The meeting of the General Assembly is a good occasion for self-examination. It affords an opportunity for a backward look on the progress achieved and for a forward searching of new goals and of wider horizons.
The reports of the Secretary-General, the Security Council and the Social and Economic Council give us ample material for this necessary and beneficial self-examination.
The Syrian delegation wishes, first of all, to express its satisfaction at the progress achieved by the Organization during the first few months of its history. This period of infancy was, of necessity, a difficult one. And, while we do not wish in any way to overlook the shortcomings and excusable delay of some aspects of the Organization’s work, we note with pleasure and increasing hope the many valuable and positive results already obtained in such a short period.
I believe that these reports will give good satisfaction to the Members in the main Committees where they will be studied.
I wish, in particular, to express my appreciation for the efficient way in which the Secretary-General and his collaborators have undertaken the hard task of starting and establishing the administrative machinery of the Organization. As Chairman of the Administrative and Budgetary Committee, I am gratified to see that the numerous recommendations of the Committee, as adopted by the General Assembly, were deliberately executed with energy, firmness and wisdom.
I would like also to call the attention of the General Assembly to that section of the Secretary-General’s report which deals with trusteeship and Non-Self-Governing Territories. It is the fervent hope of this Assembly, representing world democracy, that the Trusteeship Council be set up as soon as possible, and that energetic steps be soon taken by all concerned, under the aegis of the Charter, to make it possible for peoples under mandate to attain the stage at which they are competent in self-government or independence, in conformity with the provisions of the Charter. These provisions lay a strong obligation on all of us to see that the fundamental and inalienable rights of all such peoples are decisively and internationally recognized, and their legitimate aspirations realized.
On this occasion the Syrian delegation voices its full agreement with, and support of, the statement in the supplementary report of the Secretary-General regarding Non-Self-Governing Peoples.
This indeed is incumbent upon us by virtue of Chapter XI of the Charter, in which Members of the United Nations administering dependent territories have taken upon themselves the solemn pledge to accept as a sacred trust the obligation to promote to the utmost, within the system of international peace and security, the well-being of the inhabitants of the territories under their administration.
We attach great importance to this Chapter of the Charter. In our view, it represents one of the most significant advances of the Charter over all previous instruments or international conventions. For this is the first time in history that such a pledge has been taken by the responsible nations of the world, and that a universal and official concern has been expressed for the fate of dependent peoples.
The Security Council, immediately after its creation, began to handle serious international problems, although it has not been able to reach decisive results with respect to some of them, for reasons which we hope to see limited. The Syrian delegation is delighted to note that, in the case which it presented to that body during its session in London in February last, concrete results were obtained, and the rights of Syria and Lebanon were respected and upheld. This is an indication that the Council has within itself the possibilities of achieving the goal for which it was established in defending the right of nations, irrespective of the strength of the opposing parties and without discrimination between small or big States.
This goal can never be attained in full, however, unless force or threat of force is placed beyond the reach of individual nations. Force, in accordance with the Charter, can only be used for the common interest of the United, Nations in suppressing aggression, in maintaining peace and security. The determination of who is the aggressor, who ought to be brought to order, should not be left to the arbitrary will of any single Power, but to the collective and considered judgment of a body representing all peace-loving nations.
Furthermore, this power in the hands of such a body will not serve the ideals of the Charter, unless each and every one of its Members is animated not only by a desire for peace, but also by a yearning for justice. The whole course of human history is a witness to the fact that there can never be true and stable peace without justice, fair play and a real sharing of ideals.
As a small and peace-loving country, Syria is resolved to do its duty in serving this cause of peace based on justice, and remains loyal to the precepts of the Charter. But it firmly believes — and takes this occasion to express this belief in all frankness and sincerity — that the maintenance of peace depends primarily, not upon the small, but upon the big Powers. Small States by themselves can hardly ever disturb world peace, and are unlikely to do so. The dispositions of the big Powers alone are to be counted in this respect. And since these big Powers themselves have sponsored the United Nations, and since they gave birth to this Organization from Moscow to Dumbarton Oaks and to San Francisco, we can look to the future with hope and confidence, in spite of what we hear and read, from time to time, about their differences on details.
For these Powers know, more than any others, the increasingly devastating effects of war. They are surely convinced, by the bitter experiences of the last two world conflicts, that even the victor is also subjected to terrible losses and suffering, making him not much more fortunate than his defeated enemy. We may be sure that the great leaders of world policy are too wise to let the world be exposed again to universal destruction.
We have repeatedly heard reassuring declarations from those great leaders of their solemn resolution to stand firmly by the cause of this Organization, which they have voluntarily created. From this very tribune, the President of the United States of America assured us a few days ago that his Government and people have resolved to put all resources in their possession at the disposal of this cause. The same pledge was repeated by the chief representative of the United Kingdom. These two important declarations were preceded a short time ago by an analogous statement by Generalissimo Stalin expressing practically the same resolve.
Inspired by this hope, we look to the future of the United Nations with confidence, and we build our faith, for the preservation and growth of human civilization, on this Organization and on it alone, as the only instrument we can have for the realization of our vital hopes.
The Syrian Republic takes this occasion to reaffirm its deep attachment to the purposes, principles and texts of the Charter, and its readiness, in full agreement with its sister States forming the Arab League, to do its part in implementing them, in letter and spirit, to the utmost of its ability.
The Economic and Social Council has studied a number of vital questions which are of great importance for the promotion of human wellbeing and welfare. For the solution of these questions it is necessary for adequate administrative machinery to be set up soon and for the subordinate organs of the Council to start to function without delay.
Furthermore, it is hoped that the relation of the specialized agencies to the Organization will be established by the General Assembly, so as to obtain the desired efficiency and co-ordination among all the organs working to realize the purposes of the United Nations.
Among these agencies is the proposed International Refugee Organization. The refugees and displaced persons in Europe today are victims of an abominable persecution which should never recur in the future of the world. The Syrian delegation solemnly declares that the Syrian Government and people, in full agreement with all the Arab nations, condemn fully and categorically every form of persecution, whether by reason of creed, race, colour, nationality or any other difference between human beings.
We are determined to co-operate with the United Nations in fighting such persecution, which has caused refugees and others so much suffering, to share in the duty of having these displaced persons repatriated to their previous homes and to create for them in those homes conditions of security, happiness and freedom, which the Charter of the United Nations was intended to assure to all peoples of the world.
In the very exceptional cases where refugees cannot be repatriated to their previous homes, any settlement which is proposed for them should take into account the freely expressed wishes of the people of the country of their proposed settlement. Furthermore, this humanitarian work should have no political objective or implication.
The Syrian delegation wishes to stress these two reservations, for fear lest the humanitarian work of assisting these refugees, which it fully supports, should lead to the disturbance of peace and security and to the infringement of the ideals of international justice to which we are all dedicated.
In conclusion, we should have no doubt that those who were united to win the war and save the world will not fail to find the path to continued unity in order to win the peace and preserve the world which they have saved.