34. Mr. President, the delegation of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania wishes to associate Itself with ail the delegations which have preceded us at this rostrum in offering you its warm congratulations on your unanimous election to the Presidency of this twenty- second session of the General Assembly of our Organization. Your qualifications as a distinguished diplomat, bearing a great responsibility for your country's foreign policy, command the admiration of all who know you. We have every reason to believe that under your firm and wise leadership the work of the current session will proceed under the best conditions, thus enhancing the authority of our Organization to the point where each Member State will agree to abide by the fundamental principles of the Charter.
35. We would also like to express our deep gratitude to your predecessor, Mr. Pazhwak, who presided with authority, tact and a keen sense of justice and fairness over the many meetings of our Assembly during the three sessions held since his election to the presidency of the twenty-first regular session of the United Nations General Assembly.
36. My delegation would like once again to mention how much the Mauritanian people and its leaders appreciate the admirable way in which the Secretary- General, U Thant, is carrying out his lofty and difficult mission, thus earning the esteem and confidence of freedom- and justice-loving peoples. We should, like to renew to him our assurance that the active support of the Mauritanian Government and people will not fail him in the courageous and constant struggle being waged to gain respect for the fundamental principles of the United Nations Charter, and for the maintenance of peace and harmony in the world.
37. The Islamic Republic of Mauritania, a country where all races and all currents of African thought meet and find mutual inspiration and enrichment, aspires to be an agent for union and understanding in Africa, and to contribute to reconciliation among men and to the maintenance of peace.
38. The Mauritanian people’s deep attachment to the fundamental principles of the Charter of our Organization is based on the keen sense of justice and respect for the dignity of man that is one of the most typical assets of Mauritanian society; in other words, racial or religious prejudices are completely foreign to our outlook on the serious problems troubling the world in which we live.
39. As a small country, and as a non-aligned African country, as an active member of the Organization of African Unity, the Islamic Republic of Mauritania is determined to stand firmly alongside those who are struggling against the forces launched by the imperialist countries to conquer those who reject their domination. Our active support is unhesitatingly given to people struggling in defence of their dignity, their territorial integrity, their freedom and their independence. If that stand reflects the most deep-rooted aspirations of the Mauritanian people, we are happy to recall that It is also in full accordance with the principles set forth by Africa in the Charter adopted in 1963 at Addis Ababa, when the Organization of African Unity was established.
40. Even more recently, at Kinshasa, the African Heads of State and Government, ^inspired by the same principles of respect for the sovereignty and territorial Integrity of States, unequivocally condemned under that same heading the mercenary activity in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the heinous aggression perpetrated against the United Arab Republic by the Israel forces and the military occupation of a portion of the territory of that State, which is a founding member of the Organization of African Unity, as well as the criminal activities of the secessionists whose action, harmful to the interests of Africa, is creating a tragic and grave situation in the Federation of Nigeria.
41. At a time when what Mr. Pazhwak has called the "malevolent forces of violence" [1560th meeting, para. 18] have been unleashed — in other words, when fierce attacks are being launched throughout the world by imperialism against the freedom, sovereignty and progress of peoples — the common destiny of the countries of the Third World has a profound significance for the Government and people of Mauritania. It is indeed obvious that no African, Asian or Latin American country is safe from the outbreaks of violence resulting from repeated violations of the fundamental principles of the United Nations Charter which are being perpetrated by the imperialist Powers against the freedom of peoples. Those serious violations of the principles of sovereignty, the territorial Integrity of all States and the right of peoples to self- determination are being perpetrated in Africa, in the Middle East and in South-East Asia.
42. With regard to the Middle East, the delegation of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania has already had occasion, during the fifth emergency special session [1531st meeting], to express to this Assembly the grave concern which the Israel aggression and its aftermath have aroused in the people and Government of Mauritania. We are indeed deeply disturbed by what is taking place on the territory of the United Arab Republic, the Syrian Arab Republic and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
43. We have no doubt whatsoever concerning the active collusion of the United States of America and Great Britain with the Zionist authorities in Israel during the preparation and implementation of the aggression of 5 June 1967, by which the Tel Aviv leaders deliberately created a serious crisis in the Middle East. The tendentious efforts made by the powerful Information media, part of a widespread conspiracy among the imperialist countries, to exonerate the Zionist authorities of Tel Aviv by putting the entire blame on the Arab victims of the aggression of 5 June, are deceiving no one. At any rate, no delegation present here will be deceived by them.
44. In the light of the objective account, supported by relevant quotations, that was made before the General Assembly at its 1573rd meeting by Mr. Riad, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Republic, it has become clear to those who may not have been previously convinced that the Zionist authorities of Tel Aviv were well aware that no attack whatsoever was being planned against their country at the time they unleashed their aggression against the United Arab Republic, the Syrian Arab Republic and Jordan.
45. Every Member of our Organization is in duty bound to face the facts.
46. The painful memories of the martyrdom of more than 6 million Jewish victims of German nazism so ably and compellingly recalled to the mind of this Assembly cannot but move deeply the feelings and conscience of mankind. Such heinous crimes shocked the conscience of the Arabs as they did the rest of humanity. The Arabs made heavy sacrifices side by side with those who fought on to victory against German nazism. It is therefore truly shameful and Inadmissible to call up such memories to Justify before an organization such as ours massacres, pillaging and military occupation on the part of the Israel armed forces in the Arab territories which they hold in defiance of the most sacred principles of the United Nations Charter.
47. As for the picture of a people "threatened in its survival" so grandiloquently evoked by Mr. Abba Eban, all the delegates in this Assembly who might once have believed that must now know that no military attack was being planned against Israel. We note further that Mr. Khan’s statement contained assertions which leave no doubt as to the true intentions of the Zionist Tel Aviv authorities. We quote at random:
"We shall not commit the irrational course of returning to the ... strategic vulnerability ...
"The fact that the United Nations was unable to prevent the war has a direct bearing on the question of its capacity and title to impose a peace.” [1566th meeting, paras. 128 and 146.]
48. It is the intention of the Israel authorities and the Powers behind them, who share with them the heavy responsibility for the aggression of 5 June, to see that the position of strength gained by Israel as a result of its aggression against and occupation of the Arab territories is used, in humiliating circumstances, to wring recognition of the Zionist State from the Arab countries. As the price of such recognition, only a part of the territories presently being occupied would be returned to their rightful owners. In fact, we still recall the statement made by General Dayan to the correspondent of the Sunday Times on 10 September 1967, concerning the refugees driven from the occupied Arab territories: "One million Jews have replaced the Arabs and whether it's moral or not, there simply is no room," In its arrogance, that statement clearly reveals the plan of the Zionist Tel Aviv authorities.
49. The Israel authorities, who speak more and more frequently of "new frontiers", intend to limit the role of the United Nations to that of a go-between whose mission would be to further sinister schemes. It is clear that such behaviour is dangerously far removed from the sacred purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter. In this connexion, emphasis should be laid on the heavy responsibility borne by certain great Powers, without whose support it would have been unthinkable for the Zionist authorities in Tel Aviv to defy our Organization in this way. These same Powers, after making it impossible for the Security Council to act and after paralysing the fifth emergency special session, may, if we are not on our guard against them, force us into the same situation at the present session.
50. We appeal to the conscience of Members of this Assembly to put an end, while there is still time, to the mounting wave of unbridled passions and racial hatred, which are being provoked and skilfully fomented by international Zionism.
51. The peoples of the Middle East aspire to peace and freedom for the same reasons as peoples in other parts of the world.
52. The friends of Israel have the duty to remind the Israel authorities that the human and material resources of the Arab nation will enable that nation — deeply wounded in its flesh and in its dignity — forcefully to rise again after several defeats.
53. Our analysis of the serious situation in the Middle East leads us to state that the essential prerequisite for some chance of success in the examination of the complex problems of that region remains the unconditional withdrawal of Israel forces from the Arab territories occupied since the aggression of 5 June.
54. The delegation of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania fully shares the opinion expressed by the Secretary-General in the introduction to his annual report:
"It is indispensable to an international community of States — if it is not to follow the law of the jungle — that the territorial integrity of every State be respected, and the occupation by military force of the territory of one State by another cannot be condoned." [A/6701/Add.1, para. 49.]
55. Therefore, the United Nations must put an end to serious violations of the sacred principles of the Charter and demand the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of Israel troops from the territories they occupy in the United Arab Republic, the Syrian Arab Republic and Jordan.
56. As our delegation pointed out from this rostrum on 22 June 1967, during the debates at the fifth emergency special session [1531st meeting], the crisis created in .the Middle East by the Israel aggression of 5 June has not blinded us to the serious situation prevailing in the Far East.
57. My delegation wishes to pay tribute to the heroic resistance offered by the courageous people of the Democratic Republic of Viet-Nam and the National Front for Liberation to hundreds of thousands of troops backed by thousands of aircraft and an armada of the world's most modern warships. These super-powerful means are being used by the world's greatest Power against the legitimate aspirations to freedom, independence and sovereignty of an entire people. The war in Viet-Nam is one of the most flagrant examples of the violation of the principle of non-intervention in the internal affairs of States. It is also a serious threat to the principle of respect for the sovereignty of peoples.
58. For my delegation, the American aggression in Viet-Nam constitutes one of the most serious threats to the maintenance of world peace. The delegation of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania wishes to express its appreciation for the efforts initiated by the Secretary-General of the United Nations aimed at bringing a speedy end to this grave conflict, which is alarming for so many reasons.
59. Along with many of the speakers who have preceded us, we believe that the immediate and unconditional cessation of the bombing of the Democratic Republic of Viet-Nam is the first indispensable step towards peace in that region. Peace- and freedom- loving peoples unanimously and unequivocally condemn the monstrous crimes daily being committed by the American armed forces in Viet-Nam. We are convinced that, in any event, the just cause of the heroic Vietnamese people will triumph.
60. The delegation of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania would further like to stress its conviction of the need to proceed without delay to the restoration of the legitimate rights of the People's Republic of China in the United Nations. That conviction was expressed by the Mauritanian Chief of State at the Congress of the Mauritanian Peoples' Party held in June 1966, when he said: "The admission of the People's Republic of China to the United Nations would be — let me repeat — a giant step towards peace and the easing of international tensions."
61. Indeed, it must be emphasized that the great Chinese nation, "one and indivisible", which has Just become a nuclear Power thanks to the admirable courage of its great people and its eminent leaders, and thanks also to its organizational abilities and to Its immense human and economic resources, has won for itself a place in the front rank and an ever-wider Influence on the international scene. In the introduction to his annual report on the Organization's activity in 1966, His Excellency U Thant expressed that fundamental reality in these terms:
"It is impossible, moreover, to view some of these outstanding problems—whether it is the position of the United Nations with regard to the crisis in South-East Asia or the lack of progress in disarmament—without relating them to the fact that the United Nations has not yet attained the goal of universality of membership. In the long run the Organization cannot be expected to function to full effect if one fourth of the human race is not allowed to participate in its deliberations."
62. Our delegation categorically rejects as inadmissible the theory of two Chinas which some are attempting to promote within our Organization. We consider that it is high time to redress that grave injustice, which is prejudicial to the United Nations itself, by restoring to the People's Republic of China its legitimate rights in the United Nations and by returning to it its seat which has been usurped by the representatives of Taiwan.
63. The delegation of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, along with all delegations of countries which love peace and justice, will continue to work towards the restoration of the legitimate rights of the People's Republic of China in our Organization.
64. As for the question of Korea, our delegation shares the view that foreign troops occupying that country under the United Nations flag must be withdrawn without delay, thus enabling the Korean people to exercise its right to choose its own destiny in complete freedom.
65. My delegation wishes to remind this Assembly that colonialism and its fruits continue to pose problems of great concern to Africa.
66. Portugal continues to oppose relentlessly and illegally the legitimate aspirations of the peoples of so-called Portuguese Guinea, Angola and Mozambique to freedom and the recognized right of all peoples to free self-determination. If the Salazar regime still violently opposes the African will to freedom, it is because that regime is receiving aid and assistance from the powerful members of NATO. It is obvious that the resources of a country such as Portugal would not allow it to wage a prolonged colonial war. An urgent appeal should be made to all countries to stop providing Portugal with the financial and military aid which enables it to carry out the slaughter of African patriots. In fact, left to its own resources he Salazar regime would soon have to give in to reason.
67. In Southern Rhodesia, the Ian Smith regime is doing well because Salisbury continues to enjoy the active support of South Africa and Portugal. It is becoming more and more intolerable that Member countries of our Organization should continue to trample underfoot the decisions of the General Assembly and the Security Council.
68. In this question of Rhodesia, the heaviest responsibility falls upon the United Kingdom, whose many promises to make Ian Smith see reason and restore to the Zimbabwe people its legitimate rights have been shown to be nothing but dilatory measures designed to allow him and his handful of fascist and racist cohorts to gain precious time.
69. My delegation considers that our Organization is in duty bound to take all necessary coercive measures to restore legality and justice in Southern Rhodesia.
70. The brother people of Zimbabwe, realizing that they must first of all rely on themselves, have already undertaken to ensure their own liberation. The Government and the people of Mauritania offer them their active and unreserved support within the framework of the Co-ordination Committee for the Liberation of Africa of the Organization of African Unity. My delegation is more than ever convinced that economic sanctions, even general and obligatory economic sanctions, are nothing but a delusion and that the rebellion of Ian Smith can be put down only by the use of force.
71. As for South Africa, Members of this Assembly hardly need reminding that the Pretoria authorities are taking no notice whatsoever of the numerous decisions by which our Organization has unequivocally condemned the South African policy of apartheid and the behaviour of that country with regard to the internationally mandated Territory of South West Africa.
72. At its twenty-first session, the General Assembly, by its resolution 2145 (XXI), terminated South Africa’s Mandate over South West Africa. We may further recall that in its resolution 2248 (S-V), the fifth emergency special session of the General Assembly decided to establish a United Nations Council for South West Africa, comprising eleven members and entrusted with ensuring the administration of that Territory, assisted by a United Nations Commissioner for South West Africa. South Africa persists in its refusal to allow that body to function.
73. In southern Africa, the unco-operative and contemptuous attitude shown by Portugal and South Africa with regard to the rightful decisions taken to our Organization resembles in every way the behaviour of the Israel authorities with regard to the decisions of our Organization. What, for instance, has become of the two decisions regarding Jerusalem [resolutions 2253 (ES-V) and 2254 (ES-V)] which were adopted almost unanimously by Member States during the fifth emergency special session of the General Assembly?
74. We note therefore that in all parts of the world where peace is endangered, the United Nations must be in a position to command respect for the principles of the Charter and to ensure the implementation of its decisions.