I should like to take this opportunity of congratulating Prince Wan Waithayakon on the unanimity with which he was elected to preside over this eleventh session of the United Nations General Assembly. I am convinced that his extensive experience of the work of the Organization and his acknowledged ability will enable him to carry out successfully the arduous and difficult task of directing the work of the General Assembly, now meeting in circumstances which constitute a specific trial of its effectiveness, before the expectant gaze of a convulsed world which anxiously awaits solutions to its problems from the decisions of this great body over which he now presides.
145. Two grave situations threaten to disturb the balance of international relations, achieved at the cost of so much effort during the post-war period; a balance which, in spite of its instability, serves to keep antagonistic forces in check in deference to the supreme requirement to maintain peace.
146. The conflict in the Middle Eastland the situation in Hungary both threaten this equilibrium, the destruction of which would precipitate our world into chaos. Faced with this gloomy prospect the Government of Argentina wishes to reiterate its position before this Assembly and would once again appeal that the rule of law, the only force which can be imposed without causing injury, be heeded and applied.
147. As regards the Hungarian situation, it is Argentina’s hope that, in accordance with the fundamental principles which govern its own destiny, the Hungarian people may be allowed to determine theirs without outside interference. This was stated by my Government in a note [S/3693] which it sent to the Secretary-General of the United Nations on 28 October 1956 and in which it pledged its full support to any effort which might be made to secure a speedy termination of hostilities in Hungary and the withdrawal of Soviet troops. This statement has been reaffirmed by my delegation in the course of the discussions on this question.
148. In the opinion of the Argentine Government, this Assembly has the inescapable responsibility — in the event that the Hungarian people are not allowed the full enjoyment of their rights and civic liberties — to adopt, in due course, appropriate measures to achieve that end.
149. The Argentine Government and people also hope that a definitive solution may be found for the conflict in the Near East. My Government was one of the first to support the action taken by the United Nations in this conflict for the purpose of restoring the shattered peace, securing the withdrawal of foreign troops from Egyptian territory and ensuring that the rule of justice and the principles of the Charter might prevail.
150. Despite the resolutions which have been adopted, however, the hoped-for results have not yet been achieved, and we are therefore appealing once again to the States concerned to pay heed to the recommendations of these resolutions, for they represent the voice of the free and law-abiding world.
151. In stating its position thus, my Government is expressing, on the international level, the basic principles of the moral and spiritual policy of our own people which summarize the philosophy and doctrine of our way of life. These represent, in other words, our desire that all men and all peoples may, as a human right, determine their own destiny without unjust interference.
152. The dramatic shadow which these conflicts and their repercussions are casting over the international scene render it difficult for us to pursue our usual tasks. It is our duty, however, to overcome any pessimism and, while keeping these conflicts constantly in view, to concern ourselves during this session of the Assembly with the continuing problems of our Organization, upon which we have been working unceasingly for a decade, striving steadily to render our work for peace more effective and to bring to reality the ideal of living together in peace with one another as good neighbours, in the spirit of the Charter.
153. In this connexion I should like to quote from a statement made by the President of the Republic of Argentina on 24 October 1956, when he received the representatives of international organizations on United Nations Day: “The United Nations” — he said — “is the expression of an indomitable faith in the ability of men to live together on a basis of liberty and justice and the supremacy of the spiritual values of civilization.” I do not think that a more just, more sober or more fitting definition could be found. “The expression of an indomitable faith in the ability of men to live together.” Let us pause for a moment and consider the import of these words.
154. If the ability of men to live together on a basis of liberty, justice and cultural progress is to develop in harmony and attain its full objective, then human rights must be strengthened and supported until they become indestructible. It is useless for men to seek the benefits of living together, without previously having guaranteed those privileges which are the intrinsic right of every human being. To live together it is necessary to live, and life is impossible without the minimum guarantees, essential to the human personality for its survival, which are as deeply rooted in mankind as the sense of the Deity.
155. One writer has called these “the essential rights”, and another has called them “the international rights of man”. The name is not important. What matters is that the basic faculties which man has been developing, painfully, at the cost of a thousand struggles, since the dawn of the centuries, should not fade and wither away but should grow with time. Those rights, which are man’s principle treasure, are in his hands an inextinguishable torch, to light the darkness of his dangerous path and guide him as he travels towards the achievement of his ideals, improving himself at every step.
156. The responsibility of the international community with regard to this problem is a grave one. If that community wishes to justify its existence, it must spare no effort to strengthen human rights.
157. We have come a long way since the International Declaration of Human Rights was proclaimed in this city in 1929, by the American Institute of International Law. The Fundamental Declaration of Human Rights, drawn up at Lausanne, in 1947, by the Institute of International Law; the American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man, drawn up at Bogota in the following year by the Ninth International Conference of American States; and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which the General Assembly of the United Nations proclaimed in Paris in December 1948 represent the principal milestones along a road of progress having undeniably vital interests as its ultimate goal.
158. These various declarations, which have, as it were, risen up as a reaction to the almost inhuman persecutions in Eastern and Central Europe following the First World War and have been stimulated by the recurrence of those atrocities during the terrible period between 1933 and 1945, represent a series of concentric bulwarks, growing ever tighter and stronger, erected by the guarantees of civilization around man, fragile and eternal, who must be defended, and who turns his gaze outwards, north, south, east and west, from the heart of this imaginary structure, holding high his burning torch.
159. The Universal Declaration of 1948 has the value of a fundamental charter for all States. It proclaims a long series of personal, social, economic and political rights for the individual. In 1950, the Council of Europe adopted in Rome an even more complete declaration, which, however, has been signed by only twelve States,
160. There must, however, be no document, no resolution, no agreement which goes further than the efforts of the United Nations in this regard. In other words, the United Nations must adopt as its own the successive advantages that are embodied in other instruments as the result of regional agreements guaranteeing human rights and individual liberties, for the United Nations must not forget that it is, first and foremost, the expression of an indomitable faith in the ability of men to live together.
161. In addition to the grave responsibility of creating, strengthening and diffusing an appreciation of the sacred and inviolable nature of human rights, the United Nations also has the task of ensuring that these rights can be exercised peacefully and of preventing any arbitrary and violent impulse from attacking this balanced and noble edifice.
162. Human rights are the very basis of individual, national and international life, and their universal application will provide the world with a practical formula for a stable peace, for freedom and for law. Such an application will ensure the victory of light over darkness and will break the bonds of millions of souls who, far from enjoying these benefits, are now tasting the bitterness of oppression.
163. The Assembly’s agenda contains many items dealing with political, economic and social questions. The scope of this general debate does not permit me to deal at length with the Argentine Government’s position on each item. I shall only single out a few fundamental points. In the first place, there are the Iso-called colonial questions. Argentina is proud of its anti-colonial traditions, which are deeply rooted in the very origins of its independence. It is firmly opposed to any form of subjugation of one people by another and shall therefore continue to support this Assembly as it seeks, in a spirit of moderation, calm and goodwill, for the best solutions to the problems which in this regard are troubling the world.
164. In the Argentine Government’s view, the United Nations must continue to support and guide the irrepressible force that is generated by the political, economic and social evolution of peoples who were formerly under the dominion of vast colonial empires but are now achieving full liberty and have the right to assert their personality in international political affairs.
165. I must add, however, that the United Nations is also in duty bound to oppose that other form of “colonialization”, sinister and deplorable, which has already enslaved many peoples, including some with an ancient and advanced civilization. This must be a matter of concern to the United Nations and to the peoples and Governments which have always opposed every form of colonialism and have struggled to uphold the principle of self-determination; because this new form of colonialism is a reversal of progress and destroys the very basis of liberty, the supreme goal of individuals and peoples.
166. The Argentine Government has requested the inclusion in the General Assembly’s agenda, of an item entitled “Draft Convention concerning a System of Consultation.” Such a system would function within the United Nations machinery. Situations sometimes arise which, although capable of endangering international peace and security, are not discussed in the United Nations, either because their possible importance and repercussions are not readily apparent, or because it is feared that the Security Council may be hampered by a veto, or because the General Assembly is not in session and there does not seem to be any need to call an emergency special session. This state of affairs, as the Secretary-General has on several occasions pointed out, tends to weaken the United Nations.
167. The Argentine Government believes that analysis and appraisal of any problem which may arise should be carried out within the United Nations. The present machinery offers no possibility for such action. Argentina has accordingly suggested a procedure which would enable States to exchange views around a conference table on any given international situation.
168. The problem would be submitted to the Security Council or the Assembly if that were considered necessary, but the consultative meeting might itself be able to arrive at a satisfactory solution. The fact that the problem was being considered within the United Nations might tend to calm spirits, prevent impulsive actions and even, with the passage of time, allow the conflict to subside.
169. Although in the present circumstances it may seem inopportune to consider the question of disarmament, we feel that precisely because of those circumstances the problem is vital and urgent. Although the wounds of the Second World War have not yet completely healed, we can again discern in the distance the rumblings of warlike preparations.
170. Suffering humanity is looking anxiously to this Assembly, where virtually all the peoples of the world speak and vote, and expects not only words of reassurance but also calm and resolute action in the immediate future. We must not disappoint that hope. As it has fallen to us to meet at a crucial time for the peace of the world, our duties and responsibilities are that much greater. This Assembly cannot close its session nor the statesmen here assembled return home until our mission is accomplished.
171. The Argentine Government believes that nothing could restore the world’s lost tranquillity better than an agreement on disarmament. This is the responsibility of all countries, but particularly of the great Powers. I therefore appeal especially to them to strive for such an agreement and thus give tangible proof of their declared intentions to live together in peace.
172. Argentina, together with other countries, has proposed an increase in the membership of the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council and the International Law Commission. The admission of nineteen new Members calls for an increase on a moderate scale in the number of seats in these and other important organs of the United Nations. This would make room for some of the new Members and ensure an equitable distribution on a geographical basis so that nobody would feel left out or deprived of adequate representation.
173. In the economic field, international co-operation has continued to grow, and great efforts are being made through many different institutions and programmes, some within the framework of the United Nations and others set up by regional bodies or under bilateral agreements. The Argentine Government has given concrete evidence of its interest in problems of economic development and its spirit of international co-operation in that field.
174. All this, as well as much else that would be taken up in a detailed examination of international economic and social problems, must now be viewed in a different perspective as a result of the critical situation which confronts the world.
175. In other circumstances, stress was laid on the need for accelerating economic development in order to strengthen peace. At the present time, when there are grave questions which require rapid solution, it is clear that only if a sense of international responsibility on the part of all Governments helps to solve the present crisis, can the road to economic development through international co-operation be re-opened. Harsh reality has strikingly shown what economic and social advancement means in terms of human values.
176. Argentina wishes to reaffirm today, in this supreme forum, its conviction that the rights inherent in the spiritual dignity and liberty of man are as valuable as life itself and that, without them, all theories and promises of economic and social progress are only an illusion. Governments and peoples which in furtherance of their own policy or as members of an international group, agree to forego the application of these essential rights in order supposedly to obtain some immediate material advantage will learn from bitter experience that they have irremediably sacrificed everything.
177. In conclusion, we wish to stress with the deepest conviction that the international community must make every effort to strengthen human rights. As the years pass, the United Nations Charter will have to be amended and improved in the light of experience, but the recognition of human rights and their extension to the entire international community will always be the mainspring of the United Nations. In the light of this glorious torch, which man paid so dearly to kindle and which prevails over all the evil lurking in the shadows, we intend to cooperate loyally and resolutely in the meetings of this eleventh session of the General Assembly in order thereby to hasten the triumphant reign of peace, justice and work — the triumph of the brotherhood of man.
178. As we still believe in spiritual values, may I be allowed to appeal to the heart and conscience of this Assembly which represents the heart and conscience of the world. Every passing day, each man reiterates his faith and his hope and prays to his God in prayers that never lose their significance or freshness because they are the essence of eternity. Let us, the peoples of the United Nations, revive our faith and our hope by repeating to ourselves each day and vowing to observe the Preamble of the United Nations Charter, which is also a prayer of love to our God and to your God, for mothers and children everywhere, on either side of any frontier created by man, are, after all, mothers and children created by our God and by your God. t Only the spirit can redeem us from the sin of violence. The hour is grave and solemn. Let us join in the prayer which is common to all of us and of which we shall never grow weary since it is eternal: “We the peoples of the United Nations “Determined “to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind, and “to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small, and “to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained, and “to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom, “and for these ends “to practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbours, and “to unite our strength to maintain international peace and security, and “to ensure, by the acceptance of principles and the institution of methods, that armed force shall not be used, save in the common interest, and “to employ international machinery for the promotion of the economic and social advancement of all peoples, “Have resolved to combine our efforts to accomplish these aims.” So be it.