On taking the floor for the first time at this session, I should like first to extend my delegation's congratulations to the President of the General Assembly on his election.
123. Seventeen years have now passed since the United Nations was established to save peoples from the scourge of war, to maintain international peace and security and to consolidate co-operation among nations. Since that time great and profound changes have taken place in international life. Spectacular advances have been made in science and technology. The genius of man has made enormous strides forward in the discovery of outer space. It is undeniable, however, that the fundamental purpose of the United Nations, is far from having been achieved and that peace is more precarious than ever. The unvarying policy of peace of the socialist countries and their persistent efforts to avert the danger of a new world war, to guarantee a lasting peace and to resolve international disputes by peaceful means have met with the stubborn opposition of the NATO Powers. Despite the brief and partial clearings of the horizon which occur from time to time and which are the result of the struggle and the persevering efforts of the peace-loving peoples and Governments, the international situation remains threatening and tension is increasing. No major problem is in process of solution and the world faces a serious threat of thermo-nuclear war.
124. The United Nations Charter extols the sovereign equality of all Member States, friendly relations among them and respect for the right of self-determination of peoples. These principles should be scrupulously observed by all States. If they were, international relations would present a different picture. The People's Republic of Albania, like the other countries in the socialist camp, considers that at a time when the socialist system and the capitalist system exist simultaneously the only just course that accords with the trend of history and the interests of mankind is that of peaceful coexistence among States having different social systems.
125. In the West, however, the opposite view is held. It is believed that the march of history can be halted and even reversed and that communism can be fought with force. The existence and the tremendous achievements of the socialist countries and the increasing influence and magnetism of the world socialist system are a source of anxiety to the imperialists and incite them to ill-considered and dangerous acts. They have ringed the countries of the socialist camp with aggressive military blocs and bases. They are interfering in the domestic affairs of those countries; they are hampering the national liberation struggle of the peoples oppressed by colonialism; they are creating centres of tension in various parts of the world; they are actively preparing for a thermo-nuclear war against the socialist countries and aggression against the peace and liberty of peoples.
126. At the present time, the attention of the peace-loving peoples and Governments is focused on the new aggressive acts by the United States against Cuba. By its valiant revolutionary struggle against fascist dictatorship and North American domination, the Cuban people has won the ardent sympathy and admiration of all peoples. Cuba is no longer a property and a colony belonging to foreign monopolies. Cuba belongs to the Cubans. It is a free, democratic and sovereign State which is building a happy life for the whole working people, which threatens no one but at the same time permits no one to interfere in its internal affairs, Since the victory of the people's revolution in Cuba, the United States has carried on aggressive activities on an increasing scale against that country. Its declared object is to overthrow the people’s regime in Cuba at all costs and to restore its colonial domination in that country. All its plots and aggressive acts have failed and will continue to fail. At the present time, Washington is in the grip of real hysteria against Cuba. The gross slander that Cuba is threatening the United States and the entire Western hemisphere is toeing disseminated. Open preparations are being made for aggression against the Republic of Cuba. An order has been made recalling 150,000 reservists. In the past few days the legislature has adopted a resolution envisaging war against Cuba by all means, including force of arms, on the pretext of protecting the Western hemisphere against infiltration by Marxism-Leninism. Already attempts are being made to invent a casus belli, a pretext for unleashing aggression.
127. The United States Government is making a great commotion about the normal and disinterested assistance that the socialist countries are giving to Cuba for its economic development and for the consolidation of its national defence. It is deliberately distorting the nature of this assistance and representing it as an act of aggression, while at the same time it has the effrontery to regard as just and even humanitarian the "aid" which it is itself furnishing to the butchers of the peoples of South Viet-Nam and South Korea and to the Chiang Kai-shek clique in Taiwan, and which has helped to transform those countries into colonies and imperialist bases for aggression.
128. The United States would like to establish an economic, political and military blockade of Cuba so as to strangle that country. At the present time, however it is not possible to blockade an independent country which is building socialism. Such acts, vainly embellished with words in support of peace, democracy and self-determination, do more to reveal United States imperialism to world public opinion as the enemy of the freedom of peoples and of progress,
129. The United States does not like the social system chosen by Cuba. It should lie reminded, however, that the question of Cuba's social system is the concern of the Cuban people alone. Its policy towards Cuba is incompatible with the obligations of a State Member of the United Nations and constitutes actual aggression. The knights of the anti-communist crusade should realize that we are no longer living in the Middle Ages or in the era of piracy and "cordons sanitaires". Times have changed and Cuba is invincible, for any people fighting for its freedom anti independence is invincible. The just cause of Cuba has resolute defenders, first and foremost the heroic Cuban people itself which, under the direction of Fidel Castro, has entered modern history through the main gate, holding high the flag of the revolution. Supporting the just cause of Cuba are the peoples of Latin America, the countries of the socialist camp and all peace-loving men.
130. The people and Government of the People's Republic of Albania are in complete solidarity with the Republic of Cuba; they condemn most strongly and resolutely the aggressive anti-Cuban policy of the United States and consider that it Is the duty of the United Nations to stop, while there is yet time, the aggression which is being prepared against a Member of our Organization.
131. In the Far East, the United States of America is conducting a policy openly hostile to the People's Republic of China, It has occupied and holds by force of arms Taiwan and other Chinese island; it has established a veritable ring of military bases for aggression around China and is constantly carrying out hostile acts against that country, also making use for this purpose of the Chiang Kai-shek clique. Latterly its activities have been intensified and have become more serious. The Government of the People's Republic of China recently disclosed to the public the Chiang Kai-shek plan for invading the coast of the Chinese mainland, naturally on the instigation and with the support of the clique's masters. Everyone knows that this clique could undertake nothing at all, much less an adventure of that kind, without their permission and support.
132. The claim that the United States Government knew nothing of this plan of the Taiwan puppet convinces no one. Experience does not allow us to believe denials or promises of this kind. Was it not the representative of that Government who solemnly declared in the United Nations, on the eve of the April 1961 aggression against Cuba, that his country would never attack Cuba while shortly afterwards the aggression was committed and President Kennedy himself personally and publicly assumed responsibility for it? The United States had also solemnly promised that United States U-2 spy planes would no longer fly over the territory of the Soviet Union; on 30 August 1962, however, an aircraft of this type violated the air space of the Soviet Union over the island of Sakhalin. Similarly, on 9 September 1962, another U-2 plane, in the possession of the Taiwan clique, was brought down inside the air space of the People's Republic of China. The United States cannot evade responsibility in the case of such serious intrusions. It is time the United States renounced its dangerous policy towards China. An attack upon that country would be catastrophic for the aggressors themselves. The People's Republic of China has all the necessary means to annihilate them and at its side stand all the other countries of the socialist camp and all the progressive peoples and forces,
133. The people and Government of the People's Republic of Albania reaffirm their full and complete solidarity with the People's Republic of China in all circumstances; they uphold its undeniable right to liberate Taiwan and the other Chinese islands occupied and held by force by the United States and to take over without delay its lawful place in the United Nations, now illegally occupied by an individual who represents nothing,
134. China is a great Power, containing one quarter of the world's population. It is a founder Member of the United Nations and a permanent member of the Security Council, Without the participation of this country, which plays a vital role in the international arena, the United Nations is neither universal nor in a position to solve the fundamental problems which confront it.
135. The great Chinese people, under the direction of the Chinese Communist Party and its democratic Government, is making titanic efforts to bring about the peaceful construction of its country. This wonderful people — wonderful yesterday for its heroic struggle for liberation and today for its toil in building socialism — has won the admiration of other peoples by its talent and its great creative abilities, by its exemplary determination to surmount the difficulties it faces, by its lofty moral and political consciousness and by its great contribution to the cause of peace, national liberation, democracy and socialism.
136. The slanders of imperialist propaganda apart, it is well known that the People's Republic of China pursues a foreign policy of peace, co-operation and friendship with other countries; it is constantly expanding its international relations; it has become a great factor for peace, stability and progress in the Far East and in the world at large. Its role at and its contribution to the Geneva conferences on Korea, Viet-Nam and Laos are well known. It has repeatedly taken the initiative and proposed measures calculated to strengthen peace and security in Asia and the world and it is plain that without its participation no solution to the great international problems of the present day, such as disarmament and many others, can be achieved. The People's Republic of China has already indicated clearly that it does not consider valid, so far as it is concerned, any international agreement in the elaboration of which it did not take part and which does not bear the signature of its representatives.
137. The theory of the "two Chinas", put about by those who seek to prevent in the future the restoration of China's rights in the United Nations and to perpetuate the occupation of Taiwan, has no historical, moral or legal foundation. This manoeuvre is doomed to failure. There is only one China, one and indivisible — the People's Republic of China; there is only one Government of the Chinese people — the Government of the People’s Republic of China. It is high time that an end was put once and for all to the negative attitude of the United States on this question; it is high time that all Member States which have the cause of peace and of the United Nations at heart expressed themselves an favour of the immediate restoration of the legitimate rights of the People's Republic of China in the United Nations and threw out the representative of the puppet Chiang Kai-shek regime.
138. The Government of the People's Republic of Albania will combine its efforts with those of other peace-loving countries to achieve this end.
139. Another source of persistent tension and danger in the Far East is the foreign intervention in South Korea and South Viet-Nam.
140. Korea continues to be divided into two parts. In the North, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, an independent and sovereign country, in which all power belongs to the people, has made enormous progress in all fields and is successfully building socialism. There is not a single foreign soldier in its territory: the Chinese People's Volunteers have been gone since 1958. Its Government pursues an active policy of peace and international co-operation and is making a valuable contribution to the safeguarding of peace in the Par East.
141. South Korea, on the other hand, languishes under a dictatorial regime and has been converted into a veritable colony and an aggressive military base of the United States of America, which is using the name and the flag of the United Nations for this purpose. The people are cruelly oppressed; they enjoy no freedom, no democratic rights; they live in great economic and moral destitution; and they are struggling to free themselves from this dreadful situation.
142. National unity is the profound aspiration of the Korean people. Korea is one and indivisible. It belongs to the Korean people, who have the right to live free, united, independent and sovereign. The only obstacle to the peaceful unification of Korea is the presence of United States armed forces in South, Korea.
143. The Albanian Government, which has always supported the persevering efforts of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to achieve the peaceful unification of the country, firmly endorses the recent initiative of the Supreme People's Assembly of Korea in calling for the withdrawal of United States troops from South Korea and proposing the conclusion of an agreement between the two parts of Korea whereby both would undertake not to use force in their reciprocal relations. We consider that the United Nations, by means of an appropriate resolution, should call for the immediate withdrawal of United States troops from South Korea and support efforts directed towards the peaceful unification of Korea.
144. A very serious situation exists in South Viet-Nam. Viet-Nam also is divided into two parts. In the North, in the Democratic Republic of Viet-Nam, the people, free and sovereign, is developing its national economy and culture on the path of socialism. The Democratic Republic of Viet-Nam is an eminently peaceful State. It scrupulously observes the 1954 Geneva Agreements which ratified the Viet-Namese people's victory over colonialism and indicated the road that would lead to the unification of Viet-Nam as a peaceful democratic country.
145. The oppressive regime imposed upon South Viet-Nam does not recognize the Geneva Agreements. The population is compelled to fight, arms in hand, for its freedom and democratic rights, for an independent and sovereign Viet-Nam. The United States has carried out military intervention there and is conducting an "undeclared war" against the local population.
146. Our Government is in complete sympathy with the just struggle of the people of South Viet-Nam for freedom and national independence. It condemns foreign intervention and calls for the withdrawal of the United States troops from the country. We shall also support in the future the just policy and the sustained efforts of the Government of the Democratic Republic of Viet-Nam to achieve the peaceful unification of the country in accordance with the Geneva Agreements. We consider, moreover, that the United Nations cannot remain indifferent at the cruel massacre of the population of South Viet-Nam by the United States troops and that it is its duty to call for their immediate withdrawal, so that the Viet-Namese people may solve their own problems in freedom and be able to build a democratic and peaceful Viet-Nam as they themselves wish it to be, as specified in the Geneva Agreements.
147. The delegation of the People's Republic of Albania welcomes the Agreement on Laos and regards it as a victory for the Laotian people and for peace. An independent and neutral Laos not only accords with the wishes of the Laotian people but can only be a positive factor for peace and understanding in Indo-China and South-East Asia.
148. We gladly voted, on behalf of our Government, in favour of the resolution concerning the agreement on West Irian [resolution 1752 (XVII)]. This agreement represents a well-deserved victory for the Indonesian people and Government in their efforts to achieve the liberation of a part of their national territory which still languished under the colonial yoke. These successes, we consider, should now be safeguarded and consolidated, and the imperialists and colonialists should not be permitted to threaten them by diplomatic or other manoeuvres.
149. The Government of the People's Republic of Albania expresses its support for the proposal of the Cambodian Head of State for the convening of an international conference with the task of guaranteeing the territorial integrity and the neutrality of Cambodia. The conclusion of an international agreement on this subject would undoubtedly serve the just cause of Cambodia as well as the cause of peace and international co-operation.
150. The problem of the liquidation of colonialism still remains on the agenda. Like a driving storm the national liberation struggle of the colonial peoples is sweeping the inhuman system of colonialism from the face of the earth. It has changed the map of entire continents and is contributing greatly to the cause of peace and progress.
151. The Albanian people, having themselves known foreign oppression and exploitation from which they freed themselves by force of arms, have always felt and continue to feel complete sympathy with the liberation struggle of the colonial peoples. United by firm traditional friendship with the Arab peoples, the Albanian people welcomed with joy and enthusiasm the historic victory of their Algerian brothers who, for more than seven years, waged a heroic struggle and bore innumerable sacrifices, threw off the century-old colonial yoke and proclaimed a free, independent and sovereign State. We shall be happy to see the representatives of the Republic of Algeria in the near future take their proper place among us in the United Nations. We also hope sincerely that the struggle of the valiant people of Oman will very shortly end in their accession to national independence.
152. Our delegation is happy, on behalf of the people and Government of the People's Republic of Albania, to greet the young States of Rwanda, Burundi, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago on their admission to membership in the United Nations and to wish them success in their efforts to remove the last traces of colonial oppression and to develop as independent and sovereign States.
153. We have the utmost sympathy for and will support until victory the Just struggle for liberation of the peoples of Oman, Zanzibar, Angola, Mozambique, Rhodesia, Nyasaland and other peoples still languishing under the colonial yoke.
154. The colonial Powers are endeavouring by all possible means to maintain their domination in the colonies and even to return to those colonies from which they have been driven out, as in the case of the Congo. The tragedy of tins martyred country is far from played out. The Congo remains divided, blood is being shed and its immense resources are controlled by the colonialists and the United States monopolies. We consider that the United Nations should condemn this plot against the Congolese people who have every right to live united, free and sovereign and to enjoy their country's wealth themselves.
155. The Albanian Government reaffirms its position which Is already known: it does not intend to share in any way in the costs of the United Nations forces in the Congo and the Near East; only the imperialist and colonialist aggressors who are responsible for this situation should pay. It is high time that all the peoples of the world were free, independent and sovereign. Our delegation, having also in mind the Declaration on the granting of independence to colonial countries and peoples [General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV)], considers that the United Nations should take specific measures to eliminate the colonial system for all time and without delay — and to eliminate also the system of Non-Self-Governing and Trust Territories.
156. The German problem has not yet been solved. Seventeen years after the end of the war, the peace treaty with Germany has not yet been signed because of the refusal of the Western Powers. German militarism, which twice in a period of twenty-five years set Europe and the whole world aflame, is resurgent in Western Germany, with the support of those Powers. It again threatens peace and security and is pursuing a revanchist and aggressive policy towards the German Democratic Republic first and foremost, and towards other neighbouring countries. The German Democratic Republic — the first workers' and peasants' State in the history of Germany — has become a stronghold of peace in the heart of Europe. The Potsdam Agreements have been fully carried out there and no trace of nazism or militarism remains — which is by no means the case with the Federal Republic of Germany, now become the most explosive arsenal of NATO. West Berlin, situated in the territory of the German Democratic Republic, has been transformed into a NATO military base and a dangerous hotbed of acts of provocation, sabotage and espionage against the German Democratic Republic and the other socialist countries.
157. The Albanian Government considers that the only just solution of this acute problem is that proposed by the Soviet Union, namely, the signing of a peace treaty with Germany. This would also provide the basis for the solution of the question of West Berlin, which would become a free and demilitarized city. The peace treaty would remove the vestiges of the Second World War; it would put an end to an abnormal, legally unjustifiable and politically intolerable and dangerous situation; it would pave the way for a rapprochement between the two existing German States; it would consolidate international peace and security.
158. The countries of the Warsaw Treaty and the socialist camp, which are all agreed on this matter, are, as they have stated, determined to sign a peace treaty with Germany, whereas the NATO Powers are opposed to its signature and to the ending of the occupation regime in West Berlin.
159. We have been and we still are in favour of solving by negotiation this problem of such vital importance for the German people and for European security. The Western Powers, however, do not seem to be prepared to solve it. They are dragging out the negotiations in order to prevent any solution and to maintain, in the very heart of Europe, a powder-keg which might explode at any moment. The more time passes the worse the situation becomes, which can profit only the enemies of peace. The interests of the German people, of the people of Europe, of peace, demand the conclusion of the peace treaty with Germany. The People's Republic of Albania and other socialist countries consider that the peace treaty should be signed with the two German States. If, however, the Western Powers persist in their negative attitude, the socialist countries and the other countries concerned which desire to do so will sign a separate peace treaty with the German Democratic Republic.
160. That peace treaty would strengthen the frontiers of the German Democratic Republic, its security and that of all Europe. West Berlin would cease to be a powder-keg and become a free and demilitarized city.
161. On signing a separate peace treaty on behalf of the Albanian people which fought heroically, with great sacrifices, against the Nazi invaders, the Albanian Government, along with the other member s of the Warsaw Treaty and the socialist camp, will assume its share of responsibility with regard to the security of our ally, the German Democratic Republic.
162. General and complete disarmament is still the profound and compelling aspiration of all peoples throughout the world. The General Assembly, however, cannot fail to note that despite the efforts of the Soviet Union and the other peace-loving countries no progress has been made towards this aim. Our delegation regrets that it cannot share the optimism expressed by certain previous speakers concerning the work of the Eighteen-Nation Committee on Disarmament at Geneva. The work that has proceeded up to the present time is no more encouraging than that of the various committees previously established by the United Nations to deal with this subject. The Government of the People's Republic of Albania has supported and fully supports the Soviet Union proposals on general and complete disarmament and the draft treaty it submitted at Geneva. We consider that general and complete disarmament constitutes a fundamental and sacred task for the United Nations, which should spare no efforts to achieve it. The arms race has become a heavy burden for the peoples of the world and a serious threat to international peace and security.
163. In the matter of disarmament, two conflicting lines or policies are apparent. The Soviet Union and the other socialist countries, as well as other peace-loving countries, are in favour of general and complete disarmament under strict international control, of the immediate, complete and final cessation of all nuclear weapons tests, for the use of outer space exclusively for peaceful purposes. On the other hand, the United States and its partners are in reality opposed to an agreement on general and complete disarmament as well as to an agreement on the cessation of all nuclear weapons tests. They are calling for a system of arms control, together with a system of on-site inspection of all underground nuclear tests, clearly for the purpose of espionage against the socialist countries, knowing full well that the latter could not agree to such controls without betraying their own security and that of worldwide peace.
164. The nuclear explosion which the United States has carried out in outer space for military purposes is contrary to General Assembly resolutions 1472 (XIV) and 1721 (XVI) and is fraught with grave consequences. Outer space belongs to the entire human race and must be used solely for peaceful purposes. We consider that all achievements in the sphere of science and technology, including conquests in outer space, are the fruit of the work of experts, scientists and technicians; they should be regarded as a common property of humanitarian nature belonging to all peoples. They should not be used, as the imperialists are endeavouring to use them, for purposes of propaganda and to cover up failures in other spheres, or to intimidate the peoples,
165. While the disarmament negotiations are proceeding, the NATO Powers are speeding up the arms race, especially in the field of nuclear weapons; they are increasing their military budgets and the strength of their armed forces; they are strengthening the aggressive NATO, CENTO and SEATO pacts and their military bases in foreign territories; they are holding provocative manoeuvres close to the frontiers or territorial waters of the socialist countries and are expanding their hostile activities against those countries and other peace-loving countries. They are engaging in frenzied war propaganda, in which the most highly- placed persons are taking part. Not long ago, Mr. Kennedy, the President of the United States, inaugurated, as a contribution to the creation of a war psychosis, what he calls "Captive Nations Week". This is how he refers to the countries in which the socialist revolution has triumphed, in which the peoples have freed themselves for ever from all oppression and exploitation and have become the real masters. No one has given him the right to intervene in the internal affairs of other countries, still less to tell them what social system to adopt. The Albanian people, as in the past, will never permit foreign interference in its own affairs and any attempt by the imperialists to restore their inhuman system in the countries of the socialist camp will be fatal to the aggressors themselves.
166. Only recently, in the United States, the famous "basic strategy" plan of United States imperialism was proclaimed, aimed at the liquidation of the socialist system, the revolutionary and national-liberation movement of the oppressed peoples and the establishment of United States hegemony throughout the world.
167. The statement by the President of the United States to the effect that his country in certain circumstances would start a nuclear conflict cannot be dissociated from that strategic plan and reveals the true nature of that country's policy and the fundamentally aggressive nature of United States imperialism which brandishes the threat of preventive nuclear war against mankind. The speeches by prominent Americans in favour of peace and disarmament are in reality just so much bluff designed to deceive the peoples while they are preparing for nuclear war. The peoples of the peace-loving countries must increase their vigilance and their defensive measures against so dangerous a policy and the United Nations should take effective steps to condemn and put an end to propaganda in favour of preventive nuclear war and call on the peoples of the entire world to rise against such a monstrous crime,
168. We consider that the negotiations on general and complete disarmament should be continued with a view to reaching the desired agreement. It is essential, however, that these negotiations should not proceed aimlessly, that they should not create the illusion that something is, being done there when actually nothing specific is being achieved, and, above all, that they should not serve as a screen for the NATO Powers behind which to continue their arms race undisturbed. The peoples of the whole world are in favour of general and complete disarmament; the United Nations should see to it that their voice is heard in the official negotiations. The will of the peoples for peace and disarmament should be imposed upon the adversaries of peace and disarmament.
169. The People's Republic of Albania will firmly support in the future also efforts to achieve general and complete disarmament, to bring about the halting of nuclear weapons tests, the prohibition of the manufacture of such weapons and their use for war purposes, as well as the elimination of all existing stockpiles. We are in favour of the establishment of denuclearized zones in Europe, Africa and the Pacific Ocean as well as in Latin America and we will continue to work for the implementation of the joint Albanian-Soviet proposal of 30 May 1959 for the transformation of the Balkans and the Adriatic regions into a zone of peace in which there would be no atomic weapons or missiles.
170. We are also in favour of the conclusion of a nonaggression pact between the Warsaw Treaty countries and the countries of NATO and we consider that such partial measures would contribute to the relaxation of international tension and to the efforts to reach an agreement on disarmament.
171. The People's Republic of Albania persistently follows a policy of peace and friendship among peoples.
172. The Albanian people, closely united around the Albanian Labour Party and their Government, are devoting all their energies to the peaceful building of their country and the safeguarding of peace. In the past eighteen years since its liberation from Nazi-Fascist occupation, Albania has made great progress. Once an agricultural country, it has become an agricultural and industrial country. Industry and mining are expanding rapidly; in 1961 our industrial production was twenty-seven times greater than in 1938 and it is increasing at a satisfactory rate; agriculture, collectivized and largely mechanized, is expanding; education and culture are spreading, for the benefit of the whole people; medical services are very extensive and provided free of charge; the standard of living is rising rapidly. The third five-year plan, for 1961-1965, is being successfully carried out. The People's Republic of Albania has entered the stage of the complete building of socialist society.
173. The Albanian people are ardent fighters for the cause of peace, which they consider a vital need, for only in peace can they build a new and happy life. They know too well from their own experience what war is like; that is why they are opposed to war and support with all their strength the peaceful policy of their Government. At the same time, they are compelled to lie very watchful and to see to their national defence, for the imperialists have not ceased for a single day their hostile activities against the People's Republic of Albania. Our people will always know how to give them the rebuttal they deserve and defend their father-land, and the cause of socialism and peace.
174. In presenting the new Government's programme to the People's Assembly on 16 June 1962, Mehmet Shehu, President of the Council of Ministers of Albania, said the following: "The Government of the People's Republic of Albania remains as in the past ever faithful to the Albanian people's desire for the safeguarding of peace and the building of socialism. As we have done hitherto, we shall always fight to defend the peace side by side with the Soviet Union and the countries of the socialist camp. We have supported and shall continue to support all the efforts undertaken by the Soviet Union, the People's Republic of China and the other socialist countries with the object of safeguarding world peace".
175. The People's Republic of Albania, a member of the socialist camp and of the Warsaw Treaty, considers friendship and co-operation with the other countries of the socialist camp and fraternal mutual assistance to be a fundamental principle of its foreign policy. It also attaches great importance to relations with other countries and endeavours to develop those relations on the basis of peaceful coexistence. Our Government devotes particular attention to relations with neighbouring countries and is striving to make the Balkans and the Adriatic region a zone of peace and active co-operation on the basis of peaceful coexistence between countries having different social systems. Albania at present maintains diplomatic relations with thirty countries and is endeavouring to contribute to the development of peaceful International co-operation.
176. In our view, international trade constitutes at present one of the most important problems for all countries. World trade is seriously handicapped by the policy of discrimination and arbitrary restrictions pursued by the principal NATO Powers, and first and foremost by the United States, with regard to the socialist countries. Closed economic groups have been established, such as the European Common Market, which serve the policy of the aggressive NATO bloc. In the sphere of trade there are even cases where the countries concerned have gone so far as to establish real economic blockades and to adopt measures which are usually applied to countries about to be attacked.
177. The Albanian Government is opposed to discrimination in trade and is in favour of the development of trade on the basis of mutual advantage. Trade should constitute a means of bringing peoples closer together, an instrument in the service of international peace and co-operation, and not a means of discrimination, pressure and aggression. We are in favour of convening an international conference on trade problems.
178. Our delegation deems it necessary to reaffirm that the admission of the two German States, the German Democratic Republic and the Federal Republic of Germany, to membership in the United Nations would usefully serve the cause of peace and of the Organization itself.
179. I should also like to emphasize, as we have in the past, that we are in favour of the reorganization, on a collective basis, of the executive organs of the United Nations.
180. At the present session the General Assembly has before it a large number of important problems which must be solved for the sake of peace and international co-operation. We consider that the inclusion in the agenda of an item entitled "The question of Hungary" constitutes inadmissible interference in the internal affairs of a State Member of the United Nations, the Hungarian People's Republic. It is a flagrant violation of Article 2 of the Charter and represents an attempt to distract the General Assembly's attention from the basic problems.
181. The delegation of the People's Republic of Albania expresses the wish that the work of this session of the General Assembly will be successful and records its conviction that peace can and must be safeguarded by the joint efforts of all peace-loving countries and peoples.