1. The important events which have occurred this year, some of them gravely threatening the peace of the world, give a special significance to this thirteenth session of the General Assembly. Increasingly heavy responsibilities face the United Nations. The exchange of views which traditionally takes place in this Assembly on the various problems of the day is proving to be more than ever necessary.
2. His Majesty's Government, which I have the honour to represent, attaches particular importance to this coming together of nations, large and small, for the purpose of finding solutions conducive to peace and understanding among peoples. True to the principles of the Charter, the Moroccan Government fully supports each and every effort to reduce international tension and to promote a policy of sincere co-operation among the nations. It is in this spirit that Morocco has tried, since its accession to independence, to solve the difficulties of all kinds which it has had to face.
3. Notwithstanding the serious dispute still going on with France and Spain, the Moroccan Government has enthusiastically embarked on a task of reconstruction and renewal. In regard to domestic organization, the basic institutions have been established. The first step towards the country's democratization has already been taken. A policy of mass schooling has been set afoot. The new social legislation ensures the advancement of the working class. Still, the task that remains to be done is immense, our purpose being to make Morocco a politically free, socially just and economically strong democracy.
4. My Government is fully alive to the importance of the economic problems confronting the country and it intends to pursue a bold policy of planned economic and social development with a view to bringing about the conditions necessary for raising the standard of living and providing full employment in town and country.
5. Our first objective is by mechanizing agricultural production to raise it to a level commensurate with the nation's consumer and foreign exchange requirements. The Government also intends to ensure the establishment of industries based on our national resources by helping to create large industrial units and encouraging the investment of private capital in the priority sectors of the economy with the offer of long-term guarantees and substantial inducements. In order to achieve these objectives, the Moroccan Government looks first of all to national savings. However, in view of the inadequacy of domestic capital, it also intends to seek outside assistance, financial, economic and technical alike.
6. While assistance rendered by the great Powers to the new countries could be a factor making for peace and stability in the world, it would be acceptable only if it were furnished without strings and without the ulterior motive of establishing some new brand of colonialism. In such conditions the assistance of the United Nations becomes increasingly necessary. Morocco places great hopes in the work this Organization can do to sustain the under-developed countries, to help them face and solve their problems and embark upon their struggle for a better way of life with a real chance of success.
7. That is why we have eagerly welcomed the idea of the creation of a special fund to finance economic development. Unfortunately, the establishment of this fund has not made much headway. After hesitations and delays, it is now to be supplanted by the Special Fund, which will extend the programme of technical assistance. We hope, however, that this new body will serve as the embryo of a future Special United Nations Fund for Economic Development (SUNFED), which in our view is the only type of institution that can effectively help to speed up the economic development of new countries.
8. At this point, I must emphasize that my country will be unable to complete this task of renewal so long as its national sovereignty and freedom of action are heavily mortgaged by the presence of foreign troops on its soil. The withdrawal of French and Spanish troops was to be the necessary corollary of our independence. Unfortunately, France and Spain, which have solemnly recognized that independence, still refuse to accept all its consequences. Morocco is entitled to be concerned about, and to question, their intentions and their motives.
9. In maintaining their troops on bur territory, France and Spain allege that they are acting out of an overriding concern for the safety of their nationals. We wonder what international rules entitle a State to station its army on foreign soil in order to protect its nationals, however numerous they may be. This is a curious conception of good relations between sovereign States. Moreover, French and Spanish nationals liying in Morocco enjoy ample protection. They have nothing to complain of, and they certainly do not require the elaborate protection of an army with its arsenals and its general staff.
10. Far from making for stability, as the Governments of France and Spain allege, the presence of foreign soldiers on our soil Is a source of trouble. Their movements about the country create insoluble problems and give rise to awkward situations and unfortunate Incidents; they constitute an intolerable provocation to public opinion, which is very sensitive and simply cannot agree to our territory being used as a base of operations against embattled Algeria.
11. The Moroccan Government cannot compromise on the principle of total and unconditional evacuation. However, in its concern for maintaining good-neighbourly relations with France and Spain, it has always endeavoured to find a solution to this problem by way of peaceful negotiation and conciliation, without recourse to other means. But time and time again it has come up against obstinacy and lack of understanding from the other side. We cherish the hope that France and Spain will sooner or later show wisdom and a sense of reality, and so put an end to a dispute that is a great obstacle to our relations with these two Powers.
12. The internal problems confronting our country do not prevent it from taking a keen Interest in the development of the international situation. Here, the vital necessity of our policy is to stand alone from quarrels between blocs. This attitude is dictated, in the first place, by our history and cur geographical position as a country situated at the crossroads between two worlds and two civilizations. Secondly, wo feel that the formation of opposing military alliances must inevitably endanger world peace and security. It raises barriers between nations, which must learn co-existence and co-operation, and it speeds up the headlong armaments race we are witnessing today.
13. Since we cherish peace and are anxious to protect our liberty and preserve our independence, we are quite naturally opposed to the installation on our soil of foreign strategic bases which might make our country the centre of the cold war.
14. At the same time, we have no intention of crawling into our shell and living in splendid isolation. Only free co-operation among nations on the basils of mutual respect will safeguard peace and consolidate friends ship among peoples. Morocco fully subscribes to this policy and has lived up to it on numerous occasions.
15. Thus our country became one of the adherents to the principles proclaimed in 1955 at the Bandung Conference, and then at the Conference of Independent African States, held at Accra in April 1958, we joined in the efforts to promote fruitful co-operation among the African nations. This important Conference, at which an. African personality clearly emerged, has had a profound effect. Today community of interests in Africa is a living reality; it will not remain limited to independent countries but will have deep Repercussions on the. development of other African territories.
16. The African continent, long regarded as a province of colonial exploitation, is more and more feeling its own strength and realizing the contribution it can make to the strengthening of stability and equilibrium in the world.
17. This same concern of ours to contribute to the development of international co-operation is responsible for our constant efforts to strengthen the natural bonds which link us to the rest of the Arab world. The {close community of interests in the Arab countries obeys the laws of history; it derives from the common heritage of culture and civilization bequeathed to them by the past; it is also a result of their struggle and their efforts to achieve emancipation and rebirth.
18. In spite of the ordeal to which it has often been subjected, the community of Arab States is steadily becoming stronger. This has just been demonstrated in the crisis which once again gripped the Middle East. The resolution presented by the Arab States and adopted unanimously [resolution 1237 (ES-III) points the way towards a solution which would stabilize the situation in that key region.
19. While the Assembly's efforts are thus opening the door to a satisfactory settlement of the Middle East crisis, other dangers continue to threaten the peace of the world.
20. We view with concern the development of a tense situation, this time in the Far East, which seriously affects international security. Although the problem of the Taiwan Strait is not new and this is not the first time that the sound of guns has been heard in that region, we are aware that the present crisis is more acute than past crises.
21. The possibilities of a peaceful settlement are of course by no means exhausted; negotiations are under way at Warsaw, and we are still hopeful that they will be crowned with success. Actually, the problem would be less difficult if one of the parties chiefly concerned in the dispute were present among us. How is it possible to solve so grave a dispute or even tackle the other problems confronted by the United Nations with a country as Important as China absent? In our view, the Peking Government should occupy its proper place in this Organization and we regret that the General Assembly has not seen fit to examine the question of the representation of China at the present session.
22. There is another dispute which causes us particular concern and alarm. Our Assembly will once again have to deal with the distressing problem of Algeria; it will have to do so in full awareness of its responsibility. The time for procrastination is past. Ruthless war is raging in Algeria, with its train of misery and ruin. The flames are spreading beyond the territory of Algeria; they gravely endanger the security and stability of all North Africa and seriously jeopardize the peace of the world. The problem is becoming more serious every day and urgently calls for a solution.
23. Once again the recommendations of the General Assembly have remained a dead letter. France has in no way justified the faith placed in it nor has it acted to meet the renewed time limit allowed by the United Nations for finding an equitable solution in conformity With the Charter. Well known is the dramatic course of events since the General Assembly, at its twelfth session — taking note of the offer of good offices made by Tunisia and Morocco — called for pourparlers with a view to a peaceful solution of the problem [resolution 1184 (XII)]. The French Government has continued to intensify its military effort, and the operations to repress the rebellion are becoming more and more savage. They are going beyond the Algerian frontiers, and this is giving rise to serious tension between France and the countries of North Africa — witness the grave incidents of Sakiet-sidi-Youssef and Remada.
24. However, notwithstanding the deterioration of the situation, the countries of the Maghreb have not entirely abandoned hope of finding a solution to the France- Algeria dispute. To this end they have spared no effort. Unfortunately, France has not responded to the appeal they made at the Tangiers Conference in May 1958 for negotiations on the basis of the recognition of the right of the Algerian people to Independence. Contrary to what might have been hoped, the new French Government rejects any idea of talks or negotiations and continues to think in terms of unilateral solutions Imposed by force,
25. Having had the famous loi-cadre of 1956 — whose chequered history is well known and which has never been applied (although the French Government presented it to us last year as the key to the problem) — we are witnessing today a last and vain attempt at integration.
26. In utter defiance of the firm will of the Algerian people to recover Its independence, the French Government decided to apply the referendum to Algerian territory. More than 95 per cent of the voters, it seems, voted in favour of the new constitution. This result, which exceeded the forecasts of the most optimistic French quarters and even seems to have caused them some embarrassment, requires no comment, it is difficult to take seriously a referendum held under such odd conditions, in a country, at war, under the control and with the active assistance of 800,000 soldiers. The referendum cannot, any more than the loi-cadre. constitute a valid settlement of the problem, because it too is based on the fiction of Algeria's being an Integral part of France. We believe that any solution which does not obtain the consent of the Algerian nation is doomed to failure.
27. The French Government will have to give up its shamming and negotiate with the representatives of the Algerian people. The Provisional Government of the Algerian Republic is their spokesman and is fully qualified to play a part in working out a just and peaceful solution. Morocco has recognized the Provisional Government of the Algerian Republic and considers its establishment to be an important step towards a final settlement of the conflict. As emphasized by Mr. Balafrej, President of the Council of Ministers and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Morocco, this recognition "must not be construed in any way as an act of hostility against France; we are resolved, more than ever before, to work for a negotiated solution in keeping with the wishes of the Algerian people, and for the restoration of peace and stability in North Africa".
28. My country is closely linked with both sides, and is as ever motivated by the deep desire to assist in finding a satisfactory solution to the problem. That is why, in agreement with Tunisia, it is renewing its offer of good offices and holding itself at the disposal of the French and Algerian Governments. Our most ardent wish is to see the French Government respond to this appeal and put an end to this ruinous and unjust war. Only thus will free and fruitful co-operation between France and the countries of the Maghreb become possible.
29. So many clouds darken the horizon of our planet at the very time when humanity Is scaling the peaks of progress and science. The world is worried and fearful about what the future holds in store. Will we find here, in this Assembly, the solutions that will dispel Our worries and our fears? It Is our fondest hope. The United Nations must not disappoint those who have placed their faith in it.