36. Mr. President, I would like to join the other speakers who have preceded me by extending to you the heartiest congratulations of the Turkish delegation on your election as President of the thirteenth session of the General Assembly. I consider your distinguished career, your experience in the work of the United Nations and your eminent personal qualities of statesmanship, impartiality and moderation as valuable guarantees for the successful conduct and conclusion of our deliberations during this session of the General Assembly.
37. We also see in your election a tribute to your country, Lebanon, which has a brilliant record in its attachment to the Charter of the United Nations and its constructive efforts within our Organization.
38. Another eminent personality to whom the General Assembly showed its confidence and respect at the opening of our session is His Excellency the Foreign Minister of Sudan, Mr. Mahgoub. My delegation wholeheartedly supports the tribute paid to him from this rostrum by other speakers.
39. On this occasion, I also wish to pay tribute to the retiring President, Sir Leslie Munro of New Zealand, who conducted our work, during a particularly important and tense period in the annals of our Organization, with wisdom and distinction and in a manner which has done honour to him and to his country.
40. The General Assembly was confronted by a number of highly important questions during the twelfth session as well as during the special emergency session of this summer. In spite of the complexity of many individual issues and the conflicting views maintained by those whose vital interests were concerned, I believe that we may consider certain results obtained by our common efforts as valuable contributions in the general direction of international conciliation. The guiding principles which have been reaffirmed in some questions by recent resolutions of this Assembly, given adequate and sincere implementation, may come to constitute solid foundations upon which future progress may be based.
41. On the other hand, a number of outstanding problems, some of which have a direct bearing on the destiny of mankind, still face us grimly at the opening of our present session.
42. Today, the direct and positive influence of the United Nations in the present course of many political, economic and social trends is accepted by all as an indisputable fact.
43. It must, however, also be recognized that policies and actions manifesting themselves beyond the present scope and control of our Organization confront us with the realities of a world situation which dominates and overshadows our work in this Assembly.
44. The world today is still plagued with fear, distrust and insecurity. The use or the threat of force, the resort to violence in pursuit of political or ideological ambitions and intervention in the internal affairs of other States or territories have not been eradicated, as it is prescribed by our Charter,
45. This state of affairs in the present-day world situation naturally has a direct bearing on our work in the United Nations. It limits the scope of our activities. It hampers the solution of vital problems like disarmament and the use of nuclear energy for peaceful instead of warlike purposes. It renders many questions of more or less local and particular interest insoluble by injecting partisan propaganda and polemics in their discussion.
46. Thus, the shortcomings of our Organization today spring- mainly from the defects of the world situation in a period in which such a large number of vital Issues demand an early solution.
47. My Government recognizes these short-comings and limitations which are unfortunately reflected in the United Nations at this stage of its development. In spite of this fact, attachment to the United Nations and respect for the Principles and Purposes of the Charter have been and will continue to be the cornerstones of Turkey’s foreign policy, The Turkish people and the Government of Turkey have placed their hopes and their confidence in international co-operation within the United Nations and in regional arrangements as provided for in the Charter of the United Nations for reducing as far as possible the dangers which confront humanity today and for co-ordinating efforts towards their gradual and complete elimination. Therefore, as in the past, my delegation will consider itself happy to participate in the deliberations of this Assembly in a spirit of goodwill and cooperation with the aim of contributing in every possible manner to the cause of international peace and understanding.
48. I now wish to present briefly certain views of my delegation on some problems which are outstanding at the opening of our session.
49. Foremost among our preoccupations in our efforts to reduce international tensions and the danger of war should be to eliminate the use of force as a method of settlement of international disputes. The resort to force, except in legitimate individual or collective self-defence, is outlawed by the Charter. Violence, as a technique of national or ideological policy, has constantly defeated its own purpose as it carries in it the germs of counter-violence. In the present tense situation in the world and in view of the existing destructive capacity of modern armaments, the resort to force as a method for the unilateral solution of international disputes brings forth a potential of danger for all mankind which has never been paralleled before. For these reasons, whenever an element of force is injected into a conflict in any corner of the world, the Members of the United Nations must feel duty bound to counsel the party which has taken an initiative in this direction to follow the path indicated by the Charter.
50. At present the situation in the Taiwan Strait is causing concern and apprehension all over the world. In that area one of the parties has resorted to a flagrant use of force in trying to impose its solution to a problem by aggressive methods in violation of the Principles of the Charter to which I have referred.
51. An aggression committed upon the territory of a Member of the United Nations must be considered a matter of concern to all other Members, no matter what reason may be advanced for such an action. Under such circumstances the efforts made by one of the Members to render assistance to the country confronted with aggression must be considered as praiseworthy,
52. For our part, we hope that the use of force will be eliminated in the solution of this question as it should in all international disputes. For this reason, my delegation welcomes the efforts which are now being made in Warsaw for a peaceful settlement of this question. We hope that these negotiations will be successful. At the same time we must reaffirm the principle that world peace depends on avoiding the use of force and that aggression cannot be allowed to prevail.
53. In this connexion, I wish to express our conviction that the Members of the United Nations will not fail to exert efforts for the solution of this problem in conformity with the rights of a Member State and without a resort to force as it is prescribed by the Charter.
54. Some weeks ago the special emergency session of the General Assembly dealt with certain important questions related to the Middle East. Turkey being a member of the Middle Eastern family of nations, the Turkish people are imbued with particular sympathy, understanding and interest for all problems affecting this vital area in the world. The strengthening of friendly relations in this area, the settlement of any divergencies in a manner harmonious with the interests of all concerned and the progressive development of the peoples of the Middle East in the political, economic and social fields, constitute the cherished hopes of the Turkish people for the entire region of which they themselves form a part.
55. It is in this spirit that my delegation gave its full support to the resolution proposed by all the Arab Members of the United Nations. That resolution reaffirmed the principles of respect for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of all States and non-interference in each other's internal affairs. It further requested the Secretary-General to consult with the Governments concerned and to make practical arrangements for upholding the Principles of the Charter in relation to Lebanon and Jordan, thereby creating the necessary conditions for facilitating the withdrawal of foreign troops.
56. We would be most gratified to see the provisions of that resolution adequately implemented to the satisfaction of all concerned. At this stage, I wish to reiterate the confidence of my Government in the Secretary-General, Mr. Hammarskjold, and in his devotion to the Principles of the Charter. We are confident that he has spared no efforts in complying with the important duties which were mandated to him by the General Assembly. We hope that his report will soon give us encouraging indications concerning the implementation of the General Assembly resolution.
57. As to the problem of Algeria, it is with deep sorrow that we witness our inability to help towards an equitable solution while human misery continues to prevail in that unhappy country. Before the situation deteriorates even more, all efforts favouring conciliation should be wholeheartedly encouraged.
58. Among the political questions on the agenda of tills session, the Cyprus question is of particular concern to my country because this Non-Self-Governing Territory lies in the immediate proximity of the Turkish mainland and because part of its population is Turkish. The Turkish Cypriots, in their deep anxiety for the preservation of their very existence, have been addressing pressing appeals to my Government urging us in distress to inform the Members of this Assembly about the intolerable plight which has befallen them through the actions of terrorists encouraged from the outside. They request us also to make known their determination not to be deprived of their most elementary human rights by being placed under a new alien sovereignty which they do not desire and which they have valid reasons not to desire.
59. Plans for the annexation of Cyprus to Greece have been pushed forward, sometimes under the name of enosis, at other times as "self-determination" and occasionally as "independence". As a matter of fact, there is no distinct Cypriot nation. There is an independent Turkey and there is an independent Greece, and there exists the territory of Cyprus on which there are two national communities. Part of the population of Cyprus is composed of Greeks, whose leaders desire; union with Greece. The other part of the population is composed of Turks, who wish to join Turkey and who do not accept to be placed under Greek rule.
60. For all these reasons, independence is not a workable solution for the Cyprus question. The slogan of independence has been brought forth occasionally by' Greek extremist elements as a means for achieving the annexation of the entire territory of Cyprus, including the Turkish Cypriots, to Greece.
61. Recently the Government of the United Kingdom has announced a new plan for Cyprus. This plan certainly does not constitute a completely satisfactory solution for the Turkish Government and for the Turkish population of Cyprus. However, this plan Offers the advantage of at least preparing the ground for co-operation among the two communities and the Governments that are concerned with the Cyprus question. Such common efforts for the solution of International questions are prescribed by the Charter and conform to accepted practices In International relations. It must be recognized that the United Kingdom has made great efforts to prepare the foundation for endeavours in this direction. We should not wish to assume responsibility for wrecking these possibilities. At the same time, the new plan has the merit of introducing possibilities for democratic administration for both communities in Cyprus. In a period when bloodshed and tragedy prevail dally on Cyprus and when the horrible prospect of civil war faces the two communities on the island, my Government has weighed carefully the grave responsibility which is involved between giving a fair chance to these intermediate measures or taking a negative attitude. We have decided and the Turkish Cypriots have decided to give these intermediate measures a fair chance.
62. As regards the Turkish Cypriots, their democratic progress in conformity with the Charter of the United Nations has been retarded up to now because for a great many years extremist elements in the Greek community have refused to co-operate with; any reforms if they do not include the possibility of the annexation of the. entire territory of Cyprus to Greece. Now the Turkish Cypriots have decided to co-operate in establishing democratic institutions as far as their own affairs are concerned. If the Greek Government and the Greek community in Cyprus act in the same manner, the entire territory of Cyprus may enter a new phase leading to further progress in the path of the ideals embodied in the Charter. We ardently hope that this will be the case.
63. Indeed, it is a matter of record that the Turkish Government has up to now spared no efforts for reaching a democratic, peaceful and just solution in conformity with the legitimate interests of all the parties concerned. We have favoured negotiation, conciliation and compromise. We have done so because we believe that safeguarding on an equal footing the legitimate aspirations of the Greek Cypriots and the legitimate aspirations of the Turkish Cypriots is not and should not be rendered incompatible with the preservation of friendly relations between Turkey, Greece and the United Kingdom, to which we attach great value.
64. My delegation will discharge its duties in the interests of justice, of peace and of respect for human rights during the discussion of this item in the First Committee.
65. One of the fundamental problems? to which the General Assembly has to give its continual attention is the vital problem of disarmament, up to the present, the guidance provided by the General Assembly in dealing with this essential problem has been only partially successful in overcoming certain obstacles which block the way to any appreciable progress. During the last period of our activities, the recommendations of the General Assembly, which were supported by a Very substantial majority of the Members, have not been Implemented, as the Disarmament Commission and its Sub-Committee were prevented from convening.
66. My country, like all peace-loving countries represented here, attached a paramount importance to the question of disarmament. The people and the Gov. eminent of Turkey have no other ambition, no other aspiration, but to devote the energy and the resources of their motherland to economic, social and cultural development. Moreover, the Turkish people are a profoundly, peace-loving people. For all these reasons, the Turkish Government will spare no efforts to bring its contribution towards any progress, even if it may be only partial progress at the initial stage, in the direction of a universal, general disarmament, including provisions for nuclear as well as conventional weapons, such disarmament to be enforced by effective international controls.
67. In this line, we welcome as encouraging the results of the summer meeting held in Geneva among the experts of eight Member States to determine the technical possibility of detecting violations of an eventual agreement to suspend tests of nuclear weapons. We further welcome the two important meetings projected for November in Geneva on the possibilities for reaching agreement on the subject of banning tests of nuclear weapons and for technical studies on the problem of surprise attacks. We hope that we may all be able to rejoice at news of successful results before the end of this session of the General Assembly.
63. Pending more concrete results in the general field of disarmament, my Government is ardently willing to co-operate with all other Members of the United Nations in maintaining and further strengthening both the principles and the effective machinery at the service of collective security.
69. Indeed, the very pillar of our Organization, as envisaged in the Charter, is collective security. The spirit of the Charter must constantly be adapted to new situations and new necessities in the light of our experiences, of our successes and our failures. In this manner, a series of decisions adopted by the Assembly in 1950 under the title "Uniting for Peace" have already proved their effectiveness in. a number of cases in which the Security Council Was prevented from exercising its primary responsibilities. I am convinced that even those Member Governments which were opposed to these measures at their inception have by now recognized their usefulness. My Government regards the establishment of a permanent United Nations force as a natural and indispensable sequence of the measures already adopted for the consolidation of collective security. We hope that this session of the General Assembly will bring substantial contributions in this direction.
70. Among the most important world problems demanding our constant attention is the fact that the German, Korean and Viet-Namese nations, each one of which had hitherto lived as one people, unified in one country and in one State, still continue to be artificially divided although thirteen years have passed since the end of the war. For many centuries the Turkish people have had the closest cultural, scientific and economic relations with the German people and they feel great sympathy and understanding for them in their present plight. I wish to express the ardent hope of my Government, that these countries will be reunited by democratic and peaceful means.
71. One of the most important problems facing the' world today is the furtherance of co-operative action in support of the efforts made by the under-developed countries to advance their standards of living and the establishment of collaboration between the more and the less advanced countries on a larger scale.
72. In spite of the existence of numerous bilateral, regional and multilateral programmes for advancing economic, cultural and social standards in vast areas of the world, a great deal remains to be accomplished within the United Nations. The present disparity between the more and the less advanced areas in the world should be considered as inadmissible in an age in which we are so readily inclined to boast about man’s unparalleled technological achievements.
73. In the field of international co-operation for economic development, during the period immediately preceding our present session we have welcomed the formation of an Economic Commission for Africa and the prospects for establishing a regional economic organization among the Arab countries concerned. Recently we have had good news about the prospects of development fund organization for the countries of Latin America. We wish them success in their commendable endeavours.
74. In this field, we welcome the statement made in this Assembly a few days ago by the Secretary of State of the United States [749th meeting] as an encouraging indication of a new phase in international economic co-operation.
75. During the coming deliberations of this session, my delegation will spare no efforts to co-operate with all the other delegations in the struggle which the United Nations must continue to undertake against poverty, disease and illiteracy. Along this line, we shall support all efforts aimed at accelerating the pace of progress towards the achievement of higher standards in under-developed countries.
76. In concluding my statement, I wish to reiterate the hope of my Government and of the Turkish people that this session of the General Assembly maybe highly successful in carrying forward the cause of international understanding, of peace and security, and that it may, under the President's able guidance, achieve substantial progress towards the solution of important problems which at present still command the anxious attention of the peoples of the world.