Mr. President, the happy choice which has fallen on you to direct the work of this session and the high confidence placed in you by the representatives of the international community are the expression of a well-deserved tribute to your eminent qualities as statesman, distinguished diplomat and respected jurist and an eloquent token of appreciation of your devotion to the cause of the United Nations and of your personal qualities, your propriety, your kindness and your courtesy. It is therefore a great honour and an infinite pleasure for me to extend to you, on my own behalf and on behalf of the Libyan delegation, warmest and sincerest congratulations on your election as President of the seventeenth session of the General Assembly.
57. It is also a most opportune moment to extend greetings to your great country, Pakistan, with which Libya has so many fraternal, spiritual and other ties, and to express to it, through you, our respect and appreciation.
58. The Libyan delegation is convinced that you will carry out felicitously, wisely and successfully the high international functions which you have just assumed.
59. I should also like to take this opportunity to express to Mr. Mongi Slim, the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of Tunisia, our most sincere appreciation of the distinguished manner in which he performed his duties as President at the last session, to the success of which he contributed by his talent, his diligence and his authority.
60. Since the closure of the sixteenth session of the General Assembly the international situation, unfortunately, has continued to be dominated by hazards and uncertainties. Relations between the two opposing blocs, and especially between the two principal Powers which dominate them, are still passing through the phase of complications, disputes and serious threats to international peace and security. The grave frictions over Berlin and Cuba are daily aggravating a situation which even without them is sufficiently alarming. The varied manifestations of the "cold war" continue to weigh heavily upon world peace which is becoming increasingly precarious and unstable. We therefore consider, at the beginning of this seventeenth session of the General Assembly, that the United Nations, whose existence and survival are at stake in this situation created by the antagonisms between the great Powers of the world, should take every opportunity that offers and devise solutions which will lead to the peaceful settlement of disputes and help to remove the grave difficulties we now face.
61. In the interests of safeguarding humanity and strengthening peace, all sacrifices should be made, whatever considerations of private interest, grandeur or prestige may be involved.
62. At a time when it regrets most sincerely that relations between East and West should have reached such a critical stage, Libya does not despair of seeing the imperatives of order, reason and peace prevail over the forces of disorder, discord and misunderstanding. By combining the aspirations, determination and efforts of its Members, the United Nations will succeed, despite difficulties, obstacles and even occasional disappointments, in strengthening the hopes of all peoples so that the spectre of war may disappear forever and that conditions conducive to lasting peace may be established for all time.
63. The tireless efforts of the United Nations to find just and peaceful solutions for the conflicts which threaten world peace and free and fruitful international co-operation have been crowned with success in the months just past, with the settlement of acute problems that had engaged the General Assembly's attention at many past sessions.
64. Thus, the bloody conflict in which France and the Algerian nationalist revolution were the antagonists has ended after the long and painful ordeals which we all know. The heroic struggle which the Algerian people carried on throughout some eight years of heavy sacrifice finally ended with the achievement of their legitimate aspirations for dignity and freedom in agreement with France. The Libyan people, which from the outset gave its full support to the people of Algeria, welcomes this happy solution that reason and enlightened interest recommended on what seemed to us manifest and rational grounds and that was delayed by passions, complications and the blindness of an outmoded way of thought, with a grievous toll in losses and sacrifices.
65. At a time when we rejoice that good sense has finally won the day, we are happy to reiterate from this rostrum, from which we. had the honour and the duty to defend the cause of the Algerian people, our warmest and most sincere congratulations to the people of Algeria on the achievement of their national aspirations, and to extend to them our best wishes for their prosperity, stability and concord. Our expression of appreciation goes also to the French people who gave their President and national leader, General de Gaulle, the necessary massive support to carry through successfully a resolute policy of decolonization and peace. With the final liquidation of the Franco-Algerian conflict, the way is now open for frank and loyal reconciliation and for sincere and fruitful co-operation. The United Nations, which devoted sustained attention to the Algerian problem and showed praiseworthy understanding on that issue, has every right to be proud and greatly so, of having contributed to the just settlement of one of the most acute conflicts of our day.
66. We ardently hope that in the near future independent Algeria, which has just established its organs of national sovereignty and its democratic institutions, will take its place here among the independent and sovereign nations and help in the achievement of the Purposes and Principles of our Charter.
67. We are confident that having at last been delivered from the scourge of war which has raged in the heart of North Africa, the Arab Maghreb will devote all its energies to the creation of conditions more conducive to the prosperity of its inhabitants in order, progress, democracy and closer and more fruitful co-operation.
68. The Libyan delegation has also shared the satisfaction felt by the great majority of Member States at the peaceful settlement of the dispute which has long set Indonesia against the Netherlands — the question of West Irian. This dispute was especially painful for us as it set up in opposition to each other two countries with which Libya is bound by relations of friendship and mutual respect. It was with particular attention, therefore, that we followed the negotiations conducted by the representatives of those two countries under the auspices of the Secretary-General of the United Nations. The success of those negotiations and the fact that they led to a satisfactory solution were for us a source of great satisfaction. In welcoming this peaceful settlement of the dispute — a settlement which has eliminated a serious source of friction and of threats to peace in the South Pacific — the Libyan delegation would like to express its sincere appreciation for the realism and political wisdom displayed by the two parties concerned. It would also like to take this opportunity to pay a well-deserved tribute to the Acting Secretary-General and his representatives for the efforts which they made and which were crowned by the almost unanimous approval recently given by the General Assembly [1127th meeting] to the Agreement concluded between the Republic of Indonesia and the Kingdom of the Netherlands concerning West New Guinea (West Irian) [A/5170, annex]. For the first time in its history, the United Nations is called upon to assume temporary administrative responsibilities in a territory. We are convinced that, thanks to the devotion and disinterestedness of its staff, who have given repeated proof of their competence and integrity, the United Nations will fulfil its temporary administrative responsibilities satisfactorily. These new responsibilities assumed by the United Nations pave the way for the possibility of using the Organization to help in stabilizing the international order,
69. In the last few months also, an international solution has been found to the Laotian crisis which for several years constituted a serious threat to peace in South-East Asia. We hope that that solution will enable the Kingdom of Laos to consolidate the bases of its independence and its neutrality in the interests of ensuring the prosperity of its sorely tried people and the preservation of international peace and security in that part of the world. Here, too, the United Nations can take comfort from the fact that a hotbed of disorder has been eliminated through the understanding and co-operation displayed by all the Powers concerned.
70. While the settlement of the various problems to which I have referred constitutes an encouraging element in the development of international affairs, it is nevertheless obvious that in different parts of the world international peace and security are daily exposed to serious and alarming threats.
71. The Congolese crisis continues to be a cause of concern to the United Nations, both politically and financially. The Katangese secession continues to pose a serious threat to the national unity and territorial integrity of the young African Republic. The Acting Secretary-General is continuing, in circumstances that are often difficult, the efforts of his lamented predecessor, Dag Hammarskjold, who paid with his life for the Organization's peacekeeping activities in the Congo.
72. At this moment when we are expressing our support for the Acting Secretary-General in his attempts to secure national reconciliation in the Congo, I should like once again to assure the Central Congolese Government of our solidarity in the task of national construction and unity which it has resolutely undertaken.
73. In the southern Arabian peninsula generally, and in Oman in particular, the legitimate aspirations of the peoples are meeting with lack of understanding and sometimes even armed force is being used against the peoples concerned. We hope that at this session the General Assembly will continue its efforts to help in finding desirable solutions for the problems existing in this part of the world — solutions achieved by peaceful means, that will respect the peoples' right of self-determination and take their real aspirations into account.
74. In Europe, the German question in general and the question of Berlin in particular threaten to involve the Allies of the Second World War in a catastrophe whose consequences for the survival of our planet are plain to all. In view of the extreme gravity of this situation, the United Nations should use all possible means and, if necessary, offer direct assistance in an attempt to reconcile the views of the parties to this European crisis which, if it becomes even more complicated, may precipitate a world-wide catastrophe. We hope that the dialogue will continue with a view to finding a solution capable of meeting the interests of all the parties concerned and we ardently hope that the door to realistic solutions' and reason will always remain open. At the last session, commenting on this question, I said: "However, there is one position of principle which we have constantly defended: the challenge to the free will and self-determination of peoples, solutions based on ignorance about the unity of peoples and contesting their territorial integrity, the use of force and recognition of the fait accompli have from time immemorial been the causes of human tragedies and continuous threats to international peace and security." [1024th meeting, para. 36.]
75. That is still our deep conviction, a conviction that defines our position on another question which continues to be a source of instability and a threat to peace in the Near East.
76. As a result of the partition of Palestine against the will of the Arabs who constituted the immense majority of its population, more than a million Christian and Moslem Palestine Arabs, subjected to extreme hardship and the crimes of the Zionist bands, were forced to leave their homes, their fields, their ancestral lands and their holy places and found themselves, overnight, exposed to the bitterest poverty, the severest privation and the harshest inclemency.
77. Rarely, in the history of mankind, have we been confronted with a situation as tragic and as contrary to the law of nature as that in which an entire nation of more than one million people have been faced with the terrible necessity of fleeing their native land as the result of the colonialist aggression to which their unhappy homeland fell victim.
78. The Palestine question is not a refugee problem in the strict sense of the term, but it is truly a national cause carried to a critical stage by the special character of the oppressive colonialism which afflicted it. It is thus a matter which falls within a natural framework, namely, the question of the final liquidation of colonialism as it stands at present on the agenda of this. international body. In this specific context, the Palestine question should be made the subject of a special study in which due account would be taken of its origins, its development and its paradoxes, the most significant of which perhaps is that whereby, starting with a minority of 50,000 Jews in Palestine at the beginning of this century, world Zionism has carried out its colonialist conspiracy the result of which has been to replace the indigenous Arab population of Palestine by an incongruous mixture of persons from various countries of Europe and elsewhere, at present numbering more than two million.
79. With regard to the question of the Palestine refugees, the General Assembly, realizing the gravity of its historic responsibilities in the tragic consequences of the partition of Palestine, adopted at its third session resolution 194 (III) of 11 December 1948, which remains the basis of the Palestine refugee question. Since that time the United Nations has laid down, and most clearly reaffirmed, in an imposing series of resolutions adopted at successive sessions of the General Assembly, a number of firmly established principles which time has not altered in any way and which continue, so far as the Organization is concerned, to regulate this aspect of the Palestine question,
80. First of all, the General Assembly forthrightly established the right of the Palestine refugees to return to their homes. This principle is now established in the current terminology of the United Nations as "the right to repatriation",
81. Secondly, the General Assembly recognized that those Palestine refugees who did not wish to return to their homes had the right to fair indemnification of compensation for their property.
82. From these two principles it follows that the determination of these two categories of refugees must be made on the basis of a choice with all necessary safeguards being provided for its free expression, without coercion or manoeuvres of any kind whatsoever.
83. Lastly, the General Assembly recognized that it was the responsibility of the United Nations to give the Palestine refugees aid and assistance until an equitable solution was found to that grievous problem.
84. United Nations assistance to the Palestine refugees is based at present on the voluntary contributions of Member States. Essentially, however, it is an obligation for which the Organization must assume responsibility as part of the painful consequences of this serious problem.
85. It is useful to note, however, that the Palestine refugees are citizens of a country in which, before the aggression to which it fell victim, they enjoyed a standard of living and a national income that were particularly high for the region as a whole. According to the most moderate estimates, the income from Arab property in occupied Palestine amounts to more than £47,500,000 a year, or several times the amount of the annual budget of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. The total income from the property, for the period 1948-1961, amounts to some £750 million, not counting a 35 per cent increase that has taken place since 1948.
86. In order to finance most reliably any programme of assistance to the refugees, pending an equitable solution to the problem as a whole, it is therefore the duty of the United Nations to set up appropriate machinery for safeguarding and protecting the private property of the Palestine refugees and collecting the very large income from it.
87. Since the right of the Palestine refugees to return to their homes has been recognized by the United Nations, we consider that, as an immediate practical measure, the refugees from the regions assigned to the Arabs under the Palestine partition decision should be repatriated immediately and unconditionally and that the refugees who were driven from their land after the signing of the armistice agreements should be given the opportunity to return to their homes as soon as possible.
88. The same applies to the Arab inhabitants of Jerusalem. Furthermore, the refugees whose lands are situated on the other side of the armistice line should be given the opportunity to till their fields and thus be self-supporting.
89. On another aspect of the matter, the Arab minority in occupied Palestine is constantly subjected to exactions and discriminatory legislation of the most arbitrary nature. It is the duty of the United Nations to take appropriate steps as soon as possible to put an end to this grave situation which is contrary to human rights.
90. The Palestine refugees have been exposed to the greatest hardships. All peoples who love peace and justice will be able to appreciate the resentment and bitterness which these refugees feel at the injustices that have been committed against them. All will understand why they deplore the inaction and passivity of the United Nations in the face of the persistent defiance of those who have invaded their country and driven them from their homes. Despite the difficulties and unhappiness of exile, the Palestine refugees will never resign themselves to renouncing their sacred rights or to forgetting their age-old homeland.
91. In order to safeguard peace and stability which are gravely threatened by the persistence of this unjust situation in the Near East, it is imperative that the United Nations should rise to its responsibilities by replying to the call for equity and justice in accordance with its own resolutions.
92. Before concluding this portion of my statement, I should like to say that the recent announcement of the intention to deliver United States missiles to the unrepentant authors of the aggression in the Middle East was an extremely painful surprise to us. At a time when we cannot but protest most strenuously against these acts that have grave implications for peace and stability in the area, we consider it the duty of the United States Government to reconsider that decision in which electoral considerations seem to have prevailed over its consciousness of the grave responsibilities of a great world Power.
93. In Africa, the valiant efforts of the peoples to secure their political liberation from the yoke of foreign domination and the struggle of those subjected to the unjust laws of racial discrimination continue to hold Libya's attention and to have the active sympathy of the Libyan Government and people.
94. The heroic struggle of the Angolan people to free themselves from colonial domination and to achieve their national aspirations forms a natural part of the determination of the whole African continent to rid itself once and for all of the vestiges of subjection and dependence. Libya is giving the valiant people of Angola its active and fraternal support. We hope that before it is too late Portugal will heed the voice of reason and realize that the Angolan nationalist revolution is the normal consequence of the oppression and exploitation which the Angolan people have suffered. The era of colonization and exploitation is definitely over and fruitful relations between peoples can henceforward be based only on the sovereign equality of nations and on co-operation freely agreed to. It is the duty of the United Nations to continue giving its support to the people of Angola and helping them to attain dignity, freedom and independence.
95. The systematic policy of racial segregation and discrimination pursued in South Africa is a source of grave concern to us. This policy, which is contrary to the elementary rules of respect for the human person, is creating in South Africa a situation fraught with danger for the peaceful development of that part of the Africa continent and for the harmonious coexistence of its inhabitants. The attitude of the South African Government with regard to its racial policy and its position on the problem of South West Africa must be the object of the most severe sanctions.
96. Since the adoption of the Declaration on the granting of independence to colonial countries and peoples praiseworthy efforts have been made within the United Nations to ensure that the hopes of the dependent peoples for the triumph of their just causes are realized. Thus, at the beginning of this session [1122nd meeting], we were able to welcome four new Member States to our ranks, May I extend once again, on behalf of the King of Libya and the Government and people of Libya, the warmest congratulations to the delegations of Burundi, Rwanda, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, together with our best wishes for the success of their Governments and the prosperity of their peoples.
97. The Libyan delegation will continue to make its contribution to the discussion of questions concerning the territories that are not yet self-governing. We are sure that the United Nations, encouraged by the heartening results already achieved in this sphere, will continue tirelessly to seek the necessary solutions to these questions in accordance with the legitimacy of the right of peoples freely to determine their own destiny.
98. May I be permitted to congratulate the United Nations organs which have been entrusted with various tasks in this important field and to mention in particular the praiseworthy efforts of the Special Committee of Seventeen.
99. The United Kingdom of Libya has followed with particular attention the efforts that have been made under the auspices of the United Nations to find avenues that may lead to general and complete disarmament. The General Assembly has undoubtedly made considerable progress in discussing and ratifying, at the last session, the agreed principles for disarmament negotiations on which the two principal Powers reached agreement in this vital field. While the laborious negotiations at Geneva in the Eighteen-Nation Committee on Disarmament have not yet produced concrete results, it is encouraging to note that draft treaties have been submitted and discussed, that undeniable progress has been made on the question of the discontinuance of nuclear tests and, lastly, that the participation of the non-aligned Powers has played an important role in bringing the opposing points of view closer together. The Libyan delegation considers that these efforts should be continued with even greater determination at the present session and that priority should be given to the question of the discontinuance of nuclear tests. The Libyan delegation also considers that the efforts that have been made under United Nations auspices to ensure the peaceful use of outer space should be continued so that man's magnificent conquests in this new domain may be exploited for the benefit of all mankind. We realize that the problem of general and complete disarmament is one of the most complex of our times but we are no less certain that the arms race has expanded to an extent that is not only disturbing to international peace and security but also poses a very grave threat to the very existence of mankind.
100. The enormous sums expended on armaments should, more advantageously for the cause of peace, be used to achieve the noble purposes of the Charter, by helping to improve the lot of the two-thirds of the human race that still suffers from the scourges of poverty, disease and ignorance. The Soviet delegation was certainly happily inspired — and we are grateful to it for this — in proposing for consideration at this session an economic programme of disarmament [A/5233].
101. In the past few years the United Nations has resolutely continued its efforts to alleviate the difficulties which afflict a large proportion of mankind. United Nations activities in the field of technical assistance in all its forms have been steadfastly carried on with the object of enabling the peoples of countries having scanty resources to create the conditions for a suitable and decent life. The devotion, technical ability and sense of responsibility that the United Nations has demonstrated in this important sphere are a guarantee of success in this task in which the international community has set an example and furnished a symbol by launching the "United Nations Development Decade". The colossal task of bridging the gulf that separates the haves of mankind from the have-nots must be carried out with determination in the interests of international stability and peace. The rich nations should give the economically poor nations their assistance, so as to help them expand the resources that must be invested for their development, We are convinced that this assistance would serve the interests of international solidarity more rationally and effectively if it were furnished through the United Nations and as part of its planning programme.
102. The problems raised by relations between the highly industrialized countries and the raw-materials producing countries must be solved in an enlightened manner that will make it possible to avoid friction and collision. Regional economic integration, international trade and payments and the present world economic situation raise questions that should be the subject of international consultations. In this regard, the Economic and Social Council has undoubtedly taken the right decision in recommending the convening of a United Nations conference on trade and development.
103. Realizing the importance of these international economic developments, the developing countries held an important economic conference at Cairo, from 9 to 18 July 1962. The Declaration which was adopted by the participating countries, of which Libya was one, represents a major contribution to United Nations efforts in the field of development [A/5162], The problems of the developing countries were studied from the national and the international standpoints, within the framework of the United Nations Charter and in the context of international co-operation and assistance. The Libyan delegation is gratified to see that the "Cairo Declaration of Developing Countries" is one of the items included in the agenda of this session.
104. We are confident that it will be given the attentive consideration it deserves at this session which seems resolved to make an increased contribution to the important problem of international co-operation in the field of development and to take the necessary steps to harmonize the various economic trends that divide the world. I should like to take this opportunity to express the gratitude and appreciation of Libya for the attention it is receiving in the matter of United Nations technical assistance.
105. The Libyan Government and people are sparing no efforts to accelerate their country's advance along the path of progress, well-being and prosperity.
106. At this time when we are pondering deeply the best orientation to give our Organization so that it should serve, dynamically and creatively, the true interests of the international community, we have said and we reiterate that it is difficult for us to accept a collegial direction of the Secretariat based on the division of the world into political or ideological groupings. The imperatives of effectiveness and smooth functioning demand rather that the Secretariat should have a single head. We hope that the United Nations will not be thrust into a new crisis at a time when the international situation calls for the continuation of the efforts that are being made by our present Secretary-General, who has performed his duties with a perseverance, a devotion and an application worthy of admiration and encouragement.
107. We also hope that all Member States will make the necessary efforts to enable our Organization to overcome its present financial difficulties. I am happy to state that Libya, for its part, has made the necessary effort to meet its regular and extraordinary financial responsibilities, and to be able to announce that the Libyan Government has decided to purchase United Nations bonds, in the firm belief that everything must be done to help the Organization out of its present financial straits. We hope that when we come to consider the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice [A/5161] and in deference to the point of law it contains, satisfactory means will be found of meeting the obligations deriving from situations which require special financial contributions to be made.
108. With the constant expansion of the membership of the United Nations and its accelerated approach to universality, it is becoming increasingly imperative to reform its organs so as to ensure a representation that is more consistent with present geographical realities, and to revise its procedures in order to avoid the undue delays which have resulted in resumed sessions. We consider, therefore, that the membership of the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council should be expanded and that the necessary procedural reforms should be carried out. On the latter point, Mr. Mongi Slim, the President of the sixteenth session, has put forward some useful suggestions [A/5123] and his effort deserves our appreciation.
109. Libya, which was born as an independent and sovereign State under the auspices of the United Nations, is firmly attached to the ideals and principles of the Charter and pursues an independent and objective foreign policy, with its national sovereignty its prime concern and within the framework of its spiritual values and of an enlightened concept of its own interests. In this way Libya has succeeded in maintaining with the Powers of both East and West cordial relations based on co-operation, friendship and mutual respect.
110. Libya is also continuing its efforts within the African-Asian community in an atmosphere of the most complete harmony and solidarity.
111. Being, by reason of its geographical situation, the bridge that links the Maghreb with the eastern part of the Arab world, Libya devotes its greatest efforts to cultivating the closest and friendliest relations with all its sister Arab countries and, on the regional plane, co-operates sincerely with the other members of the League of Arab States,
112. In proclaiming Libya's unswerving devotion to the United Nations, its noble ideals and lofty principles, I should like to conclude by extending a very warm greeting to the delegations of Member States and by expressing most sincerely the hope that this seventeenth session of the General Assembly will help to buttress the hopes of all peoples for a better future, a. future filled with promise for the consolidation of peace and the strengthening of cooperation among nations in sovereign equality and mutual respect.