1. I have great pleasure in offering Mr. Belaúnde, our President, the sincere congratulations of the Lebanese delegation. We hope that under his guidance the fourteenth session of the Assembly will be distinguished by a sincere spirit of international collaboration and by the quality of its debates. His career and the eminent services he has already rendered are a guarantee of the fulfilment of our wishes.
2. The task of expounding my country’s views on the questions which concern it has to some extent been made easier for me, and I am sure for many others, by what has already been said by the eminent speakers who have preceded me on this rostrum.
3. There is no need for pie to say that Lebanon shares the anxieties and the hopes of other Member States with regard to the maintenance of peace, the struggle against disease, poverty and ignorance, the respect for human dignity and the attainment of freedom by all those nations that are as yet deprived of it.
4. A perusal of the agenda of the present session is sufficient to give an idea of the problems which are awaiting solution. In that connexion, we are fully aware of the criticisms that are sometimes levelled against our Organization. Its activities are more often the subject of censure than of realistic appraisal. Obviously, like all human institutions, the United Nations is imperfect. We hope that the amendments proposed with a view to modifying its structure and its functions will be examined with wisdom and impartiality.
5. When we look at it as it is today, we experience a feeling of satisfaction because we see that its aim of universality is not an empty word. The number of Member States is increasing every year. For many years to come, however, this numerical advance cannot substantially change the de facto situation which prevails today, in which a small number of Powers, because they possess nuclear weapons, exercise a decisive influence on the conduct of world affairs. This is a formidable burden which to imposed on them by the size of their territories, their populations and their resources. But these Powers, which, by the good understanding between them, by their observance of international law and by the justice of their actions, can ensure world peace, could just as well, if they proved unworthy of their role and of the ideals they profess, engulf the whole of mankind in a catastrophe from which there would be no survivors.
6. We have understood the significance of the progress made every day in the scientific field, in which space exploration, the prelude to the landing of man on other planets, constitutes the latest victory. In this connexion, we are following with the greatest interest the work done by the committees and conferences set up by the United, Nations for the technical study of such problems as the utilization of atomic energy, the effects of ionizing radiation and the utilization of outer space. The examination of the reports on these subjects forms part of the agenda of our work. May the studies in progress lead only to the peaceful utilization of recent discoveries in accordance with the aims assigned to them by the United Nations.
7. Yet how can we disregard the apprehension expressed by Morocco, and by the group of States which have associated themselves with it on this occasion, on the subject of nuclear tests in the Sahara, which would seriously endanger life and property in the neighbouring territories? Experts and scholars have uttered many warnings and recommendations. May Africa be spared the irreparable damage which would result from these tests.
8. We have broached the subject of Africa, whose development is attracting special attention because it forms a veritable testing-ground for the United Nations. Whether in connexion with human rights, the self-determination of peoples, technical assistance or aid to under-developed countries, this continent offers the Member States magnificent opportunities of putting into practice the fundamental principles of the Charter which they have signed.
9. We are glad to point to the changes which have taken place and which are symbolized by the presence in this Assembly of representatives of young African States and of the Powers under whose authority those States were previously placed. Better still, we are happy to see that, in some cases, free and willing co-operation has been established between the two.
10. Unfortunately, that is not the case in Algeria, where ruthless war is still sowing death and destruction. Neither the United Nations as a whole nor the Member States individually can remain indifferent to the stubborn fight the Algerians have been waging for five years; to do so would be to repudiate their undertakings and their ideals.
11. The Charter of the United Nations defends the right of peoples to self-determination, independence and freedom. General de Gaulle himself, in his recent statements, has been obliged to admit explicitly that the Algerians are entitled to self-determination. But that is not enough. A positive solution of the problem cannot be reached without knowing the opinion of the Algerians as represented by their Provisional Government. Since the Provisional Government of the Republic of Algeria is a principal party in the debate and the only qualified representative, negotiations must be carried on with it if the right of self-determination is to become a reality and if the principles and ideals of the United Nations are to emerge triumphant from the test.
12. We must hope that the day is not far off when indomitable Algeria, and those to whose heroism General de Gaulle has paid a public tribute, will enjoy the benefits of freedom and peace, and when their representatives will sit among us.
13. I now turn to the painful question of the Palestine refugees, which affects all the Arab countries, including my own. The number of these refugees settled in Lebanon now amounts to one tenth of the population of the country. Obviously we shall take a keen interest in the debate on the subject.
14. These refugees owned over 90 per cent of the land in Palestine. It has been taken from them by violence. To assist them would not, therefore, be an act of charity but a duty which will be incumbent on each Member State until they return to their country. We must not allow ourselves to lose sight of the Palestinian tragedy as a whole because of the difficulties with which we have had to contend every day for the past ten years, or the material burden of assistance to the refugees. It is not blind chance, but the United Nations itself, which is mainly responsible for that tragedy.
15. No claims based on prescription or a fait accompli can alter that fact. How can the Arabs forget Palestine after ten years when the Jews had not forgotten it after twenty centuries? At the risk of seeming importunate, I must recall the iniquitous circumstances in which these refugees were driven from their country. In view of those circumstances, there can be no question that their primary right is to return to their homes. What is more, the United Nations cannot disregard its own decisions on that subject.
16. The adoption of whatever steps may be contemplated to relieve the economic situation of the refugees cannot exempt the United Nations from carrying out its essential obligation, which is to enable the refugees to be, immediately repatriated. It is useless to adduce as obstacles such considerations as the smallness of Palestine's territory or the scantiness of its resources. Such arguments will not hold water in view of the pace at which the artificial and forced immigration into Palestine is proceeding. We expect that the United Nations, true to itself, will comply in this matter with the requirements of right and justice.
17. While on the subject of Palestine, I must refer to the tendentious allegations which have been made on this rostrum regarding the Palestine problem in general and the free passage of, Israel ships and cargoes, through the Suez Canal in particular. A State which was set up by violence and injustice, which continues to disregard the resolutions adopted by this Organization, which has been an aggressor and an instigator of wars and disturbances, of which the Suez crisis in 1956 was a striking example, should be the last to appeal to this Organization for help.
18. When the United Arab Republic, which is still in a state of war with Israel, refuses to allow Israel ships and cargoes to pass through the Suez Canal, it is acting to protect its territory in full accordance with the terms of the 1888 Convention and with international law. Lebanon entirely supports the attitude of the United Arab Republic in that respect.
19. Lastly, in the extreme south of the Arabian peninsula, an outdated British policy is depriving peaceful populations of their most elementary rights under the Charter. We hope that there again the principles of the United Nations will be put into practice.
20. These are the observations which I wished to make on the problems included in our agenda.
21. There are of course other problems, different but equally difficult, which, as long as they are not solved, contribute to a greater or lesser extent to the division of the world. An example is the problem formed by the gap between the so-called developed and the so-called under-developed countries. Whereas the former have already acquired the economic structure, capital and technical means and methods necessary constantly to increase, output and to give their peoples a higher level of living, the underdeveloped countries have great difficulty in meeting the needs of their populations, whose growth is accelerated by the considerable progress made in health and medicine. The tragedy of the under-developed countries is that, despite the most strenuous efforts, the development of their resources cannot keep pace with their demographic growth and the needs that this growth gives rise to. To sum up, the rich countries are growing richer while the poor countries are unable to raise themselves out of their misery. This state of affairs is obviously a danger for the equilibrium of the world, which increasing economic interdependence and the progress of communications are leading towards unity.
22. Today the populations of the under-developed countries know that their poverty is not insurmountable. They know that modern science can overcome disease, hunger and ignorance in a relatively short time. They are urging their Governments to improve the conditions in which they live. But the Governments, however great their good will or the extent of their efforts, cannot remedy the situation alone. Without the assistance of the developed countries it would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, for them to achieve progress which calls for an advanced technique and substantial investments.
23. Lebanon is closely following the activities of the United Nations and the specialized agencies in the field of technical assistance. It welcomed with satisfaction the establishment of the Special Fund, which could make a substantial contribution to the study and utilization of economic resources in the underdeveloped countries — the more so, since it was one of the first countries to advocate it. Nevertheless, we consider that the assistance given by the United Nations is still inadequate in view of the needs to be met and the aims to be achieved. We earnestly hope that this assistance will be increased each year.
24. I represent a country whose security and wellbeing are dependent on that world peace and Stability which it is the object of the United Nations to secure. Lebanon, which is a Member of the United Nations, is also a member of the League of Arab States, a regional organization in which fraternal co-operation between States finds full and complete expression. Lebanon, faithful to the Charter of the United Nations and to its obligations towards the League, offers its hand to all peace-loving peoples in a spirit of cooperation and brotherhood.