The Iraqi delegation joins all other delegations in extending to the President its sincere congratulations on his election to the highest office in this world Organization. His charming personality, his deep love of freedom, his devotion to the cause of peace, his record of fine service in various capacities in this Organization and in other international gatherings, make him worthy of this very high distinction. May this eleventh session of the United Nations General Assembly, meeting under his leadership, prove to be a milestone on the path of freedom, justice, peace and prosperity for all people of the earth.
16. We take this opportunity to extend a hearty welcome and congratulations to all the nineteen new Member States which have been admitted to the United Nations. The Iraqi delegation has consistently supported the principle of universality in the admission of Members and has always maintained that the veto is inapplicable in connexion with the recommendation of States for Membership.
17. While the delegation of Iraq expresses its best wishes to all nineteen new Members, we wish to express our very deep gratification that five sister Arab States are among the newcomers. An especially warm welcome from us is due to our sister States of Jordan, Libya, Sudan, Morocco and Tunisia. Among the newly admitted States there are some which have very cordial and friendly relations with Iraq. Our great friends Spain, Italy and Ceylon belong to this category, and to these we extend a hearty welcome and our very best wishes. In the meantime we are glad to know that that great nation Japan will soon find its way into this Organization because of the Soviet consent to withdraw its veto.
18. We are meeting here — some seventy-nine nations representing various regions of the world and varied races, colours, religions, creeds, cultural backgrounds and economic conditions — as one human family devoted to one great objective, namely, that of preserving world peace and promoting the cause of individual and national freedoms for all mankind. It is only when conditions of peace and liberty are assured that we can work for the betterment of man by raising him from the depths of poverty, disease, prejudice and ignorance to the heights of prosperity, culture and international brotherhood.
19. The human race is at the crossroads today. Either we must learn to live together, enjoying freedom, equal opportunity and brotherly love for all, or the human race will slip towards another world war which, with the new lethal weapons, may lead to our total extinction. We are told by those who know best that hydrogen and cobalt bombs make war on a large scale suicidal. None of the Powers which will use these weapons can attain victory. This, we hope, will make war between those Powers which possess these lethal weapons a completely unthinkable adventure. We may thus, in a way, be grateful for the contribution of these lethal weapons to peace. It is because of them, we believe, that another world war is an improbability, although not a complete impossibility. For, while a great war may not be initiated by the great Powers, we find that localized wars, such as the ones in Korea and Indo-China, the British and French assault on Egypt, the Israel invasion of Egypt added to its recurring attacks on its Arab neighbours, and the Soviet invasion of Hungary in order to support a regime contrary to the free will of the people — all these wars, although not immediately global in character, may sooner or later plunge us unwittingly into a world war. Thus, one should not minimize the seriousness and gravity of local wars or so-called “incidents” or “police measures” or “armed conflicts” initiated by the intervention and attack of great Powers against smaller ones, nor should we minimize the danger of war developing between smaller States which identify their interests with one great Power or another. In other words, the danger of global war should always be present in our thoughts, and we must exert all our efforts to eradicate all causes of war, whether they be local or global. We must wage a war on war.
20. We can always trace the causes of war to human passions and emotions, emanating from a deep sense of injustice, persecution, exploitation, and the domination of one people by another on the one hand, and, on the other hand, to passions and emotions stemming from pride, a desire for domination, expansion and exploitation, and a feeling on the part of one people of supremacy over another.
21. It is one of the major functions of the United Nations to help in the eradication of those passions and emotions emanating from injustice, persecution, exploitation and subjugation by promoting the causes of justice, freedom, and a fair deal for all. It is also the function of the United Nations to address itself to some of its Members and invite them to appreciate the change in the spirit of the times and to realize that those passions and emotions that emanate from pride, conceit, arrogance and desire for supremacy and domination — emotions that contribute to prejudice and narrowness — are outmoded and do not suit this age of science and fast communications that have brought the nations of the globe so close to each other as practically to annihilate distance between east and west, north and south. Those emotions are certainly a relic of the past, and two world wars were fought to save humanity from their harmful effects.
22. One of the great services of the United Nations, sometimes not appreciated by outsiders, is that it checks unbridled emotions and provides an opportunity for reasoning and fair play to avert wars or to check them at an early stage of their inception. The United Nations and its methods certainly must prevail in the world if humanity is to avoid a greater catastrophe.
23. Those of us who have been associated with the United Nations from its very inception in San Francisco in 1945, realize the great evolution and metamorphosis through which the Organization has gone. The United Nations has had its periods of trial and error. It committed some grave blunders, but it also has to its credit some great achievements, with the result that today it has come of age. It has gained much in stature and importance.
24. As to membership, we are now nearly eighty Member States — almost twice the number of States that first met at San Francisco. As to importance, the United Nations has become the focus of the attention of all mankind, which expects it to be a centre for settling international conflicts and promoting the cause of freedom, justice and prosperity for all.
25. The United Nations is very fortunate indeed in having a Secretary-General whose ability, integrity, courage and humanity are recognized by us all. Mr. Hammarskjold personally has contributed much to the dignity and effectiveness of the United Nations. He symbolizes the spirit of the Charter.
26. This is a time when the world has been deeply shaken by Israel aggression, by the French and British attack on Egypt, and by Soviet intervention to subjugate the people of Hungary — events that brought us to the brink of a third world war. It is time for us to think and to analyse the world situation objectively and positively. Then we must decide to settle the world’s greatest problems by peaceful means; we must be guided not by selfish interests but by unselfishness, not by a desire for domination but by a spirit of co-operation and fair dealing, not by hatred but by brotherly love, not by prejudice but by tolerance and, above all, by respect for law, justice and human rights. Let us be willing, each and every one, to see the other side’s point of view, and try to remove the fundamental causes of war and conflict among nations.
27. I wish now to dwell briefly on the crisis in the Middle East, since that is one of the most explosive regions of the world today. The present crisis in the Middle East emanates mainly from the thwarting of the Arabs’ desire to enjoy their full freedom and independence and to guarantee the integrity of their territories and their rights to their own homes and lands. Once these legitimate rights and aspirations of the Arabs are realized and the Arab world is freed from foreign pressure and intervention, the Arabs will move much quicker along the path of national unity, democracy and social progress. Arab aspirations were initially hindered by the penetration of the British and French into that area after the First World War, by their application of nineteenth century colonial methods of “divide and rule,” and by their introduction of Zionism and the bringing in of Jews from outside Palestine with the intention of uprooting the legitimate Arab inhabitants of that country.
28. The Arabs struggled bitterly against this foreign domination between the two world wars, Iraq and Egypt achieved their independence and sovereignty before the Second World War; Syria and Lebanon towards the end of that conflict; and Jordan a few years later. The independence of Libya, Sudan, Tunisia and Morocco followed very recently.
29. In the meantime the great Palestine tragedy was brought about by the great Western Powers, as well as by the Soviet Union, through the United Nations — that tragedy which led to the uprooting and homelessness of nearly one million Palestinian Arabs, Moslems and Christians alike. The Soviet Union had played practically no part in Arab affairs between the two world wars. But since the Second World War, besides taking part in the establishment of Israel by voting for the partition of Palestine, it also began to enter the Arab world, with a view to establishing itself therein.
30. Today the problem of the Middle East consists of three major factors: first, the desire of the Arabs to be completely free and independent; secondly, the restoration of Arab rights and of justice in Palestine and the recognition of the rights of the Palestinian Arab refugees to their own homes; thirdly, the conflict between Western Powers, which desire to perpetuate their influence in the area, and the intention of the Soviet Union to penetrate the Middle East. The Arabs have no aggressive intentions towards anybody. They only wish to enjoy complete liberty in handling their own affairs and achieving their national unity.
31. As for liberation and independence, the Arab world still has an account to settle with the Western Powers, and especially with France. France is directly responsible for precipitating the invasion of the Suez Canal and for inciting Israel to invade Egypt. France is moved by its grievances against the Arab world because of the Arabs’ sympathy for their Algerian brethren in the latter’s struggle for freedom and self-determination. It is a sad situation that, in the era of the United Nations, the freedom of peoples and human rights — including the right of the self-determination of peoples — should be denied by a country like France, which is supposed to stand for liberté, egalité, fraternité, France denies these very principles to the Algerian people. Algeria has been bleeding for over two years for no reason other than the desire of its people for freedom.
32. It is a sad fact that France is using forces and ammunition of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to crush the freedom-loving Algerians. Thousands of Algerians and many Frenchmen have lost their lives and homes because of French atrocities. Millions of dollars are being wasted daily in the Algerian war.
33. Is it not possible for the French authorities to learn from the experiences of Indo-China, Tunisia and Morocco, and to bring about an immediate cease-fire in Algeria, in accordance with the United Nations Charter? It would be only right that France should change its policy of force and destruction for a policy of peace and negotiation in accordance with the advice of its best thinkers. It was all the more shocking to every peace-loving man in the world to hear of the kidnapping and arrest of the five Algerian leaders, who not only were the guests of His Majesty the Sultan of Morocco, but also were on a peaceful mission known to France beforehand. In capturing these leaders, France showed no respect either for the rule of ancient chivalry or for international law.
34. We wish to appeal to France and to all the freedom-loving Members of the United Nations to appreciate the human tragedy in Algeria and to put an end to the ruthless methods of naked force being used by the French authorities, against the better judgment of many noble French citizens.
35. Algeria presents the world with a problem affecting international peace and security. It would not be right to accept the claim that the General Assembly is not qualified to deal with the subject of Algeria because Algeria is an integral part of France. How did Algeria become an integral part of France? France itself passed a law which provided that, overnight, 9 million Algerians should be considered Frenchmen and that their country, which is larger than France itself, should be considered part of metropolitan France. To admit such a claim would be nothing but a renunciation of our obligations as Members of this Organization, whose duty it is to promote the cause of freedom and justice for all the peoples of the world. The United Nations must therefore recognize its obligation under the Charter, must deal with this serious problem, and must intervene between France and Algeria and bring a peaceful settlement to a bleeding area.
36. I turn now to the Palestine tragedy. The name “Israel” has become synonymous in the Middle East with aggression. A British and French alliance with the Israel aggressors against Egypt will not help in settling the affairs of the Middle East. Israel came into existence as a result of United Nations resolution 181 (II) of 1947. That resolution was most unjust to the Arabs, taking away from them a precious part of their country in order to establish Israel. In spite of that fact, Israel found it appropriate to uproot the Arab population, the legitimate inhabitants of the land, through massacres like that of Dair Yassin, in which the entire population of a village — men, women and children — was annihilated. Then, with the help of arms from Czechoslovakia, the new-born Israel not only established itself in territories allotted to it by the United Nations resolution of 1947, but also annexed the best part of the remaining territories allotted to the Arabs in the partition plan, including Western Galilee, Lydda, Ramla, Jaffa and Beersheba. The capture of these territories by the Israelis was effected in the same manner as their invasion of the Gaza strip and the Sinai peninsula in their recent act of aggression. Whatever land they grab they claim as their own, disregarding the resolutions of the United Nations and ignoring the rights of the legitimate Arab inhabitants of the country. Armistice lines were imposed on neighbouring Arab States by the sheer force of power politics and Czechoslovak arms. These lines were never supposed to be final and were never supposed to prejudice the right of the Arabs to lands which were allotted to them by the partition schemes or to their homes in Palestine.
37. Israel repeatedly declares that it will not yield Arab territory. The result is that one million Arab refugees continue to live in a state of misery and destitution, for no reason other than Israel’s defiance of human rights and United Nations resolutions.
38. The status of the refugees is in itself a main cause of political unrest in the Middle East, in addition to being a great human tragedy and a great moral problem for which this Organization is directly responsible because of its lenient attitude and ineffective measures as regards Israel. In addition to all of the injustice and misery which Israel has brought to the Arabs of Palestine, it continues its aggression against neighbouring Arab States, attacking with full military force, destroying homes and villages, and killing hundreds of Arab men, women and children — Moslems and Christians alike. Israel’s pretext for its military action is that it is retaliating for what is no more than individual infiltration through the armistice lines by refugees collecting fruits from their own farms on Israel’s side of the barbed wire. Israel has on several occasions been branded as an aggressor by the Security Council. With no punishment imposed, its armies continue to attack neighbouring Arab States over and over again.
39. The United Nations and the Powers responsible for the creation and existence of Israel never came to the help of the Arabs. When, at last, the Arabs bought arms behind the Iron Curtain in order to defend themselves, the entire Western World was aroused. Zionist propaganda capitalized on this purchase of arms from Czechoslovakia, from which Israel was the first to acquire arms.
40. It is high time that the United Nations should awake to an appreciation of the true situation in the Middle East and to realize that the remedy for the Middle East situation does not lie in adding new injustices to past ones already incurred by Israel with the implicit consent of the great Powers. By condoning Israel aggression by their recent vetoes in the Security Council, the United Kingdom and France made no contribution to peace and stability in the Middle East. The United Kingdom and France, in joining the Israel aggression, provided an opportunity for the Soviet Union to interfere in the affairs of the Middle East — a fact which will turn the area into a field of open conflict between East and West and endanger world peace.
41. The Israel leaders have often spoken of peace, but only as a cover for their aggressive intentions. Each wave of propaganda for peace has been followed by an aggressive attack on one Arab State or another. The continuation of trouble in the Middle East, accompanied by falsified and perverted Zionist propaganda in the great Western capitals, seems to provide an alibi for raising funds for Israel. These funds, which are raised under the pretence that they will serve humanitarian purposes, are diverted to the purchase of arms, ammunition and jet planes with which to attack the Arabs.
42. It is the view of my delegation that the Palestine problem is the key to all the Middle Eastern situation. This problem may be dealt with in one of two ways. The first way is by peaceful means in accordance with the spirit of the Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which requires the return of all the Arab refugees to their own homes in Palestine and the complete restoration of their political rights in their own country, Palestine. The second is to leave it to power politics and expediency, which may start a tug of war between the Western Powers and the Soviet Union, each taking sides not according to right and justice, but according to self-interest and temporary political gains. That policy may very well precipitate a third world war, with its disastrous consequences to all mankind.
43. Israel’s dastardly invasion of Egypt and its expansionist designs prove beyond all doubt that that is the greatest source of danger to peace and stability in the Middle East. It is the view of the Iraqi Government that the Middle East can have no peace or tranquility, and that world peace will always remain in jeopardy, unless and until Arab rights in Palestine are completely restored and until the Israel danger is completely removed from the Middle East.
44. If the world is to avoid a conflagration in the Middle East, the Palestine problem should be settled according to law and justice, and the rights of the Arabs of Palestine should be recognized and restored accordingly. We appeal to all Members of this Organization who have world peace and stability at heart to help by deeds and not merely by words in restoring right and justice to Palestine.
45. I turn now to the aggression against Egypt. The Middle East situation reached its most critical phase by the premeditated Israel invasion of Egypt and by the British and French attack on the Suez Canal. The whole world was shocked by these events, Iraq, which is united to Egypt by ties of brotherhood, is directly concerned with Egypt’s national integrity and security. We consider any aggression committed against Egypt as aggression directed against us. Iraq was deeply shocked by these aggressions which breached the peace in the area and brought the whole world nearer the brink of a third world war. This aggression weakened the authority of this Organization and dealt a blow to cherished friendships and alliances amongst nations.
46. Iraq has always maintained that Egypt's right to nationalize the Suez Canal was indisputable and hoped for a wise, fair and peaceful settlement between the parties concerned. It was quite feasible to guarantee freedom of passage through the Suez Canal for all nonbelligerent ships while respecting the complete sovereignty of Egypt over the Canal. We thought that the six principles unanimously adopted by the Security Council in its resolution of 13 October 1956 [S/3675] were to form a basis for peaceful negotiations. We were stunned to hear of the United Kingdom’s and France's ultimatum to Egypt. The matter became much more serious when it was found that the United Kingdom joined France not only in condoning Israel aggression, but also in what seems to have been a plot by which Israel was to occupy the Gaza strip and the Sinai peninsula. Did the honourable gentlemen leading the affairs of those two great Powers think of the fate of the 200,000 Palestine Arab refugees in the Gaza strip when they condoned Israel aggression?
47. We believe that the United Kingdom and French methods in dealing with Egypt are reminiscent of nineteenth century imperialism. No Power in the world today, no matter how great, is entitled to take the law into its own hand. The United Nations should be the chief organ which settles disputes amongst nations. For this we are grateful to President Eisenhower’s initiative in making the United States delegation take immediate steps to bring the issue before the United Nations.
48. Now that the grave “error” has been committed, it is only right that those Powers which attacked Egypt should immediately withdraw their forces from Egypt. They should also make it abundantly clear that they do not support the Israel aggressive action and should join with the rest of the freedom-loving world in seeing to it that Israel immediately withdraws behind the armistice lines. By this, and only by this, can the United Kingdom and France comply with the spirit of the Charter and show their support and respect for this Organization.
49. One of the main causes of tension in the world today is communism. Communism uses ruthless methods in subjugating peoples and denying freedom to individuals and nations. One of the striking political phenomena after the Second World War has been the expansion of Communist regimes by sheer force in many parts of the world.
50. We would have no quarrel with communism and Communist regimes had they left other peoples alone. But one look at the map since the Second World War shows us that the Soviet Union has already absorbed the tern Lories and peoples of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. And recent events in Hungary and Poland show us that these two countries and others have been brought under Soviet influence and subjugation, not by the free will and choice of the people, but by naked, brutal force. We also know that by the same method of Soviet intervention the communization of the mainland of China was brought about. The partition of Korea, the partition of Viet-Nam, and the partition of that great country, Germany, are perpetuated by Communist regimes. The peoples of the non-Communist world, who are anxious to see that respect for individual liberty and the right to free political opinions and free religion are held as sacred, are entitled to fear this Communist infiltration and domination, which has made them prepare for self-defence against a possible Communist onslaught. This, in turn, has led to a race in armaments on a scale hitherto unknown in human history, Soviet intervention in Hungary demonstrates a source of danger of great magnitude to world peace. It shows that communism intends to maintain itself by naked force and to crush freedom wherever it is found.
51. If this policy of the Soviet Union persists, it may lead to the great catastrophe which all the world wishes to avoid. Talk of peace and disarmament has no meaning if we do not abolish the causes of war, and the causes of war consist primarily of the denial of freedom, justice and democracy to individuals and nations.
52. May we appeal in the name of humanity and peace to the Soviet Union and to all countries dominated by Communist regimes to see to it that the nations of Eastern Europe, including Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, shall enjoy freedom. May we appeal to, them to see to it that all Asian peoples, who were colonized by czarist Russia, whose cultures and religions have been suppressed and who have been subjected to Russification, enjoy their freedom and independence just as Burma, India, Pakistan and Ceylon do.
53. The world is awakened to fight Western colonialism. Since the end of the First World War, Western colonialism is gradually dying away. We sincerely hope to see its end. Communism, on the other hand, is much deadlier than Western colonialism, for it destroys its opponents and deprives them of the right to raise their voice.
54. May the world at large enjoy a freedom guided by democratic laws and procedures. May freedom of individuals and nations supplant colonialism, whether it be in its outmoded nineteenth century Western form or in its modern Communist form. For world peace to have any meaning, it must be based on freedom, democracy and social justice.
55. In order to restore confidence among the nations and to guarantee that this Organization shall be an effective body to promote peace, we wish to make the following suggestions:
56. First, we must reaffirm our faith in the principles of the United Nations Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, agreeing on the definitions of the terms used and giving them the same connotation, Words like “peace”, “justice”, “democracy”, “freedom” must be well defined so that “democracy” will never mean dictatorship of the few, “freedom” will never mean submission to the dictator’s will, “peace” will never mean the death of human liberty, and “pacification” will not mean the brutal subjugation of peoples, We must see to it that when we use the terms of the Charter, there is no equivocation and no difference in understanding. It seems that we all pay lip-service to, fundamental human rights, but when it comes to application it is easy for us to suppress them. If we are loyal Members of this Organization, we must see to it that we subscribe to the same tenets and principles upon which this Organization is founded.
57. Secondly, the Members of this Organization in all their international dealings must accept one standard of morality for all peoples, and one policy should be adopted by us in meeting similar situations. Our judgement of situations and our actions to deal with them should emanate from scruples and principles, and should not depend on self-interest or expediency. If a certain situation is deplored in Europe or America and action is taken to cope with it, the same attitude should be taken for a similar situation arising in Asia or Africa.
58. The Iraqi delegation wishes to address an appeal to our Western European colleagues to forget their old attitude of supremacy to Asia and Africa and to enter a new era of brotherhood and co-operation. When we find African and Asian nations united against a certain European domination in Asia or Africa, it is depressing to see European nations sometimes united to preserve that domination. If freedom and self-determination are good for Europe and America, they should be valued for Africans and Asians as well. If the application of democracy is good for Western Europe, it must be promoted for the peoples of Asia and Africa. One set of standards must be developed for all humanity, irrespective of race, colour, creed, or geographical position. One of the tragedies of our time is that we apply different standards to analogous situations, as it suits our interests.
59. Thirdly, we believe that the United Nations must set up an advisory board, a sort of “brain trust”, to supervise the conditions of world peace and prescribe measures to promote it. This board could consist of some ten to fifteen members, of the best-qualified men in the whole world — qualified for their high-mindedness, erudition, integrity and international spirit. International problems are usually dealt with by each of us from his own national angle. Such a board, under the chairmanship of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, could make impartial objective reports about world situations and about human progress on the path of freedom, prosperity and social justice as they affect world peace, and at the same time, warn against sources of danger that threaten world peace. It should be a sort of radar for the United Nations.
60. Fourthly, we believe, as events have proved, that a strong police force from nations other than the big Powers should be available to enforce or supervise the enforcement of United Nations decisions. We believe that the main cause of the death of the League of Nations and the weakening of the prestige of this Organization is that they adopted resolutions which were left unimplemented.
61. Fifthly, all subjugated peoples of the world, whether they are ruled by old-style colonialism or are under the domination of Communist regimes, must obtain their liberation and enjoy the right of self-determination, as well as the right to free political thought, cultural independence and free worship.
62. Sixthly, the United Nations Charter needs to be revised at least on the following points: (a) The rule of unanimity in the Security Council should be abolished. The veto has often been abused, and we believe that it represents a sort of dictatorship, which is not compatible with the sense of equality and democracy which we must promote among nations. (b) The permanency of the membership in the Security Council should be reconsidered, and some standards must be set whereby the qualifications of a permanent member should be prescribed. Some States which are not among the permanent members may deserve to become permanent members if these standards are applied. Serving the cause of peace and freedom must be one of the first criteria which should entitle Member States to permanency in the Security Council. (c) The number of members in the Councils of the United Nations must be increased to keep pace with the increase in the membership of the United Nations. Fairer geographical distribution of these seats should be made. (d) Article 2, paragraph 7, of the Charter should be re-drafted in such a way as clearly to authorize the General Assembly to discuss the conditions of dependent peoples and their readiness for independence and freedom.
63. Seventhly, war should be outlawed completely, and any Power that initiates military action should be branded as an aggressor against which sanctions should be applied. There are no problems, no matter how grave, that could not be settled peacefully by negotiation, mediation or arbitration.
64. Eighthly, disarmament should be effected after complete agreement on the application of the fundamental principles of the Charter is achieved, especially among the great Powers. Any disarmament to be effective must be subject to a full system of inspection, including the freedom of the skies which the President of the United States proposed.
65. Ninthly, money saved from disarmament could be dedicated to raising the cultural and living standards of the under-developed peoples. The United Nations specialized agencies must be well financed to further extend their services to needy countries.
66. We attach great importance to a proposal we made at the tenth session [522nd meeting, para. 126] for the establishment of a United Nations university which will prepare for political leadership, drawing from all nations. Such a university would provide the world with like-minded political leaders who might contribute much to the cause of world peace.
67. These points, in our view, may contribute much to world peace and to the efficiency and effectiveness of this Organization. Before doing that, however, we need to purify our hearts and minds. We need self-examination. We need absolute honesty, unselfishness and brotherly love; we should do unto others as we would have them do unto us. We need to change from within. We need to achieve a peace based upon truth, brotherly love and justice, and not the peace of death that will result from the application of the hydrogen bomb.