetuate the original duress. Among the lofty principles enshrined in the inter-American system are the invalidity of territorial agreements imposed by the use or threat of force and the commitment, on the part of the American States, not to recognize gains acquired by such means. In reality, however, these positive norms remain at the mercy of injustice and pressure unless they are complemented by the machinery necessary to make them viable. The deplorable fact is that, through the play of interests, situations involving conflict are allowed to continue in being even though they are known to be contrary to right and justice. Thus is demonstrated the paradox of enunciating principles, reducing them to rules and then, in practice, violating them, Ecuador, which has itself suffered the impact of such circumstances to the detriment of its territorial heritage, will continue consistently to advocate the restoration of law and the search for peaceful means to remedy injustice.
175. Ecuador, in conformity with the American spirit in its broadest sense, is in favour of Latin American integration as an effective means of bringing about an improvement in living conditions. That is why it participated a short time ago in the meeting of the Presidents and presidential delegates of five nations in the city of Bogota. That meeting was not prompted by any self-seeking purpose of forming special blocs; the declaration made there is a valuable instrument. It described the meeting as a practical contribution to regional economic integration with the aim of increasing co-operation among all the nations of America; as an effort to attain the level of economic and social development to which those nations are entitled and which is a common goal and need [A/6410].
176. Among the problems discussed there, one that is a cause of deep concern for the developing countries is the imbalance between the industrialized and the less developed countries. Ecuador is gratified at the intense efforts being made by the world Organization, through specialized bodies, to overcome that lack of balance and to find means for close international co-operation in this regard.
177. Referring once again to the high authority of the
Secretary-General, I should like to stress what he said in his recent speech at Santiago. On the basis of what was taken to be the very modest target of a 5 per cent rate of growth in the gross income of the developing countries, he pointed out that for one sixth of the world's population, which includes most of the Latin American countries, the time required to reach the present-day level of the average per capita income in western Europe would be two centuries. If these alarming figures are compared with the almost astronomical growth in the world expenditure on armaments, the outlook for mankind is hardly encouraging. A short time ago, one of my country's most astute observers of the world political scene made the following comment:
"If the basic concept of the United Nations is that it constitutes the organization of the international community, then only co-operation for development will enable the world to live in peace. Instead of this, we have the industrial aggressiveness of the developed countries, which not only try to pay low prices for the raw materials and foodstuffs produced by the developing countries but even try to produce these goods themselves so as to lessen their purchases abroad. This policy being pursued by the leading political and economic Powers of the world reminds me of the well-known expression about the blind leading the blind."
178. Ecuador, like the other developing countries, has advocated and defended in all international forums the need for fair treatment for basic commodities because of the high degree to which its economy and development plans depend on the income derived from commodity exports. It has therefore encouraged and participated in the preparation of multilateral agreements, such as that on coffee, regarding them as a means of obtaining equitable and stable prices that will enable the worker to be fairly compensated for his toil.
179. Regrettably little has been achieved in practice and a striking disproportion still exists as between the ever-increasing rise in the prices paid for manufactures imported by the developing countries and the stagnation and, in many cases, decline in the prices which those same countries received for the commodities which they export. The picture is one of a large number of developing countries which work harder and export more but earn less and of industrialized Powers which have found ways of earning more by working less, although at the expense of the less developed countries.
180. Moreover, the procedures being followed in giving effect to the International Coffee Agreement do not seem to be either the fairest or the most appropriate because they lead to conflict among the less developed countries, which, after all, are the ones that should receive preferential treatment in keeping with the spirit of the resolutions of the General Assembly and the documents of the first United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.
181. A price-support policy that results in strangulation of the weaker economies is by no means the fairest and does not accord with the principle of the legal equality of States on which the international community is based. That, however, seems to be the policy of those who control the International Coffee Organization through the power of decision and veto which the present voting system gives them. If that unrealistic policy remains unchanged, the survival of the 1962 Agreement seems somewhat doubtful, and the countries affected by it will have to ponder seriously before deciding whether to renew their participation in it.
182. In any event, Ecuador lends its full support to the Trade and Development Board and, as a member of the group of seventy-seven countries, expresses the hope that the machinery established by the Board will elicit closer co-operation from the industrialized nations. My country has also given its full support to the United Nations Development Decade. It has prepared a general development plan and effected substantial reforms in taxation and agriculture. As yet, however, it has not achieved the target set by resolution 1710 (XVI) of 19 December 1961, and its situation seems to be similar to that of other less developed countries. It is necessary, therefore, to set up new machinery for accelerating the process, and my country will continue to make every effort toward that end.
183. Ecuador reiterates its unwavering stand in favour of decolonization. It likewise maintains its adherence to the principle of the self-determination of peoples, provided that the application of that principle does not impair the independence or territorial integrity of States. Although there has been considerable progress in recent years towards independence for peoples who did not formerly have it, I wish to state that Ecuador will continue to lend its full support to the complete implementation of resolution 1514 (XV), which has rightly been called the Magna Charta of decolonization.
184. As an expression of our sympathetic feelings towards the new African States, we would like to initiate and maintain firm diplomatic relations with all of them. For the present, Ecuador has accredited a diplomatic representative to Ethiopia in consideration, among other reasons, not only of the ancient culture of that free country but also of the fact that Addis Ababa is the site of the headquarters of the Organization of African Unity.
185. The Government of Ecuador was deeply concerned over the decision of the International Court of Justice on the case brought before it by Liberia and Ethiopia against the Republic of South Africa in defence of the rights of the immense majority of the population in South West Africa. The Judgment of the Court, of a purely procedural character, denying the right of Liberia and Ethiopia to submit their claim, does not satisfy Ecuador and the other free countries which for many years have taken a firm stand in favour of the oppressed population of South West Africa.
186. We condemn every form of racial discrimination wherever it may exist. We expressly condemn the policies of apartheid of the Government of the Republic of South Africa.
187. I must in a special way reaffirm my country's stand in favour of respecting and upholding human rights and our complete support for the completion and implementation of the covenants designed to safeguard them. We are also favourably disposed towards the proposal to setup international machinery which will guarantee respect for those rights. The adoption last year by the General Assembly of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination marked a further important step towards the attainment of this objective. That instrument, which is open for signature and ratification or accession by Member States, represents the most significant advance in the last eighteen years on behalf of human rights and the dignity of the human person. I am very happy to announce that Ecuador is the first Latin American country, and the fourth in the entire Organization, to have acceded to this Convention, I express the hope that other States will do likewise, so that this instrument may come into force.
188. I must also state my country's support of the Spanish claim with regard to Gibraltar. Not long ago, twelve former Foreign Ministers of Ecuador, in a letter addressed to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, expressed their just and legitimate interest in a solution of the problem of Gibraltar under United Nations auspices. At the General Assembly's twentieth session, Ecuador was a cosponsor of resolution 2070 (XX), in which the Governments of Spain and the United Kingdom were invited to begin without delay talks concerning a satisfactory solution of the problem. When those talks were announced it expressed the firm hope that they would lead to the most beneficial results for Hispano-British relations and for world peace. I am sure that there is no Spanish-American who does not view sympathetically and adopt as his own the claim made by Spain. For this reason I applaud the willingness of Spain to work for a peaceful settlement and its receptiveness to a solution whereby justice may be established without humiliation or resentment on either side. I express the wish for a speedy and successful conclusion to the talks which have begun,
189. I also wish to express Ecuador's support, in view of the close ties between our two countries, for the claim made by the Argentine Republic with regard to the Falkland Islands (Malvinas).
190. Ecuador is deeply concerned over the situation resulting from the announcement made by the Secretary-General, U Thant, concerning his resignation and over the grave and profound reflections contained in that document, which must give pause to us all. My country hails the fruitful work for the maintenance of peace carried out by this outstanding exponent of understanding and co-operation among men. I wish, on behalf of my Government and the Ecuadorian people, to reiterate our confidence in him, which has already been expressed by the Latin American group. For the sake of world peace and the continuation of the work he has begun, I hope that U Thant will accept the sacrifice of re-election for a second term. My Government believes, however, that it is not sufficient to make an appeal to so renowned a world citizen. Our Organization, and each one of its Members in turn, must reflect carefully on the dangers and threats, the uncertainties and anxieties of the world in which we live. We must ask ourselves, in a severe examination of our consciences, whether the United Nations and each individual State must not change its course and mend its ways.
191. In making this statement I must add that neither the Ecuadorian people nor its Government is imbued with a spirit of pessimism. We prefer to express a firm belief in man and in his capacity to live in peace. This healthy optimism does not, however, prevent us from making an objective assessment of a world in which not only do injustice and poverty exist but also — and this is more serious — in which the more powerful countries are frequently led to fight injustice and poverty from materialistic rather than idealistic motives when such action can be directly linked with their own interests. We cannot continue to stand by while injustice, hunger and illiteracy are of interest only because their eradication promises some sort of political or material profit to the great Powers. This observation is of practical importance, and I therefore take the liberty of inviting all nations to consider the spiritual transcendence which the fight to spread culture and a fairer enjoyment of wealth should have. We are all witnesses, sometimes participants and even to some extent beneficiaries of the efforts made by the industrialized countries to carry out assistance programmes for the developing countries. But, while gratefully applauding those programmes for what is positive in them, I feel bound to say that they will not be proceeding in the right direction and will not produce long-term benefits so long as their principal aim is the pragmatic one of reconciling the duty to help needy peoples with a self-seeking desire to expand consumer markets for manufactures. Nor will these programmes fulfil their aim of promoting co-operation if, through them, disguised attempts are made to limit the sovereignty of States under the pretext of assisting them to achieve prosperity.
192. I should like, therefore, to emphasize here the words of the illustrious statesman who today is President of Mexico, which he pronounced at a solemn moment, and if I paraphrase them and extend them, on behalf of Ecuador, to apply to all of Latin America, I am sure that they will be endorsed by all the developing countries which are contending with the conditions to which I have referred. He said in effect that if one day Latin America were to face the terrible choice between prosperity and freedom, the Spanish-American, true to his deepest instincts, would choose freedom before prosperity, because we Spanish-Americans prefer to live and die poor but free, rather than prosperous and enslaved.
193. I could not end this statement without calling to mind that voice of wisdom, a voice of idealism and faith, of guidance and brotherhood, of humility and nobility, which was heard in this very hall a year ago, when His Holiness Pope Paul VI addressed his message to the United Nations, a message of light and a message of love for all mankind. In this difficult hour, and despite the year that has elapsed, these words of the Supreme Pontiff have lost none of their relevance but have on the contrary taken on even greater force and have been strengthened by further appeals from him. Ecuador wishes to stress his words and give them its full support, as being those of a selfless and sure guide pointing out the way which all peoples must follow to attain universal peace.