1. At this stage of the general debate, when many eminent speakers have already most eloquently sung your praises, paid tribute to your personal qualities and stressed the honour conferred upon Ghana and upon Africa, it is difficult to add one’s voice to all those which have congratulated you from this rostrum on your unanimous election to the Presidency of this, the greatest Assembly in the world, without giving the impression that we are engaged in an exchange of purely polite formalities. I feel compelled, nevertheless, to convey to you the very sincere congratulations of the entire Congolese people, which attaches a very special significance to your election.
2. The fact that you have the honourable task of presiding over our debates today is more than an indication of the Organization’s recognition of a diplomat who, for eight years, has spared no effort to advance the cause of peace, liberty and human equality; we also regard your election, coming as it does three years after that of President Mongi Slim, as one of those events which give expression to the rehabilitation of Africa and reflect the latter's realization of the increasingly important part which our continent is destined to play in international relations.
3. I refer to the rehabilitation of Africa because our continent, after initiating what is nowadays conventionally called "civilization", went on to the most humiliating form of colonialism and the most hateful exploitation, and fell into the deepest oblivion. When the United Nations Charter was drafted at San Francisco, only three independent African countries existed; today, thirty-five African countries have recovered their full sovereignty. Of these thirty-five, two have just become Members of this Organization, together with Malta, and my delegation is very happy to bid them welcome to this great international forum. We are convinced that their whole-hearted collaboration will contribute to the strengthening of world peace.
4. I spoke of Africa’s realization of the part it is destined to play because of the commendable sportsmanship with which two of its sons, Sudan and Liberia, were able to pocket their pride and withdraw their candidature for the Presidency of the present session.
5. These are facts, actions which strengthen our conviction that the Africa of tomorrow will restore to the world the balance it needs for a lasting peace. The geographical location of our continent, its vast natural resources and its historical vocation predispose it for this role. All that is necessary for Africa to be able to play this part fully is that Africans should be profoundly convinced of its necessity, that they should no longer allow themselves to be indoctrinated by one side or another and that they work towards the full flowering of the African personality with every means at their disposal.
6. Our State and Government Heads gave practical form to this idea in taking, at the Addis Ababa Conference, the historic decision which created the Organization of African Unity.
7. We in the Congo have unshakable faith in this organization because — and it is this very fact which escapes the enemies of Africa — although the Organization of African Unity has set itself political, economic or social objectives, although it has established basic principles similar to those which govern us in the United Nations, our organization is above all the expression in juridical form of a current of strength shaped by a complex of common traditions and ideas. In other words, the most that can be achieved by the schemes at present being engineered by the imperialists in order to checkmate the Organization of African Unity is to rob it of its juridical form — if that — without depriving it of its essential substance.
8. So far as concerns the schemes I have referred to, you know how skilfully secret forces have stirred up the Algerian-Moroccan conflict, the Somali-Ethiopian dispute and the Somali-Kenyan dispute, and the cynical satisfaction with which the hope has been cherished that our organization, so recently born, should disintegrate in face of the difficulties confronting it.
9. Today, after the United States and Belgian aggression in Stanleyville, the imperialist Press is predicting the breakdown of the Organization of African Unity. The way to this outcome is obvious: all that is necessary is to set African against African. The tools for this task are readily available among the ranks of the traitors who are Africans in name only. The debates which are at present taking place on the Congo in the Security Council show that this is so. For the first time, the world has seen an African, one of these men of straw, one of these perfect products of neo-colonialism, daring to speak up in defence, not of the legality of a regime, as one might have expected, but of what clearly amounts to racial genocide. These men of straw, unfortunately, are still fairly numerous in Africa.
10. The people of the Congo (Leopoldville), who are suffering an indescribable crisis, one skilfully initiated and maintained in existence by the imperialists since the accession of their country to independence, have just been clumsily and deceitfully robbed of the exercise of their sovereignty by one of these perfect instruments of neo-colonialism, the eminent Dr. Moise Tshombé.
11. Who is Mr. Tshombé? Two years ago today, to the very day, his present representative in the United Nations gave us the following definition of him, which will remain eternally valid: "A puppet supported by vast sums of money, the friend of the racists of Southern Rhodesia and South Africa and of reactionary and fascist circles in certain States, a hunter whose favourite and easy quarry is the Baluba"—today one would say the Batetelas—"the man who ordered aircraft to bomb Kongolo and the neighbouring villages "—today one would say Albertville, Kindu, Bukavu, etc. — "killing women and children indiscriminately". And the representative of Mr. Tshombé, whom I should like to thank for this definition, which is as accurate as it is pertinent, mentioned in addition that the puppet's facile slogan was anti-communism.
12. I do not feel it necessary to dwell on this very stirring characterization of the man who will soon be consecrated in the blood of the Congolese people as the greatest leader of his country, but I would like to say that in reality the Congolese tragedy revolves around one theme: the exploitation of the people of this unfortunate country, on the pretext of the fight against communism.
13. When a sufficient number of really responsible Africans understand this, the tragedy of the Congo will work itself out almost unaided, and our brothers on the other side of the river will be able not only to exercise their independence anew, but to profit themselves by their huge natural resources, for they certainly today represent those Africans whom Governor General Eboué described as "starving men sleeping on a sack of gold".
14. It is time responsible Africans awakened to the truth of what is taking place in the Congo and refused to be lulled by such slogans as the fight against communism or the fight against Chinese infiltration into Africa. It is this awakening that will largely decide the future of the Organization of African Unity, within which the detractors of Africa are trying to create trends by very clumsily insinuating such out-of-date notions as white, or, as it is sometimes called, Arab Africa, black Africa, the pro-West Monrovia group, the pro-communist, or "pro-Chinese" Casablanca group.
15. What crime has the People's Republic of China committed? Its only crime is that of having chosen for itself the regime which best serves the legitimate aspirations of its people. In the eyes of certain Members of the United Nations, that is sufficient reason for systematically opposing the restoration of the legitimate rights of this great peace-loving country, a founder Member of the Organization. For the Congolese people, the problem of the two Chinas does not exist. The so-called Republic of Taiwan is nothing more than a den of reactionaries, dedicated body and soul to the imperialist cause, representing neither the Chinese people nor their interests.
16. The Chinese policy of the United Nations is a sickening anachronism which must be ended immediately. This policy clearly reflects the lack of balance existing in the great international family, and shows the extent to which certain countries use the Organization as a "Trojan horse". Only the restoration of the legitimate rights of the People's Republic of China will allow the United Nations to achieve the balance which it so much needs to play its role fully and impartially.
17. Yes, we must have the courage to say that the United Nations lacks balance. And it may even be added that it is this lack of balance which is the cause of the many failures which the Organization experiences.
18. This lack of balance is the sole cause of the present financial crisis in the United Nations.
19. The Congolese delegation opposes the tendency of some great Powers, whichever they may be, to use their influence to create areas of tension in the world, secure the intervention of United Nations forces in those areas, install themselves there as neocolonialists and apply policies there which conform to their own selfish interests.
20. It is this lack of balance also which explains the hypocritical atmosphere which reigns within these walls and the impotence of the United Nations to deal with the obstinacy of Portugal and of the racialists of South Africa and Southern Rhodesia in their colonialist policy of apartheid. From this rostrum, the imperialist Powers condemn the Governments or so-called Governments of these three countries. But the massive means of destruction which these same Powers make available to the Governments in question are no longer a secret to anyone.
21. That is why it is more important than ever before that the African countries in particular, and all the non-aligned countries in general, should work energetically towards the establishment of a genuine balance within the United Nations.
22. The present lack of balance in the United Nations distorts all political relations between Member States; but it is even more serious in the economic sphere. Many true or false conclusions have been drawn from the Geneva Conference on Trade and Development, but there is one conclusion at least of which we can be sure: the imperialist Powers are not in favour of the immediate dissolution of colonial bonds, and wish to perpetuate an economy of exploitation in the developing countries.
23. So long as the industrialized countries of the West continue to regard Asia, Latin America and Africa as mere reserves of raw materials and outlets for their manufactures, with all the operations involved contributing to the profit of themselves alone, it will be impossible to establish a new international order in economic relations; moreover, it seems likely that the consequence of this attitude will inevitably be a clash between the "have-nots" and the "haves".
24. However, we remain optimistic, and believe that the breaking point will never be reached. And there is evidence to suggest that we are not deluding ourselves. As we all know, some countries have already wisely explained to their people that co-operation, of which the most familiar form is assistance to under-developed countries, is a new form of relations which benefits the assisting as much as the assisted countries.
25. Once this idea of co-operation is properly understood by all the peoples of the world, we shall be able to say that we are on the right road1, the road which, before it leads us to lasting world peace, will first have given every man, whoever he maybe, living conditions which are acceptable and worthy of his human dignity. If these objectives are to be reached, there is one thing that is absolutely essential: to restore the balance of the United Nations.
26. These are the few modest suggestions and ideas which the delegation of the Congo (Brazzaville) has wished to bring before this distinguished Assembly.