1. Before beginning my statement, may I be permitted to extend to Mr. Slim my delegation's most sincere congratulations on his election as President of the General Assembly for this session.
2. I would also wish to pay tribute to the memory of Mr. Dag Hammarskjold. As Secretary-General of the United Nations he raised the status of his office to a remarkable degree by his competence, impartiality and courage. His death, which has deeply affected us, has proved that his conception of duty embraced even the final sacrifice.
3. Brazil, which once again has the honour of opening the Assembly's general debate, deems it necessary to state its position on the most important issues in the current international situation.
4. The main problem is the problem of- peace. An atomic war, because of its unpredictable consequences, would be a disaster for all, and is, therefore, improbable. But even the "cold war" jeopardizes the future of mankind, not merely because of the expense involved in the arms race, but also by reason of the universal insecurity which destroys confidence in the present and hope for the future.
5. The most disturbing feature is the fact that, far from uniting under the influence of these dangers, the peoples tend increasingly to draw apart from one another. The world has never been so divided by struggles for power and by ideological conflicts. The equilibrium between the destructive forces of the dominant Powers has led the world towards an impasse. The stubborn clinging by these same Powers to their political positions threatens to convert the impasse into general catastrophe.
The peaceful unarmed nations watch the development of this threatening situation without belonging to the small group that decide on war or peace but they constitute none the less the great majority that will suffer from war's disastrous results. It is thus entirely natural that countries like Brazil should be led to adopt an independent position on the world stage, with the rightful purpose of exerting their influence to reduce tensions, resolve disputes and gradually consolidate peace. Such a position of independence does not mean the abandonment of the values inherent in our traditions, or of our international obligations. Brazil is not prepared to discard the Christian and democratic features of its national personality, or to forget in the future, any more than it has forgotten in the past, the pledging of its word in international instruments. But countries like ours, although not armed for war, can constitute powerful factors for peace. Full awareness of their political maturity obliges them to direct their own destinies. Independence cannot be dissociated from solidarity, which, without independence, would be tantamount to subordination. But subordination is incompatible with responsibility, and responsibility is a necessary element in any international action.
7. In domestic affairs, political decisions are taken on the basis of authority. That is a prerogative of sovereign power, inherent in the institution of the State. In international affairs, on the other hand, political decisions can be taken only through a process of agreement. The modicum of authority existing at the international level transcends the sovereignty of States and rests with the international organizations.
8. Fully conscious of these facts, Brazil practises and encourages direct and peaceful negotiation for the settlement of disputes between States, and also collaborates without reservation in the work of international organizations. We have no commitment, no interest, no aspiration that can prevent us from acting in conformity with the highest purposes of the United Nations.
9. International action should always be undertaken in good faith -- which does not mean that it cannot be flexible. The relatively homogeneous ideological and institutional patterns that characterized the States members of the international community when the- number of sovereign peoples was still small are now a thing of the past. The contacts of our time are between States of a far larger international community, in which the most disparate forms of government are present.
10. It is clear that Governments should be tailored to men, not men to Governments, and that the ideal which merits our constant support is the universal existence, under all types of government, of laws that reflect human freedom and dignity.
11. This conviction and the resulting action do not, however, impose on us a rigidly doctrinaire policy in international affairs. Such a policy would involve inevitable collision with countries where such conceptions are unknown or countries where they are applied in a different way. This would rule out persuasive negotiation, the only method of securing the gradual recognition of human rights. It must thus be concluded that, in this field as well, peace is a prerequisite for the establishment of justice.
12. Furthermore, human rights are not confined to individual rights. True, individual rights are necessary to the assertion of man's spiritual dignity. But human rights are also social rights. Brazil thus recognizes that rights which we once regarded as being confined to the individual sphere should be extended to the social sphere. Human freedom and world peace necessarily depend on social progress.
13. The world is not divided merely into East and West. This ideological cleavage makes us forget the existence of yet another division, not ideological, but economic and social—that between the Northern and Southern hemispheres. But although "rapprochement" between the East and the West is attainable by ideological compromise, the immense contrast between North and South can be reduced only by planned action for effective aid by the developed countries of the North to the under-developed countries of the South.
14. The most important political event of the twentieth century is national self-assertion. Scores of nations have been transformed into new States. Pacificism is therefore no longer the supra-national doctrine that it once was. Pacifism today merges with respect for nationalism. Either peace will be built on the basis of acceptance of the self-determination of peoples, or nationalism will be converted into a pretext for wars that will lead merely to greater economic and ideological enslavement.
15. Brazil maintains that, under present world conditions, peace can be won only through plain respect for the principles of true self-determination—the ideal framework within which to negotiate the solution of differences between States, irrespective of their social and political structure.
16. We are well aware that this result will not be easy to achieve, but we hope that it will be possible, for it is the only formula likely to end the ``cold war" and remove the threat of total war. Self-determination means the end of colonialism — whether its colonies overseas or in colonies close to the parent State—and the end of political, economic, ideological or racial oppression; the victory of peace. But self- determination, to be genuine, presupposes the free exercise of the people's will, in the only possible form—namely, the expression of the will of the majority.
17. The Brazilian people has given practical proof that it is unswerving in its loyalty to the representative principle, which alone can guarantee political freedom. Authoritarian democracy neither seduces nor convinces us. My country has recently resolved one of the greatest institutional crises in its history, without sacrificing its democratic and representative principles—as the whole world has witnessed.
18. Brazil is following very closely the development of the Cuban situation. It continues to maintain that respect for sovereignty, based on the principle of non-intervention, is a compelling obligation in international life and an essential condition for the restoration of continental harmony. Considering, therefore, that Cuba alone can forge its own destiny, Brazil expresses its conviction that, thanks to this process, the democratic ideals and principles which inspire
pan-Americanism and owe so much to the political culture of the Cuban people will prevail.
19. The liberation movement of the former colonial peoples will experience no retreat. Brazil, itself a former colony, is building a new civilization, in land that is largely tropical and is inhabited by people of all races. Its destiny thus imposes on it a line of policy that is unalterably anti-colonialist and anti- racialist.
20. Our brotherly relations with Portugal and our traditional friendship with France cannot prevent us from taking up a very clear position on the painful differences that colonialism in Africa is raising between the United Nations and these two countries to which we owe so much and with which we still have so much in common.
21. We think that these two States should bring about self-determination in Algeria and Angola. Nothing will prevent the liberation of Africa. It seems clear that that continent has no desire to fall under the influence of any of the existing blocs. It wishes to assert its own personality, that is, to win its freedom. My country will always lend its aid to the African countries in this legitimate effort of theirs. It hopes that the new African States will guarantee complete respect for the rights of their citizens and of the foreigners living in them, including, naturally, the nationals of the countries which colonized Africa. This has been Brazil's attitude ever since its conquest of independence.
22. We must not forget that, while the world today is witnessing the liberation of non-European peoples, it is also witnessing the reverse and deplorable process of the oppression of other peoples in the very heart of Europe. The problem of Berlin is inseparable from that of the self-determination of Eastern Germany. The exodus of the refugees is proof of this type of neo-colonialism.
23. The German nation has the right to constitute a single State, by a democratic process guaranteeing the free expression of its people's will. Application of the principle of self-determination can have no other consequence. The United Nations cannot agree that any Power, on the basis of a status quo deriving from a position of strength, should permanently obstruct that development.
24. Brazil hopes that the leaders of the Soviet Union and of the United States, moved by the desire to maintain peace, can reach a compromise which will lead to a peaceful settlement of the Berlin problem.
25. The logical sequence of anti-colonialism is anti- racialism. Brazil cannot but deplore the survival of racialism in various parts of the world, especially in South Africa where the problem is assuming tragic proportions from the historical and human standpoint. My country will support any action which the United Nations may take to put an end to racial discrimination.
26. The struggle between the East and the West is essentially ideological in character. The present division between the United States and the Soviet Union is caused neither by economic rivalry nor by a fight for markets. It is a clash between two political philosophies, each of which maintains the primacy of its OWN concept In relation to the destiny of man.
27. Although its own ideological position is clearly- defined, Brazil in its international relations seeks always to be guided by Article 1, paragraph 2, of the United Nations Charter, which states it to be a purpose of the Organization "to develop friendly relations among nations based on respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples, and to take other appropriate measures to strengthen
Universal peace". Hence, ideological differences per se will not prevent Brazil from maintaining relations with any other people.
28. Furthermore, Brazil believes that the United Nations cannot shirk the open discussion of questions which concern it or are submitted to it by one or more of its Members. My delegation accordingly favours discussion of the question of the representation of China, which, despite its undeniable importance, has long been evaded.
29. Brazil's political philosophy is basically democratic in nature. We are not neutralist in the sense of belonging to a "third group", although we often find ourselves in agreement with the group of countries so described.
30. For that reason we shall continue to advocate world disarmament, Utopian though it may, as at present, seem. Brazil is convinced that the United Nations must be the focal point for the discussion and control of world disarmament. Financial savings resulting from disarmament can help to solve the problem of countries' under-development, and contribute materially to the strengthening of peace.
31. Unfortunately, the only advance achieved in this field—the voluntary suspension of nuclear tests—has just been brutally cancelled out by actions which can only be regretted. Brazil, like other peaceful nations, cannot but protest against this new menace, and urges immediate negotiations with a view to restoring and, if possible, consolidating the de facto truce through the conclusion of a treaty.
32. The resumption of atomic testing is all the more grievous in that the resuming Power is the very one which had placed itself at the head of the world movement for the cessation of nuclear weapon tests.
33. It is our constant endeavour to strengthen the United Nations, as the main instrument for peace in today's world. We shall, therefore strongly oppose any proposal likely to reduce the effectiveness or power of action or, in particular, to break up the unity of the Secretariat.
34. Brazil has remained steadfastly faithful to the American community throughout its evolution.
35. Independence and democracy were achieved by our countries at different times and in varying degrees. These basic prizes, however, do not represent the close of our development. They are the instruments for further achievements—above all, economic progress and social justice. Brazil, without claiming any special position of prominence or desiring the creation of blocs- does not forget the community of ethnic and cultural origin which links it to the other Latin American countries, and it will always be at their side in the struggle for the advancement of their peoples.
36. Brazil is convinced that the United Nations, despite all its weaknesses, is the only body which can hold the balance between the contending camps and make peace secure. Eschewing all considerations of interest or prejudice, Brazil "will, within the United Nations, dedicate itself to the cause of the self- determination of peoples, the struggle against every form of colonialism and racialism, the social advancement and progress of the under-developed countries, democratic freedom within the framework of true coexistence, and peace among men under the protection of God.