Panama

The Republic of Panama is participating in the ninth session of the General Assembly, as it has done in past sessions, with enthusiasm. We have faith in this Organization despite the confusion and uncertainty about the future of nations that still prevails throughout the world, and although bur efforts towards the harmony and peaceful coexistence of the peoples of the earth have not yet brought about the desired results. Once again we have to turn our minds to the great problems which threaten international peace and security; for the world situation still gives many grounds for anxiety. At this most important time when we, the great and small nations from the four corners of the earth are met in this Assembly, I feel we may well ask ourselves whether the situation in which we find ourselves has its roots in the political, social and economic conditions of the countries which are outside this Organization or whether, on the contrary, this anomalous situation has its origin in the United Nations itself. 2. In the first case, we must combine our efforts to strengthen the Organization and give it the universal character it was meant to have. Panama therefore trusts that the doors of the United Nations will remain open to all nations, many of which, although they are in full agreement with the principles of the Charter and the ideals of the Organization, have not so far been allowed to join it. And the small countries, which make up the majority, have not been able to do anything with regard to these cases for the simple reason that the nations which enjoy the privilege of the veto have not seen fit to give the countries in question the opportunity to join the Organization, although, as I have said before, it is meant to be absolutely universal. 3. In the second case, it would be logical to suppose that the situation might be due to the fact that Member States do not all carry the same weight, so that we cannot always reach satisfactory solutions of the problems that arise. We all know, in fact, what limited and ineffective power the small nations wield in the United Nations, although they constitute the great majority; and, on the other hand, what overwhelming and decisive power is held by the five great Powers, which, as is well known, use and even abuse the right of veto in the Security Council when the most important questions are being discussed, before they can even come to the attention of the General Assembly. 4. We have heard, not once but many times, bitter criticisms of the United Nations. It is said that we vacillate, that our work is barren, that our discussions are interminable; but, what is even more serious, it is also said that the small countries do no more than serve the interests of the great Powers. Of course there is some injustice in these charges, but unfortunately they are not entirely without foundation. It is always a healthy thing to confess one’s own sins, and this would be the right time to do so publicly; for there is no doubt that if we glance back over the work of the Organization, either during the sessions of the General Assembly or the meetings of the Security Council and the other organs of the United Nations, we cannot but recognize, however painful it may be, that we have not made sufficient progress towards the achievement of our legitimate aspirations, and that we have no convincing reason to be proud of any of these activities. And that must be so, because the small nations bear a large part of the responsibility for the errors into which the Organization falls or may fall, without having had, at the decisive times, such power to influence events as would justify their being blamed. 5. The small nations, which include among their number Panama and the other Latin-American countries, as well as many others from different parts of the world, are powerless to ensure that their judgment is taken seriously into account, although they make up the most numerous part of the membership of the Organization. This is the cause of the critical situation which now exists within the United Nations. Although the small nations are in a position to make a highly valuable contribution to the solution of the most serious problems arising here, their co-operation is, generally speaking, not accepted; still less does it produce any decisive effect, because of the powerful resources which the great Powers are in a position to bring into play in order to impose their judgment on the world in matters of a material nature. 6. During the discussions on the Charter at the San Francisco Conference of 1945, when, as everyone knows, they stubbornly opposed the grant of a right of veto to the five great Powers to the exclusion of the other nations, the small countries, and in particular the Latin-American countries, showed no lack of foresight; on the contrary, they displayed a very high degree of vision. Such a right was then considered, and should be still considered as an extraordinary privilege, incompatible with democratic principles and repugnant to the other nations, which, although they approved the Charter and yielded to the inclusion of the provision they had so strongly opposed, did so against their convictions and only because they were faced with the great Powers’ declaration that if they were not given the right of veto there would be no Charter. 7. Since then, this situation, as a result of which the small nations bear a burden of responsibility out of all proportion to their limited influence and power, has continued to be a source of weakness and danger for the Organization, and it is a serious obstacle to the success of our discussions. 8. Nevertheless, this threat of failure and disintegration which hangs over the United Nations, for the reasons I have explained, might be counteracted to some extent if the small nations united their forces and established close co-operation among themselves, harmonizing their views and acting with unanimity and vigour. Such measures would strengthen the role of the small nations in the United Nations. But something more is required, a modification of the Charter itself, if we wish to put an end once and for all to the internal crisis which afflicts us and to which I have referred, so that we may then, in a just and democratic way, attack with greater possibilities of success the other crisis, the external crisis, now prevailing in the world. 9. What is necessary above all is that we should be able to take up and solve the problems now so deeply affecting the political, social and economic life and interests of the small countries in conformity with their own just aspirations, and not along lines dictated by the interests of certain Powers. 10. With the most praiseworthy intentions, the United Nations is devoting its greatest efforts to the solution of those problems which tend to be sources of conflict between peoples and could cause another world war; this task deserves our applause more than any other. We are happy to see that the vast resources at the disposal of the free world, which deeply desires to remain free, are being mobilized in order to prevent such possible conflicts. 11. We do not wish to bring before this Assembly problems which might lead to a conflict of interests between the great Powers and the small countries, far from it; what we are seeking — and this is not an original idea of our own — is a better distribution of strength and economic potential among the nations of the world, great and small. We are trying to solve the equation which involves the organization of all peoples in geopolitical and related groups, for the single purpose of guaranteeing a more lasting peace. 12. We firmly believe that one practical way of achieving that aim would be to abolish the use of the veto or to introduce a sort of “plural” veto which would then be more effective and, above all, more just. We are not so ingenuous as to think that this measure alone would solve all the problems we are now faced with; but it is incredible that in a world of more than 2,500 million souls, the overriding decisions should lie with the great Powers, which represent only a small fraction of the total world population. That is neither just nor democratic. 13. As we have said, Panama has come to this session actuated by the greatest desire for co-operation, and with unshakable confidence in the work of peace and international reconstruction which is being carried on here; but it comes also with the firm conviction that the success of the United Nations in the great task which it has undertaken depends first and foremost on a full understanding of the methods by which the Organization operates and a proper balance between the power and the responsibilities of the Member States, and particularly of the small countries which form the majority. 14. May the work we are now starting, at this time of great hope for the world, be directed towards the attainment of the objectives which the Republic of Panama pursues in this field. 15. Before concluding, I should like, in my capacity as Minister for External Relations of the Republic of Panama, to thank this Assembly for the warm welcome it gave our President, Colonel Jose Antonio Remon Cantera, when he came here last year to make a statement [450th meeting] on certain matters of importance to our country. At the same time I venture to inform you that the discussions on the draft treaty, which was the principal reason for the President’s visit to the United States and to which he is devoting most of his attention, are continuing in an atmosphere of understanding arid harmony. 16. As the Assembly knows, this draft treaty is intended to amend and supersede some of the less satisfactory articles of the Treaties of 1903 and 1936 concluded between Panama and the United States. These articles relate to the construction, operation and maintenance of the Panama Canal, that mighty achievement o? United States engineering skill which, for reasons of geography, is embedded in the very heart of our territory. 17. This is and will continue to be a most weighty reason for the extraordinary importance which must attach to the relations between our two countries in every sphere, relations which by virtue of their very magnitude, must cast light or shadow over the rest of the American Continent. The small Republic of Panama has reason to be confident that the great nation of the United States will act justly towards it. 18. I am most grateful to the General Assembly for the attention with which it has listened to my observations on behalf of my country, and I should like now to express my most sincere good wishes for the success of its ninth session.