32. Mr. President, your election as President of the twentieth session of the General Assembly deprived us of the pleasure of receiving you in Venezuela during the visit of His Excellency Giuseppe Saragat, President of the Italian Republic, who received a very warm welcome from our people and from the large and esteemed Italian colony living and working among us. Nevertheless, the Government and people of Venezuela are delighted that you have been entrusted with the Presidency of the Assembly since, thanks to your experience as a statesman and to your well-known personal gifts, we have every reason to look forward to fruitful results. We wish also to pay a tribute through you to Italy, symbol of Latinity, whose culture is thus inseparably linked with our own.
33. We should like to congratulate the former President of the General Assembly, Mr. Alex Quaison-Sackey, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Ghana, a country with which, as with other nations of
the African continent, Venezuela has just established diplomatic relations, on the constructive and skilful work he performed in response to the demands made upon him at the difficult time when he was called upon to preside over the Assembly.
34. After hearing the inspiring message of His Holiness Pope Paul VI it is no easy task to find suitable words with which to address this Assembly. The visit of the Supreme Pontiff was a red-letter day in the history of the United Nations. The Pope's message, coming at the end of twenty years of this Organization's existence, invites us to profound meditation and to an appraisal of what has been accomplished so that we may gain a clearer vision of the future of this Organization, which, as His Holiness Pope Paul VI said, is "the obligatory road of modern civilization and of world peace" [1347th meeting, para, 24].
35. The message, full of humility, and therefore of wisdom and greatness, spoken by "an expert in humanity" as His Holiness himself said, has opened up new prospects for the United Nations and it must be heeded. Is it not the United Nations ideal to achieve what was said in that message? With what humility but with what wisdom the Pope spoke also of the fulfilment of "a wish we have been carrying in our heart for nearly twenty centuries" [ibid., para. 23], as if to say: do not despair if in the twenty years of your life you have succeeded in doing only part of the enormous task which was entrusted to you.
36. But the message is above all a call for peace, A call for peace at a time when war is appearing in various parts of the globe. A message of peace addressed not only to mankind but above all to those who are sitting in this hall and whose duty it is to build peace.
37. Only a few days ago, on 6 September, we celebrated the 150th anniversary of the so-called Charter of Jamaica, one of the most important documents emanating from the genius of Simon Bolivar, In it the liberator of five South American nations adumbrated the idea of an association of free and sovereign nations for the purpose of establishing an international legal order, an idea which took shape some years later when, on his initiative, the amphiotyonic Congress of Panama was held in 1826, Allow me to quote a few sentences from this prophetic document:
"It is a grandiose idea to try and weld the entire New World into a single nation with a single link uniting its separate parts with each other and with the whole... How beautiful it would be for the Isthmus of Panama to be for our nations what the Corinthian Isthmus was for the Greeks, Would to God that some day we might enjoy the happiness of having there an august Congress of representatives of the republics, kingdoms and empires of America to deal with the high interests of peace and of war with the nations of the other three parts of the world...."
38. He has rightly, therefore, been considered a precursor of international organizations, as was acknowledged by the League of Nations on 2 October 1930 when its Assembly approved unanimously the following resolution:
"Recalling that on 17 December next will take place the centenary of Simon Bolivar, who by his initiative and his efforts to ensure the reign of justice and peace between peoples was a precursor of the League of Nations;
"Expresses its gratitude and admiration for the memory of Bolivar and associates itself with the tribute which the American republics will be paying him."
39. The United Nations is now completing the first twenty years of its existence. To reach this anniversary, which is but one year short of its majority, it has had to overcome grave crises which have threatened its very existence. At the nineteenth session of the Assembly we who met here were almost convinced that the so-called financial crisis would bring about the collapse of this Organization, which, born of the great desire for peace and harmony, was regarded by the peoples of this earth as a beacon of hope at the end of the Second World War.
40. With good will that difficulty too has been overcome, though only temporarily. It is therefore essential to arrive at a definitive settlement of the controversy, which directly affects the raison d'être of this Organization, i.e. the provision of adequate means for the peaceful settlement of disputes.
41. The United Nations constitutes a whole and, as such, it depends on the goodwill of its Member States. It is purile to declare, as Member States often do, that the world Organization is inadequate, that it does not possess the means to achieve its ends and that it is incapable of settling the disputes which beset mankind.
42. The effectiveness of ineffectiveness of the United Nations depends solely on the goodwill and determined support of its Members. If the United Nations has defects, if its rules are deficient or contain gaps which occasionally make them appear to be ineffective, it is our fault for not correcting them and adapting them to the changing circumstances of our times. Let us undertake the task with faith and good-will and the result will certainly be to reduce — I wish I could say to eliminate — the causes for the alarm which is felt by people throughout the world.
43. The international legal order which twentieth century man has built up patiently and at great sacrifice and which must be the basis of this world Organization is founded on principles and postulates of self-determination of peoples, non-intervention in the domestic affairs of other countries, the sovereign equality of States and respect for human rights, which acknowledge life to be the supreme gift and proclaim respect for the dignity of the human person.
44. The practice of these precepts can be achieved only through international organizations — the United Nations and the regional organizations — which must be zealous guardians of those rights and supreme tribunals to hear complaints of violations and to determine means of redress. My country has always respected and will always respect these procedures and principles, as is clear from the very letter of its Constitution and from its conduct in the field of international relations.
45. For that reason it is justifiably concerned about the claim sometimes made that circumstances of the moment may require a return to the old formula of unhappy memory, namely, that countries can, by themselves and by the use of force, solve the problems resulting from the violation of those principles. Such an attitude is self-contradictory because it is not possible to punish a violation of International law by the use of procedures violating the principles which have been infringed and which are the very principles Invoked as the reason for punishment.
46. We cannot Ignore — and I made reference to this In my statement to this Assembly last year [1295th meeting] — the new forms of indirect aggression which run counter to the principle of non-intervention and are characterized by the assistance given by some States, in the form of material resources, money, armaments and propaganda, to armed groups that have infiltrated into other countries to help bring about the downfall of institutional forms of government which were freely adopted.
47. In view of the recurrence of this phenomenon, which is obvious to everyone, we reaffirm the need for the countries represented in this world Organization to agree to study with sincerity and urgency the characteristics and methods of this new form of aggression, with the firm intention of concluding a special covenant which will provide means for combating such aggression effectively and adequate sanctions to be applied to Governments found guilty of such acts of intervention and indirect aggression. To fail to consider such situations in accordance with the contractual obligations governing international relations would be to disregard reality and to encourage the pessimistic view of some that when it comes to self-defence, principles must be thrown overboard.
48. Venezuela is still experiencing attacks from sectors which, through this type of activity and with the material and moral support of maladjusted groups who lend themselves to such designs, have tried to impose on our country ideologies and doctrines alien to the spirit and conscience of our people, with the intention of depriving our people of the rights and freedoms which they have won at such great sacrifice.
49. Fortunately, far from being weakened by this type of activity, the democratic régime is growing stronger and consolidating itself to an ever increasing extent. It is significant that the Inter-American Committee for the Alliance for Progress, in a recently published report on my country, has noted that both last year and this year Venezuela has continued its advance in the various aspects of economic development and is one of the countries which are attaining most rapidly and completely the objectives laid down in the Charter of Punta del Este. In overcoming its economic difficulties, Venezuela is at the same time solving the social problems of its people and it has also made important progress in education, health, community development and agrarian reform.
50. At the meeting of the Inter-American Committee for the Alliance for Progress which examined the report to which I have referred, the Venezuelan delegates said that if the Government of my country maintained the level of its international reserves it would study the possibility of participating In the programmes of the Alliance for Progress by granting financial assistance to other countries or to regional institutions in Latin America.
51. This is tangible evidence of how a country with a democratic system of government in which the supporters of the most diverse political trends are co-operating fully and harmoniously, as is the private sector, too, can deal with the political, economic and social difficulties facing every country in this age of convulsions in which we live and above all with the very special problems of the American continent.
52. The highest praise is due to the efforts of the United Nations and to the patient and persistent endeavours of the Secretary-General, U Thant, to settle the conflicts which, unfortunately, have broken out in various parts of the world. The results achieved so far in connexion with the dispute between India and Pakistan are worthy of mention. At the request of the Secretary-General, the Venezuelan Government hastened to send a group of ten officers of the Venezuelan armed forces to serve with those of other countries as United Nations observers for the implementation of the Security Council's cease-fire decision Which was a first step towards a settlement of the dispute between those two countries of Asia, both of which are good friends of Venezuela's and will, we ardently hope, find a means of living in harmony as good neighbours and thus, in a spirit of brotherhood, attaining the stages of development and progress demanded by their peoples. It is also our profound hope that the problem of Cyprus will soon be solved, once and for all, by peaceful means.
53. With regard to the Viet-Nam conflict, Venezuela hopes that the offer of the United States of America to negotiate anywhere and at any time, without conditions, will be heeded and taken up by the parties concerned, so that the foundations may be laid for an acceptable and lasting solution. The United States proposal has been made on several occasions by the President of the United States and repeated in this Assembly [1334th meeting] by its Permanent Representative, Mr. Goldberg. A similar position has been taken by the non-aligned countries, by the United Kingdom and by the Secretary-General, U Thant.
54. It is no exaggeration to say that all the inhabitants of the world are anxiously awaiting a satisfactory outcome of the protracted conversations on disarmament, and, above all, the conclusion of agreements to prohibit the production of nuclear weapons and prevent their proliferation among the countries of the world. We should not forget the jubilation which greeted the signing of the 1963 Moscow Treaty prohibiting nuclear explosions in the atmosphere, in outer space and under water. This Treaty was a promising first step, which unfortunately has not yet been followed by other steps marking an advance. In this connexion I take the liberty of drawing attention to the proposal submitted in Geneva by the present President of the Assembly, Mr. Fanfani. Its adoption would improve the situation and would constitute a positive step on the long road towards a general treaty on disarmament.
55. Before the Second World War, the peoples of the world believed, with good reason, that another war would destroy the achievements of thousands of years of civilization. Nevertheless, in spite of the deaths, the destruction of institutions and the spiritual damage which that war caused, the world has found new strength and the accelerated progress of science and technology have given new hope to mankind. But now the nuclear war which threatens us would, according to all the forecasts, undoubtedly mean the end of the world as we know it. Could there be any valid reason, from either a theoretical or a practical point of view, to justify a total holocaust?
56. Perhaps the most feasible and immediately attainable step at the moment with regard to disarmament would be a treaty on the non-dissemination of nuclear weapons. Venezuela will support It wholeheartedly, as it will support any other measure which will help to ward off the peril of atomic war.
57. In our own region, almost all the Latin countries of the continent have concluded initial agreements on the denuclearization of Latin America. We hope that the States which possess nuclear weapons and devices will respect this unanimous wish of the peoples of Latin America.
58. In keeping with the position that it took at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development held at Geneva in 1964, Venezuela firmly supports the proposals made by the developing countries, of which our country is one. We welcomed the establishment of the Trade and Development Board as an important step towards achieving the objectives set forth at the Geneva Conference, With increasing urgency, for obvious reasons of justice and with a view to a more satisfactory distribution of wealth, a better organization of international trade is needed in order to allow the manufactured products and raw materials of the developing countries to have access to world markets under equitable conditions.
59. Problems also confront our regional organization, the Organization of American States (OAS). The American countries have always been justifiably proud of their organization, which was the first of its kind and is an expression of the solidarity and interdependence of the nations of our hemisphere, In spite of all the problems and difficulties to which attention can be drawn, the OAS is playing an important role In the relations and the political and economic cooperation among our countries. It should be the aim of all of us to correct the defects of OAS and to make it stronger and better able to act speedily; in that regard, the forthcoming Special Inter-American Conference, to be held at Rio de Janeiro at the end of 1965, is a good opportunity which it would be unforgivable to throw away. My country offers the sister countries of the continent its co-operation and trusts that there will be a harmonious meeting of minds at the Rio Conference.
60. The crisis in the Dominican Republic was extremely serious not only for that country, to which It brought suffering and hardship, but also for the inter-American system, which was profoundly affected. We are happy that, with the establishment of the Provisional Government, our sister Republic is now on the road towards the restoration of a normal constitutional life through the holding of free elections. All American countries must give their moral and economic support so that that objective may be attained.
61. One of the most praiseworthy achievements of the United Nations has been the role it has played in the process of decolonization. Venezuela has a right to be proud of its unchanging attitude of opposition to colonialism and of support for the inalienable rights of peoples, under the political or economic domination of other peoples, who have aspired or aspire to self-determination and independence. Before the adoption in 1960 of the General Assembly's historic resolution 1514 (XV) on the granting of Independence to colonial countries and peoples, for which we naturally voted, Venezuela had already made known its views in support of the principles enshrined in that resolution.
62. Ever since the establishment of what we now know as the Committee of Twenty-Four, we have not only been a member of it “But have co-operated actively and enthusiastically in seeking the most appropriate methods and procedures for the full implementation of the Declaration and for carrying out the mandate given to the Committee by the General Assembly. Consequently, as in previous cases, we are happy to welcome the Gambia, Singapore and the Maldive Islands, which have recently been admitted to this great family of nations as Member States. Without doubt, their presence in the United-Nations will make a useful and valuable contribution towards the fulfilment of the goals of the Organization.
63. In spite of the progress achieved and of the fact that this is unquestionably one of the fields in which the United Nations has been most successful, it must be noted that there are still peoples and territories under colonial rule. America, like other continents, is not yet completely rid of this evil. There are still territories which, having been detached from an independent State with no more justification than the principle that might is right, remain under the sway of a colonial Power.
64. These territories cannot escape the correcting processes of history. But we must insist on a point that has been stressed in the various resolutions adopted by inter-American conferences, namely, the distinction between colonies and occupied territories. Whereas the former must obtain independence through the application of the principle of self-determination, the latter, colonial territories which have been seized from other States, cannot be decolonized in any other way than through reintegration with the State from which they were detached. To fail to make such a distinction would be to allow the principle of self-determination to be twisted for the purpose of justifying a de facto situation, without regard for the fundamental principle of respect for the territorial integrity of States. This principle Is safeguarded, of course, in paragraph 6 of resolution 1514 (XV) itself, which states that: "Any attempt aimed at the partial or total disruption of the national unity and the territorial integrity of a country is incompatible with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations." The question of Guayana Esequiba, an area of Venezuelan territory occupied by a colonial Power and annexed to a colony, is a case covered by that paragraph.
65. At the First Special Inter-American Conference, held at Washington in December 1964, the countries of America made a formal declaration which supplements those made earlier regarding occupied territories and which we think it appropriate to quote, although it was quoted by our colleague from Argentina, Mr. Zavala Ortiz, in his statement in the general debate [1337th meeting]. The Act of Washington states:
"That the Council of the Organization shall not take any decisions with respect to a request for admission on the part of a political entity whose territory, in whole or in part, is subject, prior to the date of this resolution, to litigation or claim between an extracontinental country and one or more member states of the Organization of American States, until the dispute has been ended by some peaceful procedure."
66. Here in the United Nations, on 22 February, 1 October and 12 November 1962, my country solemnly repudiated the so-called arbitral award of 1899, although long before that, on more than one occasion, it had voiced its claims and its protest against this inequitable and invalid decision which supposedly fixed our boundaries.
67. I wish to reiterate once more my Government's unshakable position. Venezuela does not recognize the so-called arbitral award of 1899 as having any validity. An award with serious legal defects cannot have any force.
68. I should like to use before this world body the words of Mr. Raúl Leoni, the President of the Republic of Venezuela, in order to express the unchangeable decision of the Government of my country with regard to the award to which I have referred: "Venezuela is working actively and will not abandon its aspirations, for they are based on the restoration of rights which were denied to it in an irrational and brutal way and without any foundation, in a decision which was contrary to law. The award is null and void — that is to say, it has no legal existence."
69. On behalf of my country, I address myself to all the nations represented here, the colonial countries of yesterday and the newly independent countries of today, our brothers in the fight for freedom. I wish to appeal to them all to give their moral support to our efforts to obtain a just solution to this old territorial problem. It is in the interests of British Guiana, of the United Kingdom and of the whole American continent that this problem should be satisfactorily settled at an early date.
70. The fact that my country maintains its claim irrespective of any change in the status of the present colony of British Guiana in no way means that we are placing obstacles in the way of that colony's independence. Whatever the status of British Guiana, the rights of Venezuela will be the same, since they are inalienable and in conformity with paragraph 6 of General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV).
71. Speaking of the paramount principles of "international equity and morality". President Leoni, in his first message to the National Congress, expressed himself in the following clear language, which I take the liberty of repeating before the world:
"In the same way, we shall continue the negotiations with the United Kingdom Government initiated by the previous Government concerning the frontiers with British Guiana, since it is well known that the Tribunal which handed down the Paris Arbitral Award of 1899 exceeded its specific functions and fixed a compromise line which was not in accordance with law. This does not mean, as has been made very clear, that our lawful claim will obstruct or hinder the aspirations to independence, of the people of British Guiana, who can count upon the sympathy of the Venezuelan nation."
72. Conversations with the United Kingdom on this problem have continued, with the participation of British Guiana, in accordance with the agreement reached in the joint communiqué of the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of Venezuela and the United Kingdom, dated 7 November 1963. We shall inform this world body of the results of these talks in due course.
73. Venezuela, a country in which social democracy has always existed, maintains its firm stand against racist theories, which contradict the Christian concept of human dignity, a concept which does not allow of distinctions based on the colour of a person's skin. Venezuela therefore condemns the policies of apartheid and resolutely supports the efforts of the United Nations to put an end to the enforcement of these. Inhuman policies.
74. Venezuela has complete faith in this Organization. We are convinced that in spite of its imperfections — as we have said earlier — it is the only body capable of giving concrete form, if only in part, to the yearnings of contemporary mankind for Justice, order and peace. I should therefore like to end my statement by echoing the message of His Holiness Paul VI, and quoting this paragraph:
"The building you have made must never again fall in ruins; it must be perfected and confirmed to the demands world history will make. You mark a stage in the development of mankind: henceforth no turning back, you must go forward." [1347th meeting, para. 26.]