At the outset, may I discharge the pleasant duty of expressing to each and all the representatives of Member States of the United Nations the gratitude of my country, and particularly of the delegation which I have the honour to lead, for the election of Colombia to the Security Council. We shall endeavour, in the Council, to further the aims which justify the existence of the United Nations, and we shall also try by all means within our power to promote agreement among the members of the Council and to see whether the iron system which sometimes paralyses it by the frequent use of the right of the veto may in this way be eliminated.
2. I must also express to the Secretary-General, Mr. Trygve Lie, my delegation’s appreciation of the invaluable service he has rendered to the cause of the United Nations and our hopes that the problem which has arisen as a result of his resignation may be satisfactorily settled.
3. At the fifth session of the General Assembly, the head of our delegation, Mr. Roberto Urdaneta Arbeláez, now President of Colombia, expressed our ideas on the nature and scope of the general debate in terms which I shall, if you will permit me, repeat in the belief that they are most timely. I quote : “The practice of beginning sessions of the Assembly with a general .debate should be recognized as affording the governments represented here an opportunity to state early in the session their attitude on the most important items on the agenda; thus an idea may be obtained of the general outline of the proceedings of the most important organ of the United Nations, and the world, anxious to learn the views of the Assembly, can without delay, form an opinion concerning the objectives of the Member States of the Organization and the responsibilities each one of them is prepared to assume”.
4. Following this trend of thought, I think that statements in this kind of debate can be made with the utmost clarity and simplicity if we examine the items on the agenda in the light of the principles which inspired the establishment of the United Nations in 1945. A cursory glance at the first few pages of the Charter suffices to show that its postulates comprise what may be called without exaggeration the first code in the world with respect to human rights, moral principles and principles of good relations among nations for the purpose of ensuring universal and lasting peace. There are to be found all the standards which, if dispassionately and sincerely applied, could easily lead to the attainment of the aims upon which the Organization rests. These principles, with which you are all familiar, can be rapidly summarized as follows: to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, as the creature of God, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small; to uphold justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law; to promote social progress and better standards of life for workers in larger freedom: to encourage peoples to practise tolerance and to live together in peace with one another as good neighbours; to unite the strength of the nations to maintain international peace and security; to institute methods to ensure that armed force shall not be used save in the common interest; to employ international machinery for the promotion of the economic and social advancement of all peoples; to take effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to the peace; to suppress, by armed "force, if necessary, any acts of aggression or breaches of the peace ; to settle by peaceful means any situation which might lead to a breach of the peace; to develop friendly relations among nations based on respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples; to encourage respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion; to fulfil in good faith the obligations arising out of the United Nations Charter; to settle all international controversies by peaceful means; to refrain from the threat or use Of force against the integrity of independence of any State; to give assistance in any action in accordance with the Charter, and to refrain from giving assistance to any State against which the United Nations is taking preventive or enforcement action.
5. We shall not easily find a nobler, stronger or simpler statement of a body of international principles capable, if applied, of preserving mankind from the tragic and disturbing threat of war, When we consider the work so far accomplished by the United Nations, the enthusiasm engendered by the excellence of those principles must inevitably be darkened with some degree of scepticism in view of the patent fact that many of the previous declarations of nations have been forgotten, and even in some cases violated, by their conduct. The Colombian delegation has of course, no intention of taking advantage of this general debate to make specific criticisms of particular countries, but it is a fact that wherever we look we find that one or more of these fundamental principles have been flouted.
6. In the Far East, a peaceful country is the victim of unprovoked aggression. Elsewhere we hear the protests of an oppressed minority. In other parts of the world there are peoples demanding that the principle of self-determination shall be respected. Everywhere there is a cry for more effective economic and social technical assistance while, as time goes on, the limitation of armaments and subsequent disarmament seem to be impossible. Does this mean that we have lost faith in the great mission of the United Nations? It does not! As far as my country is concerned, my delegation can say, without false pride, that Colombia continues to have unwavering faith in the United Nations and in the great future it will enjoy if we are prepared, in the words of the Charter, to fulfil in good faith the obligations we assumed on signing it at San Francisco.
7. Disheartening as these facts may be, the United Nations has achieved one thing which in itself compensates for all the failures and discouragements and sustains our confidence in the future of the world under the guidance of the Organization. The old secret diplomacy, in which only a few States participated, in which public opinion played no part and the peoples were ignored, has, thanks to the United Nations, disappeared and been replaced by what may be called an “open-door diplomacy”, in which the whole world participates, with the peoples of the world as spectators to judge our every action. The discussion of great international questions in meetings open to all has the inestimable advantage that our work is accompanied by the building up of world public opinion, which is an imponderable element of enormous importance for the satisfactory progress of world history. That fact alone, even if there were no others, would of itself be enough to confirm our unshaken faith in the efficacy of our Organization and our confidence in its dazzling future.
8. Turning to the specific items on the agenda, I propose to select and to say a few words about those which the delegation of Colombia considers to be most important and timely, since for practical reasons it is impossible to review the whole of our heavy programme of work. I propose, therefore, to glance briefly at the following: economic and social measures; admission of new Members; the question of the Union of South Africa; Tunis and Morocco; Korea and collective security; the limitation of armaments.
9. I shall start with economic and social measures, I should like to explain the Colombian delegation’s views with regard to the application of Article 55 of the Charter in connexion with the economic development of the under-developed countries to promote “higher standards of living, full employment, and conditions of economic and social progress and development”. Colombia considers that these goals which the United Nations seeks to attain by means of international co-operation are essential to the maintenance of a genuine spirit of international solidarity, understanding and co-operation. The experience gained in the economic development of Colombia which is now proceeding provides striking proof of the value of international co-operation in this matter. At the same time, the anticipated results of the full development of our national resources show how desirable it is that such co-operation should be substantially and steadily increased.
10. The economic development of Colombia is being carried out along the lines recommended by the United Nations, since our efforts to develop our economy are being backed by financial assistance from both international bodies and private foreign investors and by external technical assistance. I refer to the execution, which is now proceeding, of Colombia’s programme of national economic development, which was prepared on the basis of the studies undertaken by the mission sent by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and reviewed by a non-political committee of Colombian economists. This programme is being put into effect with the help of foreign loans and foreign experts, which help has been obtained in conformity with the spirit of the United Nations, The most important loans are those made by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development for the reconstruction of trunk highways and the construction of the river Magdalena railway, an undertaking of special economic significance to Colombia, and the loan granted by the Banque de Paris et des Pays-Bas to the Paz del Rio iron and steel works, another undertaking of the greatest importance. We have also received constant assistance from the Export-Import Bank. As regards technical assistance, many experts whose services have been secured under agreements between my Government and the United Nations and specialized agencies are in Colombia co-operating in the execution of the plan. Experts furnished by the Organization of American States and the United States Government are also co-operating, In its present development programme, Colombia has thus received assistance from three different international programmes of technical assistance — the Expanded Programme of Technical Assistance of the United Nations and its specialized agencies, the programme of the Organization of American States and the Point Four programme.
11. From the outset, the economic development programme in Colombia has produced positive results contributing towards the improvement of economic and social conditions. For example, we have achieved real economic and monetary stability and a steady increase in agricultural and industrial production. These results are the outcome of a great many co-ordinated measures, including monetary control, exchange reform, selective credit measures, rationalization of the budget, the freeing of foreign trade and the provision of export incentives. To carry out the plan, a national planning committee, consisting of qualified statesmen belonging to the leading political parties, has been set up. A very important aspect of our economic development plan is the encouragement of private foreign investments. With this end in view, legislation was recently enacted approving new regulations regarding foreign capital and providing the broadest guarantees in regard to non-discriminatory treatment, complete freedom of investment in all sectors and the right to export capital and profits at any time. In view of these regulations and existing conditions in Colombia, it is reasonable to hope that foreign private capital will make an increasingly important contribution to our development.
12. At the present time, foreign investments in Colombia amount to over $400 million, and a great many United States and European companies have started operations in Colombia in the course of this year. Since capital is by nature cautious and retiring, the figure affords a striking indication of the social stability enjoyed by Colombia. Of course, the increase in foreign investments also depends on factors beyond the control of my country, such as the taxation imposed in the United States and other countries on capital invested abroad, which we should like to see reduced in the interests of international economic co-operation. Given the satisfactory results of the collective assistance furnished to the Colombian economic development programme, my delegation wholeheartedly supports any action to strengthen such co-operation in the form of financing from public and private sources and the provision of technical assistance.
13. As one effective example of international co-operation for economic development, I must mention the success of the Expert Working Group on Iron and Steel Industry in Latin America convened by the Economic Commission for Latin America at Bogota last October. Twenty American and European countries sent delegations of the most distinguished persons in the realm of science, and there was a fruitful discussion of eighty-five papers on conditions and prospects in this basic industry.
14. As regards the admission of new Members, the Colombian delegation can only affirm the theory that, under Articles 4 and 27 of the Charter, the Assembly can admit a new Member even after a veto in the Security Council, if the other members of the Council, whether permanent or not permanent, voted for the recommendation for the admission of the new Member. My delegation which has just received the high honour of being elected to the Security Council by one of the highest votes on record, felt bound to express its opinion on this subject. We cannot accept an interpretation of those articles in accordance with other criteria than those which they themselves define in language which is crystal clear. In the same way, we believe that when the Security Council, owing to the circumstances already referred to, fails to reach agreement on this subject, the General Assembly acquires competence to deal with it. One of the primary purposes of the United Nations should be to achieve absolute universality, which is impossible unless all countries meeting the requirements of Articles 4 and 27 can be admitted. Such countries as Italy, Portugal, Spain — though this last has not applied for admission — Austria and others, which have made so outstanding and decisive a contribution to human progress that the history of mankind could not have been written without them, are excluded from the Organization.
15. With regard to the question of the Union of South Africa, I have no intention of dealing with the substance of this thorny problem, since there will be an opportunity to do so in the committee, but I should like to refer to it because the solution found is of the utmost importance to respect for the dignity of the human person and the right of men to live in freedom which allows them freely to shape their own destiny. I do not wish in any way to criticize the illustrious South African nation, whose citizens have some most excellent qualities. I wish only, without criticizing or slighting anyone, to place on record my delegation’s hope that with the co-operation and consent of that nation, we shall find a just formula which will in no way impair another principle of equal importance, that of non-interference in the domestic affairs of countries, to which Colombia has faithfully adhered since the first days of its independence and to which it will continue to adhere,
16. The questions of Tunisia and Morocco are similar. Here we are concerned directly with the so-called colonial policy, concerning which Colombia, as a result! of its own history, has ideas and views which I need; not repeat this afternoon. But although this historical reason may seem inadequate to some, I should also recall that the settlement of this problem is directly related to another fundamental principle of the United Nations. I fully realize, and I should like to say as clearly as I can, that it is one thing to formulate principles in the abstract and another to apply them in practice to concrete cases, many of which present complications that cannot easily be dealt with. As in the case of South Africa, my delegation is ready to co-operate in any solution which may meet with the approval of the parties concerned, because we are convinced that only thus can we achieve lasting settlement and preserve the essential principle of noninterference.
17. As for the Korean situation, we may regard it as the crucial question facing the Assembly at its seventh session, since it is a sad fact that in that question every principle of the Charter has been violated; at the same time, we can console ourselves with the thought that there is no question in which the future of the United Nations is so much at stake or in which the principal machinery for the preservation of world peace is being so thoroughly employed. This is not a case of imperialist war or of war for purposes of conquest. It is not a case of one national army fighting another. In Korea, perhaps for the first time in the history of mankind, the principle of collective security and defence against aggression is being put to the test. The soldiers of the United Nations, under the Unified Command, are engaged, not in an international war, in the old meaning of that expression, but in what should rather be called a police action, to defend a State against unjust aggression and to engage in open warfare for the victory of the principles which guide and inspire the United Nations. It is this moral fact which confers upon the United Nations in its battle in Korea an authority which should in itself have been sufficient to bring the conflict to an end.
18. Since, as the States which are now closing the door to any possibility of concluding an armistice admit, the treatment of prisoners of war is the only remaining obstacle, the Colombian delegation can state its opinion on this point briefly and precisely. We consider that the prisoners should be released and repatriated, not by force, but in accordance with their wishes. We should like to express our earnest hope that in the debate now proceeding on this matter in the First Committee, a satisfactory formula may be found to answer the prayer of all the peoples of the world that this tragic bloodshed may be brought to an end.
19. I come now to the question of the limitation of armaments. The intervention of a country like Colombia in a problem of such immense complexity as the limitation of armaments and the resulting disarmament may seem somewhat out of place, because it is not the small countries which decide whether there is to be peace or war. But the fact that Colombia is a Member of the United Nations and one of the seventeen countries whose troops and warships are serving under the United Nations Unified Command and fighting the Korean war to defend collective security against aggression qualifies me, I believe, to make a few comments on this item on the agenda. Furthermore, the fact that Colombia is a small country places it in the happy position of being able to act with impartiality and without passion.
20. It has been said many times that if the great Powers were to devote to the organization and maintenance of peace the energy they devote to preparing for war, the destiny of man would be changed and the primary objective of the United Nations would be much nearer attainment. Consider for a moment how many social and economic schemes to raise the standard of living of the under-developed peoples could be successfully completed with even a fraction of the sums now being spent by the great Powers for war-like purposes. It is in the light of these considerations, of these arguments, that mankind must face the most tragic and terrible of questions — the alarming development of modern armament technique since science succeeded in harnessing nuclear energy.
21. Man is the only animal in creation endowed to some extent with the highly dangerous power of freeing himself from the laws of nature and even modifying them. The use of that power for good or evil sets his greatest moral problem. For the first time, man is in a position to make a weapon of such destructive power that he can not only instantly destroy his enemy, but may even end the history of mankind upon the earth by annihilating the human race. It is tragic that not even that prospect can make the great Powers regard with awe and fear the employment of a weapon of destruction which may not only endanger the temporal life of men but even threatens the spiritual destiny of mankind.
22. My excuse for this digression is the profound anxiety with which the peaceful peoples of the earth regard the present frenzied armaments race. Only the implementation of the recommendations of previous sessions of the General Assembly regarding the limitation of armaments and disarmament can deliver mankind from this horrifying prospect.
23. In conclusion, my delegation wishes to express its most sincere wish for the success of the seventh session of the General Assembly. We promise other Member States to co-operate with them by complying unfalteringly with decisions validly taken by the Assembly and by the representative organs of the United Nations.