81. Mr. President, I should like to express to you my warmest congratulations and those of my Government and delegation upon your unanimous election to the Presidency of the General Assembly during its twenty-second session. I feel certain that your ability and experience in international affairs will enable you to shoulder the responsibilities of your office during the present session, which is confronted with very serious problems that jeopardize world peace and security.
82. I should also congratulate our former President, Abdul Rahman Pazhwak, on the exemplary manner in which he guided the proceedings of the twenty-first regular session, the fifth special session and the fifth emergency special session. He was a model of firmness, integrity, and impartiality. I also take this opportunity to thank our Secretary-General for his unceasing efforts to enhance the prestige of the United Nations and enable it to fulfil its mission in the maintenance of international peace and security.
83. Three months ago an emergency special session was convened to consider the Israel aggression which was launched on 5 June and which resulted in the occupation of Arab territory in Sinai, the Gaza Strip, the West Bank of Jordan and the Syrian Heights. That emergency special session ended, unfortunately, in complete disappointment to the nations of the world which attached great hopes to its deliberations. Its failure was due to the reluctance of certain Members to uphold the Charter and to shoulder their obligations under international law and justice.
84. The emergency special session was a great test for the United Nations, during which great ideals were sacrificed and the noble principles embodied in the Charter were flouted. While we deplore the disappointing outcome of the emergency special session, we voice the hope that the present session will make up for the uneventful deliberations of the emergency special session. We base our optimism on the fact that all Members of this Organization will realize the dangers implicit in the present grave situation in the Middle East resulting from the continued presence of Israeli troops in Arab territory, which constitutes a challenge to the Charter of our Organization and a threat to international peace and security.
85. If at the present session a resolution branding the aggressor and compelling it to withdraw its troops from Arab territory to the positions it occupied before 5 June is not adopted, then this Organization will be paralysed and will become merely a forum of debate without any effectiveness in the maintenance of peace and security and the rule of law, which are the purposes for the fulfilment of which this Organization was founded. Moreover, such a failure will result in disillusionment among the nations of the world with the work of our Organization and its capacity to uphold the principles of the Charter.
86. The conduct of Israel since the cease-fire and the statements of Israeli leaders raise a number of interrelated issues. Israel has completely misinterpreted the deadlock which emerged during the emergency special session. It has Interpreted the fact that no resolution had been adopted by the General Assembly ordering It to withdraw its troops from the territories it occupied between 5 and 10 June 1967 as a mandate giving it a free hand in the occupied territories which would allow it to consolidate its occupation through oppressive measures. Israel has thus been oblivious of the unanimity which prevailed in the Assembly in favour of ending the military occupation and eliminating its traces. While ignoring the consensus which was reflected in the statements of the delegations, it acted as if it had been given full powers to do anything it pleased. It consequently annexed some parts of the territories under occupation and proclaimed that this was irreversible and not negotiable. Its conduct in other parts of the territories gives the Impression that Israel labours under the illusion that it has full sovereignly over them. For Instance, Israel expelled tens of thousands of people from the West Bank to the Fast Bank of the Jordan by means of threats and intimidation. It drove a large number of people from Gaza to the West Hank. It began to establish Israeli settlements in various parts of the territories under its occupation. It has been exploiting the natural resources in the occupied territories, such as the agricultural and mineral resources, including the oil, and has been using them far the benefit of its own economy. It is now making profit from the historic sites in the territories under its control, whether in Jerusalem or elsewhere, which are teeing used to promote its tourist trade.
87. Zionist expansion m Palestine and the Middle East has now become a reality, although only seventy years ago It was no more than a dream and a far-fetched ideal.
88. The military occupation, which was denounced by the overwhelming majority of the Members of the United Nations, is not treated by the Israelis as a temporary situation, but has been transformed in accordance with a deliberate well-planned policy into ambitious territorial expansion, as is attested to by the explicit measures* taken by Israel openly and in defiance of world public opinion. Almost every day Israeli leaders announce that their decisions are irrevocable and irreversible. Moreover, it is well known that Israel has refused to comply with the resolutions adopted by the General Assembly during the emergency special session.
89. Israel has persisted in flouting General Assembly resolutions 2253 (ES-V) and 2254 (ES-V) calling upon it to rescind all measures already taken and to desist forthwith from taking any action which would alter the status of Jerusalem. These resolutions had been adopted by an overwhelming majority. Israel also disregarded General Assembly resolution 2252 (ES-V) and Security Council resolution 237 (1967) calling upon it to ensure the safety*, welfare anti security of the inhabitants of the areas where military operations had taken place and to facilitate the return of those inhabitants who had fled the areas since the outbreak of hostilities. Suffice It to draw the attention of the Assembly to the reports on these issues prepared by the personal representatives of the Secretary-General, which furnish Incontrovertible proof of Israel's contempt for the will of the United Nations and its rejection of the norms of International law.
90. For all these reasons we believe that Israel is determined to take advantage of the impasse in the General Assembly and the failure of the emergency special session to convert into a concrete resolution the opposition proclaimed by the Members to Israeli occupation and their demand that it should be brought to an end. Moreover, Israel’s refusal to comply with the resolutions adopted by the General Assembly and the Security Council constitutes a serious challenge to the authority of the General Assembly during the present session.
91. The trend of events clearly shows that the responsibility for Israel's defiance rests with those Governments whose attitude during the fifth emergency special session prevented the General Assembly from adopting a resolution demanding the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Arab-occupied territories. Hence we call upon those Governments to reconsider their previous stands in light of the conduct of Israel during the recent months and the plans revealed in the statements of Israeli leaders, which are the outcome of a clearly formulated policy to annex the occupied territories, exploit their resources and expel the native inhabitants to make way for Israeli settlers.
92. There had been doubts about Israel's expansionist intentions immediately after the aggression. These doubts have now given way to certainty. Our worst fears have come true. If anybody is still sceptical then let him heed the measures and statements of Israel, which expose its aggressive designs and territorial ambitions.
93. The State of Kuwait, which firmly believes in the purposes and principles of the United Nations, considers the world Organization as the proper forum for eliminating the consequences of Israel's aggression against the Arab States. We assert this for many reasons. We should keep in mind that the United Nations had assumed a special responsibility towards the Palestine question twenty years ago and over the years adopted numerous resolutions which have not been implemented on account of Israel's intransigence, Israel's perennial policy is aimed at usurping the legitimate rights of the native inhabitants, and facing the world with a fait accompli. Israel was admitted to the United Nations on the faith of an undertaking to discharge its obligations towards the world Organization. Foremost among these are the resolutions of the Security Council and the General Assembly regarding the Palestine question which, inter alia, recognize the right of the Arab refugees to return to their homes and live in dignity in their fatherland.
94. The United Nations has reaffirmed its responsibility on many occasions through the medium of its main organs. This same responsibility was acknowledged by the United Nations Conciliation Commission for Palestine in its previous reports and has been reaffirmed by the Secretary-General in his recent report. It is a legal responsibility which the United Nations originally assumed and cannot abandon by allowing the fait accompli to be the final deciding factor. We welcome the statement in the introduction to the annual report of the Secretary-General on the work of the Organization that "there is a desperate need for a determined, immediate and urgent effort by the United Nations to help bring about the conditions essential to peace in the Middle East" [A/6701/Add.1, para. 46]. We should like to express to him our appreciation for the sincere efforts he made to put into practice the purposes and principles of this Organization.
95. The theory of direct negotiations propounded by Israel is clearly designed to exclude this question from the forum of the United Nations with the intent of relegating to oblivion all the United Nations resolutions on Palestine and establishing a new situation based on force, coercion and the reaping of the fruits of military occupation and territorial aggrandizement. This malicious strategy is aimed at excluding the United Nations entirely on the pretext that it has no jurisdiction.
96. The United Nations, by virtue of its special responsibility and the role it has been playing for the past twenty years, is solely competent to take the practical measures necessary to eliminate the consequences of Israel's aggression against the Arab States. Any proposal aimed at ignoring that function is tantamount to divesting the United Nations of its responsibility. The pretext Israel is using means in effect the violation of territorial frontiers and the annexation of territory by means of military conquest, as if these were acts which gave the aggressor the right of bargaining and turning his aggression into material advantage. It is a very serious course of conduct which will undermine past and present efforts and extinguish the obligations assumed by the competent organs of the United Nations towards the Palestine question.
97. Unless the United Nations takes immediate effective steps to discharge its responsibilities, it will leave the door ajar to new violations of the Charter and the norms of international law. The unlawful measures taken by Israel in Jerusalem prove this beyond any doubt. I ask: what justification is there for the unlawful measures taken by Israel in the Holy City? Shall we prevent the competent organs of the United Nations from doing their duty? Failure to discharge those obligations will encourage any aggressor in the future to consolidate his gains and impose the consequences of his aggression on the International community.
98. We are advocates of peace. The kind of peace we have in mind is based on right and justice. It is peace founded on the principles of the Charter and the norms of public international law, which are still being violated every day in the occupied territories. The occupation authorities are still destroying villages, expelling the native people from their homes and humiliating them. It is well known that the rules of international law require occupation authorities to respect the rights, lives and property of the inhabitants. They also prohibit changing the status of occupied territories and require respect for the laws, administrative and municipal regulations which were in force before the occupation.
99. I join all peace-loving people in asking whether it is fair that all those principles and norms of international law should be disregarded and whether it is right that a whole nation should be prevented from living in peace in its own homeland.
100. The principles of right and justice require respect for private property and recognize the inherent right of all nations to self-determination and full respect of their national character and dignity.
101. A lot has been said about the concepts of right, justice and the rule of law. If we accept justice as such we realize that it connotes basic principles and rules of international conduct which prohibit invasion and military occupation, the confiscation of individual and public property, and the expulsion of a whole nation from Its homeland. It also means, above all, that such vile means should not be used to dictate solutions.
102. When I speak of justice in the context of a nation which has been denied it, I am referring to the Arab people of Palestine, which has been rendered homeless and has been denied its most elementary human rights. While we celebrate the International Year for Human Rights, let the international community keep In mind the tragedy of that nation which still looks forward to the day when the principles and concepts enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights will be something more than empty words.
103. The Israel aggression committed last June which led to the military occupation of Arab territory will not affect the legal status of the General Armistice Agreements concluded in 1949. The proper thing to do is to honour the provisions of those Agreements and refrain from violating the Armistice lines. The obligations contained in those Agreements are binding on all parties and cannot be unilaterally abrogated.
104. The Secretary-General clearly stated on page 2 of his annual report on the work of the Organization [A/6701] that Israel "... had denounced the Egyptian- Israel Mixed Armistice Commission and for some years had refused to participate in it". He was thus objecting to Israel's unilateral non-compliance with the provisions of the Agreements as being illegal.
105. In the introduction to his annual report the Secretary-General stated that: "there has been no indication either in the General Assembly or in the Security Council that the validity and applicability of the Armistice Agreements have been changed as a result of the recent hostilities or of the war of 1956" [A/670l/Add.1, para. 43], The Secretary-General added: "Nor has the Security Council or the General Assembly taken any steps to change the pertinent resolutions of either organ relating to the Armistice Agreement." [Ibid.] He also stated: "There Is no provision in them for unilateral termination of their application." [Ibid.]
106. That is the policy of the United Nations as expounded by the Secretary-General, which is in harmony with the norms of public international law and the principles of the Charter. While we uphold those obligations, we call upon all Governments to reaffirm that the provisions of those Agreements are still in force and to act on that basis.
107. The cause of freedom and peace is indivisible. The vast geographical distances that separate us from the events now taking place in Viet-Nam do not tempt us to remain silent, especially as we believe that the nature of war portends world destruction, regardless of the source of the danger.
108. Hence we add our voice to the voices that have been heard calling for cessation of the air raids on North Viet-Nam as a first step to a peaceful settlement between the parties concerned within the framework of the Geneva Agreements. In that manner the people of Viet-Nam will be given the opportunity to decide its own future and to choose, without foreign intervention, the system of government and the form of national unity it prefers.
109. The representation of the People's Republic of China in the United Nations has become an urgent necessity. It is futile to exclude a country with a population of more than 700 million which is a nuclear Power and exercises great influence on the course of events in South-East Asia and the world at large. We believe that seating the People's Republic of China in the United Nations will impose upon it an international obligation to co-operate with all countries under the aegis of the world Organization in a manner which will promote the cause of disarmament, end the nuclear race, and maintain international peace and security.
110. The problem in the world today is the wide gap between the developed and the developing countries, especially in the economic and technical fields. We believe that the haves should help the have-nots if humanity is to attain a higher standard of living. History will not exonerate us if we disregard the solemn obligations we owe to humanity as a whole. If we wish to live up to the principles this world Organization stands for, every one of us must strive to raise the standard of living, not only within his own country's frontiers but in the world as a whole. We should combine our efforts to promote economic and social development on the basis of close co-operation between the developed and developing countries. Only in so doing shall we uproot the main causes of conflict existing in the world today, remove the elements of dissension within the human family and bridge the wide gulf that divides the rich from the poor.
111. In the same spirit, we are eagerly watching the efforts being made to achieve general and complete disarmament. We hope that those efforts will be successful so that the world may enjoy peace at last and so that the toil and labour of human beings shall be used for the happiness of mankind. Concluding a general and comprehensive agreement on disarmament will release important human and material resources which are now being used for destruction and utilize them to achieve prosperity and happiness, the more so as the vast amounts which are spent each year on producing new weapons are aimed at annihilation and wider destruction.
112. It is a good omen that at this moment, while I stand on this rostrum, the USSR is beginning its celebrations to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the October Socialist Revolution. I take this opportunity to express my congratulations and best wishes and those of my Government and people to the Government of the USSR and its friendly people who are bound to the Arab countries and peoples by strong bonds based on co-operation and good understanding.
113. Before I conclude my statement, I should like to address a few words to this august body to underline the serious conditions the countries and peoples of the Middle East are undergoing because of the military aggression launched by Israel last June. That aggression is an open challenge to the rule of law, to the Charter of our Organization and to the basic principles of International law.
114. It is true that this time it is the Arab States which are the victims of aggression. Yet what guarantee is there that other countries will not be subjected to similar aggression in the future? Unless the United Nations takes prompt action to repel the aggression, impose the rule of law and apply the principles of the Charter, the forces of aggression will gain in strength and will be tempted to expand at the expense of their neighbours. That ultimately means that humanity will revert to a primeval condition in which the law of the jungle prevails.
115. Since the day when Israel was established on the territory of Arab Palestine the Arab countries of the Middle East have not enjoyed security, peace or stability and have not been able to achieve prosperity by utilizing their material resources to develop their economies and raise their standards of living. The acts of flagrant aggression committed by Israel and the territorial expansionist designs it incessantly proclaims and seeks to implement at the expense of the Arab countries have compelled those countries to divert large amounts in their budget and vast material resources of their national wealth for purposes of self-defence to safeguard their own security. These resources could have been better utilized in promoting health, education, development and exploitation of natural resources. Yet how can all or part of this be done while those countries have been the victims of aggression by Israel and the Zionist elements behind it, an aggression which has been repeated three times in the form of all-out war during the past twenty years?
116. That sad reality and those painful conditions are sufficient proof that no stability or peace can be achieved In the Middle East except on the basis of right and justice. Force, aggression and usurpation cannot decide the future of the people of Palestine or deprive them of their national character or destroy their national identity, based on a cultural heritage shared by the Arab nation, which yearns for peace based on right and justice. The Arabs will not tolerate injustice or condone any aggression.
117. I feel that it Is my duty to utter a warning against the dire effects of perpetuating injustice and allowing the aggressor to persist in his expansionist policy. I therefore appeal to all Members, especially the great Powers, to perform their duty by finding a solution for the problem in harmony with the principles of right and justice. Only such a solution will restore peace and security to this afflicted region.
118. We sincerely believe that such a solution is within our reach, and we whole-heartedly support all endeavours towards this end. But should our Organization fail, the Arab countries and peoples will do everything in their power to remove the consequences of Israel's aggression and to see that justice Is done. And then the international community will bear the responsibility for the turmoil that will agitate our region, and the ensuing crisis will be more serious and explosive than the one we are now dealing with.