1. Mr. President, the delegation of Cuba, in the name of the Cuban people and Government, offers its hearty congratulations on your well-deserved election as President and wishes you every success in the performance of your duties. Cuba is bound to Lebanon by close ties of friendship — we are privileged to have a Lebanese colony living amongst us in our country — and we regard this election as being not merely a testimonial to your personal qualities but also a fitting tribute to the Lebanese people, which has always distinguished itself by its love of democracy, freedom and justice.
2. Never in the brief history of the United Nations has a General Assembly been faced with a longer list of serious and weighty problems than the session now under way. The Cuban delegation feels that to turn a blind eye to the situation would be both foolhardy and reckless.
3. In the third emergency special session of the Assembly in August of this year we tried to settle the problems which were and are still affecting the Middle East. We thought that the agreements we reached on that occasion would lead to conditions of relative peace In the world over an appreciable period of time. But what actually happened was that the meeting was no sooner over than, as if by the sinister design of minds cynical of the rules of international law and of the human race itself, there were outbreaks of aggression in other parts of the globe, especially in the Far East, which brought this dangerous situation forcibly to our attention. For public opinion is puzzled as to whether the rulers of the aggressor Powers, heedless of what their own people may think, have decided to embark on the conquest of the free world, on the mistaken assumption that this is the most favourable time for the attempt. We must face this threat with a calm but unswerving determination to resist all acts of aggression by every means at our disposal and with the firm resolve to maintain at all costs our territorial, integrity and political independence. The Cuban delegation feels that this is the only way to make aggressors realize that they are not dealing with nations unable to defend themselves or governments ready to surrender in the face of threats.
4. The delegation of Cuba wishes to state also that it has been disturbed to see that while words like peace and coexistence are being bandied about in this General Assembly, the actions of those who use them are in evident contradiction to what they have to propose. Representatives may be interested to note that the worst threats, ranging from destruction by atom and hydrogen bombs to mass invasion, are being uttered daily by the rulers of the aggressor Powers.
5. As the logical sequel to this situation, the United Nations has now no choice but to take action. We have said here on a number of occasions, and we reiterate today, that it is essential for the United Nations to make it absolutely clear that the present system cannot go on — with the great majority of the Member States honouring the resolutions of the General Assembly and the Security Council while a few States treat with utter contempt any resolutions which thwart their plans in any way. So long as this Assembly continues to be used merely to assert rights without thought of obligations, and so long as the demand continues to be made, invariably in vehement language, that the genuinely peace-loving Powers should respect the General. Assembly's decisions while the champions of war and aggression go scot free, the United Nations will remain an ineffectual body and our peoples will be disillusioned.
6. There are, of course, rules of international law that in the course of time have won the respect of States and have made it possible for nations and people to live together in peace. Attempts are now being made to change those rules by unilateral action. Every day we hear of the rules being altered to suit the national purposes of this or that State, the result being legal chaos and ultimately the destruction of international law. Until we face up to these vital problems we shall achieve nothing of value. What is the use of adopting resolutions if we know beforehand that they are not going to be implemented? Recently, to the utter amazement of people everywhere, the height of absurdity was reached when it was actually argued that if a State affected by a resolution, however just this might be, refused to carry out its terms, the issue that prompted the resolution should not again be put on the agenda. To countenance this would be to give the systematic violator of United Nations decisions a free hand — which would hardly be compatible with either the spirit or the letter of the Charter.
7. As I say, proposal after proposal has been put forward on the subject of disarmament, peaceful co-existence, the prohibition of nuclear tests and so forth. These proposals look excellent on paper and are bound to Impress gullible people. But how can we talk about disarmament when we all know perfectly well that the aggressor Powers will not pay the slightest attention to any of the agreements they are proposing, any more than they have paid attention to any of our resolutions?
8. It is no secret that the free world has been able to remain free only because It has managed to build up sufficient strength to make the aggressor Powers think twice. Without this strength, aggression would already have been committed with impunity, as happened where the peoples and nations concerned were unable to defend themselves, and so were reduced to the state of total enslavement they are in today.
9. The Cuban delegation believes and solemnly warns the Western Powers, whose main concern It Is, that unilateral disarmament or a ban on nuclear weapons which does not Include a general inspection plan with complete and watertight safeguards would be a grave mistake which would sooner or later spell the end of the free world. To think otherwise Is to Ignore the lessons of recent history at our peril — of that there can be no doubt.
10. Let me say once again — the only answer to the all-out propaganda poured out by the aggressor Powers through every possible medium, is an equally vigorous propaganda campaign to show people everywhere what the situation confronting the free world really is to lay bare the imperialist intentions of the aggressors. The Governments of the Western Powers will be making a mistake — a mistake of the utmost gravity — if they fall to do what for economic reasons they alone can do, namely launch their own all-out propaganda campaign of truth to combat the campaign of lies. There are many nations ignorant of the facts; there are millions of guileless persons who, once the truth has been put before them, backed up with indisputable facts, will see the light and come to realize the grave danger threatening their freedom and the Independence of their homelands. This is a task which has been neglected, and there is not a moment to lose; if Governments are unable to tackle it they must leave it to private Initiative to find ways and means.
11. As Is generally known, on 3 November of this year — in little more than a month, that is — general elections will be held in Cuba to fill the offices of President and Vice-President of the Republic, senators, representatives In the lower house, governors of the Six provinces, and mayors and municipal councillors throughout the country. On 24 February 1950 the President of the Republic now in office, Major-General Fulgencio Batista y Zaldívar, will hand over his office to the President who is elected by the people, whether he is a candidate put forward by the Opposition or one who has the support of the present government political groups.
12. As has been Its habit at past Assemblies, my delegation would like to describe briefly the achievements of the Cuban Government during the past year.
13. During 1957 Cuba attained the highest peak of economic expansion in its whole history. The national Income rose to $2,311 million with a further $358 million in net fixed capital formation; foreign trade amounted to $1,576 million; domestic sales turnover exceeded $2,778 million and the total value of cheques cashed by the banks amounted to $12,500 million. This great volume of economic activity meant full employment for more than 2 million workers, and unemployment dropped to levels lower In proportion to the population than at any time In the country's history, In 1957 bank transfers amounted to $6,745 million, an Increase of $2,045 million over 1952. Bank deposits amounted to $12,486 million and wages paid to workers and employees rose from $5,924 million for the period 1945-1951 to $7,792 million between 1952 and 1957, an increase of nearly $2 million.
14. As those who study such matters will well remember from the reference made by my delegation in a statement to the General Assembly some years ago, there was an incipient economic crises in Cuba between 1952 and 1953 as a result of over-production of sugar. More than 7 million tons of sugar were produced in a single year, and there were not sufficient market outlets. The President of the Cuban National Bank, Mr. Joaquíh Martínez Sáenz, with the help of his expert advisers and the country's other banks, worked out a financing scheme in conjunction with a government plan under which 1,750,000 tons of sugar was to be withdrawn from the market and distributed over five years, the cost of financing the operation — $120 million — being paid off over the same period. This brilliant scheme, put into effect in a democratic manner in consultation with the parties concerned and with the co-operation of owner-farmers, tenant farmers and workers, saved the situation.
15. Our key industry is today more vigorous and prosperous than ever before and the next Government will take over an Industry more stable and more powerful than it has ever been, without either debts of any kind or sugar surpluses likely to have repercussions on the world market.
16. It has always been the ambition of the Cuban people to free themselves from dependence on a single product for their economic development. Like all under-developed countries we are confronted by difficulties mainly because we have a population of only 6 million, and because of tariff barriers set up against many of our exports. Despite tills, thanks to the Government's policy and to the decisive action of the Cuban National Bank, it subordinate organs and the commercial banks, we have in a single year gone far towards the development of our industries and our public works generally. In addition, a large number of hotels and motels, with a total of 2,500 double rooms, have been built and put into use for the tourist industry.
17. I might add that the Cuban merchant marine is no longer a matter of mere theory; Cuba already has ships under its own flag, and more are being brought under its flag. The dry dock In the Bay of Havana, the National Fisheries Institute, the fishery station, the docks to be Installed at Mariel, Province of Pinar del Río, the industrial towns that are being built, the project for the use of atomic energy for peaceful economic purposes which does not mean however that we are dropping our efforts to develop our water resources for the supply of towns and Irrigated areas, the use of sugar-cane pulp, formerly used only as a fuel, as the basis for large industries producing newsprint and other commercial grades of paper at factories set up in various parts of the island, the establishment of a national basic metallurgy Industry, the West Indies Steel Works, and other plants for the processing of copper, manganese and gold — all these undertakings, together with others in the fields of agriculture, animal husbandry, manufacturing, social services and so forth, show clearly that, thanks to the intellectual and physical efforts of its estimable people and their Government, Cuba's development Is progressing by leaps and bounds.
18. Our agenda includes an item proposed by the Secretory-General, in accordance with the agreement reached at the United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea held at Geneva earlier this year, namely, the question of convening a second conference to solve those problems which still persist because no effective agreement was reached at the first Conference. This Is a most important subject, and one on which we feel Impelled to set forth our views so that they may be examined and studied by other delegations to this General Assembly.
19. First, we must point out that it was the Cuban delegation which proposed at Geneva that a second conference should be convened. The original Cuban proposal was that the desirability of calling a second conference should be considered and decided at the fourteenth session of the United Nations General Assembly. As the result of an amendment it was agreed that the problem should be taken up at the thirteenth session of the General Assembly.
20. We are not categorically opposed to a further conference on the law of the sea; on the contrary, we believe that It would be very useful — indeed, that it is essential. However, it seems to us that there might be disadvantages in holding a second conference only a few months after the failure of the first conference without any guarantee that this time the desired success will be obtained. It might be more prudent to wait long enough to allow the Governments concerned to make a careful study of present problems and to achieve a spirit of mutual understanding such as to offer some possibility that the second conference will not end as the first did, namely, without achieving any satisfactory agreement backed by the majority prescribed under our rules of procedure. We shall not, I repeat, oppose whatever decision this Assembly may come to; but we offer this warning because we feel It our duty to do so. International conferences which end in failure make a painful impression on public opinion.
21. The Cuban delegation has noted that the tendency for International expenditure to increase continues. The initial United Nations budget estimates for 1959 amount to $59,006,170; I call them the initial estimates because during the present session the Assembly will be asked to approve supplementary appropriations of more than $1 million, which will undoubtedly increase the total budget to more than $60 million. A general comparison with the budget approved for 1958 shows that for 1959 there will be an increase of approximately $3 million.
22. In addition to the regular budget estimates, Member States will have to meet the costs of the United Nations Emergency Force and the costs for the United Nations Observation Group in Lebanon, amounting together to not less than $25 million or $30 million. In addition, it is estimated that expenditure for nine specialized agencies, including the International Atomic Energy Agency, will amount to some $60 million, bringing the Bum total of international expenditure to $150 million.
23. If we add to this the figure for voluntary extra- budgetary contributions (for the Expanded Programme of Technical Assistance, the United Nations Refugee Fund, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East and the United Nations Children's Fund) and the contributions required for the establishment next year of the Special Fund, together with other costs of a regional nature — in the case of the Latin American countries, the costs of operation of the Organization of American States — we must inevitably be forced to the conclusion that international expenditure is becoming too heavy to be borne, especially for small States which because of their unstable and under-developed economies lack any ample source of income. To ask countries in such a situation to make any financial effort additional to that they are already making would be to place them in an extremely difficult position, despite their ardent spirit of international co-operation.
24. We fully understand that the main causes of these increased costs are world inflationary trends and statutory obligations which the Secretary-General is bound to carry out although he is not responsible for them. We also recognize that the financial effort made has not been wholly without effect, since thus far the United Nations has succeeded — although with some difficulty, owing to the group of Member States which refuse to respect the decisions of the majority — in carrying out its fundamental aims of maintaining international peace and advancing the progress and social and economic development of all peoples.
25. Nevertheless, we firmly believe that the time has come to review our activities and programmes with a view to keeping the estimates below a more or less stable maximum figure.
26. The United Nations is doing a great deal in the sphere of economic development. In addition to the appropriations for this purpose under the regular budget, we have the voluntary Special Account of the Expanded Programme of Technical Assistance. If the Special Fund is established next year, increased voluntary contributions will be needed to enable it to start working.
27. In addition to the rise in expenditure on the social and economic development of the under-developed countries, there has also been a rise in recent years in expenditure for the maintenance of international peace, to such an extent that it has proved necessary to raise special funds — in this case not by voluntary contributions. I refer to the United Nations Emergency Force, which has to be maintained by contributions from Member States based on their percentage contributions to the United Nations budget. It is not two years since the Force came into being, and there does not yet appear to be any immediate prospect of dissolving it; on the contrary, there have been discussions of and proposals for establishing it on a permanent basis.
28. If that is to be the case, some thought will have to be given to ways and means of meeting the costs. The Cuban delegation would like to suggest that, just as the Special Account has been established on a voluntary basis (or the Expanded Programme of Technical Assistance, we should also set up an emergency fund for the maintenance of peace, financed by voluntary contributions, so that the Secretary-General can deal with emergency situations when they lead to expenditures exceeding the budget appropriations for such purposes. It seems to us neither fair nor just that all Member States should have to contribute — as in the case of the Emergency Force — according to the percentage they contribute to the regular costs of the Organization. Undoubtedly, the maintenance of peace is of equal concern to all; but it Is no less obvious that there are small traditionally peace-loving States which do not provoke disputes or conflicts and which do not intervene in any way in disputes occurring In other areas of the world. Thus It seems unjust to such States that they should be asked to make contributions as large as If they bore an equal share of responsibility for these problems.
29. In this connexion, we would draw attention to the memorandum presented by the twenty Latin-American delegations when this matter was raised for the first time two years ago. If It is decided to establish a special or emergency fund for the maintenance of International peace, the permanent members of the Security Council should make the largest initial contributions. This might perhaps render unnecessary the sharp Increase from $22 million to $30 million In the United Nations Working Capital Fund. Should such an emergency fund for the maintenance of peace be established, the same procedure could be adopted as Is followed in securing funds for the Expanded Programme of Technical Assistance'.
30. Our agenda contains an item proposed by the Government of Australia [A/3875 and Add.1] and supported by the Government of Uruguay [A/3875/Add.2]. While this item continues to appear on the agenda — and it will do so until the problem is resolved in a final and equitable manner — it will provide ample evidence of the fact that one of the major Powers Ignores all the resolutions of the General Assembly. I refer to the question of Hungary.
31. As you are aware, a number of resolutions concerning the tragic case of Hungary have been adopted by the General Assembly. All of them call for the immediate withdrawal of the armed forces of the Soviet Union from Hungary, in order that the noble people of that country may freely decide their own future. These resolutions are: 1004 (ES-II) of 4 November 1956; 1005 (ES-II), 1006 (ES-II) and 1007 (ES-II), all of 9 November 1956; 1127 (XI) and 1128 (XI) of 21 November 1956; 1130 (XI) of 4 December 1956; 1131 (XI) of 12 December 1956 and 1132 (XI) of 10 January 1957.
32. We now have presented to us for our consideration and study the special report of the Special Committee on the Problem of Hungary [A/3849] which proves once again that the situation in that unfortunate country remains the same as that which gave rise to the earlier resolutions, resolutions which went unheeded. Of particular interest in this connexion, of course, is the attitude taken by some self-styled neutral statesmen who, although they have always insisted very firmly for compliance by the Western Powers with all General Assembly resolutions, have not adopted the same attitude by asking the Soviet Union to comply with the resolutions to which I have referred, which were approved by an overwhelming majority of Member States. They appear to apply the strange philosophy of requiring compliance of those who already know that they must heed the instructions of this Organization, while adopting an excessively indulgent attitude towards those who openly defy and scoff at our decisions. This they do, to the amazement of the world, on the pretext that it will contribute towards international peace and peaceful coexistence.
33. Last Monday, in this general debate, the representative of the Hungarian régime made assertions that would surprise even the primary school students in any country of the Americas. The Kadar representative asked: "What kind of justice was reflected in the Spanish-American War in 1898 when Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippines were turned into United States colonies?" [763rd meeting, para. 86]. I shall take pains to answer that question briefly with some facts.
34. Cuba, the Philippines and Puerto Rico had been Spanish colonies for centuries; after the Spanish- American War Cuba and the Philippines became free, independent and sovereign States and Members of the United Nations, long before Hungary was admitted. Puerto Rico is a freely associated state of the United States by the will of the great majority of its citizens, expressed in a referendum, the legality and honesty of which are above question. This, then, was the action of the State which emerged victorious in the War of 1898.
35. Now in the middle of the twentieth century the Soviet Union, contrary to all principles of law and justice, invades Hungary with its troops and causes the death of thousands of Hungarian men, women and children fighting for their freedom; and the so-called representative of Hungary comes to this Assembly to present the Dantean spectacle of applauding the mass execution of his own countrymen. May world public opinion judge the conduct of each of the two great Powers to which I have referred.
36. We believe it is our duty to state once again the views of the Cuban delegation. So long as no final solution has been found for the problem of the unification of Germany, kept divided by force against all principles of justice; so long as the unification of Korea, called for by many resolutions of the General Assembly which also have gone unheeded, has not been achieved; so long as we do not go thoroughly into the situation in the countries of Eastern Europe, which are suffering occupation contrary to all the rules of international law, the peoples of the world will doubt the effectiveness of the United Nations no matter how eloquently we may speak in this General Assembly. This is a painful truth which we cannot ignore and must not conceal from ourselves; to do so would only greatly discourage the peoples concerned, who would rightly believe that we are abandoning them to their fate.
37. The Cuban delegation hopes, in spite of all I have said, that common sense and justice will prevail in our deliberations. What is essential is that each one of us should do his duty for the United Nations and for mankind, which is watching us.