Panama

The delegation of Panama, which enthusiastically supported the election of Sir Leslie Munro, has great pleasure in seeing him presiding over the twelfth session of the General Assembly of the United Nations and congratulates him on the high honour which has been bestowed upon his country in his person. 2. The gesture of the eminent statesman Mr. Charles Malik, in withdrawing his candidature in order that the representative of New Zealand might be elected almost unanimously, is a proof that even in this era of gross material interests higher spiritual values can prevail. 3. My delegation also wishes to congratulate the Secretary-General on the extension of his term of office for a further five years in recognition of the competence and responsibility with which he has discharged his functions. 4. Fortunately, the spirit of conciliation which characterized the election of the President of the Assembly is not the only example of unity and harmony in the United Nations. Thanks to the friendly co-operation shown by the foreign offices of Argentina and the Dominican Republic, the family of American nations has also acted in harmony by unanimously agreeing to put forward Panama as the single Latin American candidate for one of the seats in the Security Council traditionally assigned to that region. This decision is all the more important for small countries like ours in that it represents a vigorous reaffirmation of the principle of rotation in the membership of United Nations bodies and gives full force to the principle of the legal equality of States which also implies equal responsibility in serving the United Nations. 5. My country became a candidate for this high position in the United Nations in the most spontaneous and disinterested way. Certain friendly countries thought it fair that Panama should be represented on the Security Council and offered their enthusiastic support. Then, following cordial negotiations between our foreign offices, Panama’s candidature won the unanimous support of the Latin American countries. 6. Now that my country has been elected, I wish, on behalf of the Government and people of Panama, to convey my warmest thanks to the countries of America for their generous support and to all States which voted for us. In the position to which it had the honour of being elected yesterday [695th meeting]. Panama will dedicate itself unceasingly to the service of the United Nations as the authentic spokesman for the Latin American viewpoint and as the faithful interpreter of the ideals which are the life’s blood of the Latin American democracies. 7. The Government of Panama is perfectly aware that the Security Council is the organ of the United Nations which has the most delicate and important functions, for it is the organ primarily responsible for the maintenance of peace, security and international justice. 8. Panama will take its seat in the Security Council not in order to satisfy any feelings of international vanity but to fulfil an honourable and lofty responsibility: to seek with the utmost determination to strengthen international co-operation so that it becomes clear and unmistakable. 9. Panama will take its seat in the Security Council to help strengthen faith in the democratic way of life. With sincerity and without jingoism, with simple joy and without desire for foolish self-praise, we can state that Panama has been and is a genuinely democratic country and that its history provides a good example of a clean and honest struggle in defence of freedom and justice. Panama, a country torn asunder in order to unite the world, has been a sentinel and a warrior, a strong arm and a fortress, and a torchbearer for freedom in two world wars. There is no single instance in its history when it has failed to uphold democratic ideals. 10. In the Security Council, Panama will strive to ensure respect for fundamental human rights; it will work for a valid system of safeguarding human rights so that man’s basic achievements are not left open to attack by the enemies of peace; and so that the ideals of universal harmony shall not remain mere empty words but become firm guaranties of solidarity and co-operation. 11. The concept of justice is not limited to specific circumstances or applicable only at certain times; it is of universal validity. That is why, in the Security Council, Panama will speak up in defence of the inalterable principles of equity and will vigorously oppose those who seek to reduce man to a mere cipher. 12. The small countries, by the very nature of their interests, usually appraise with reasonable objectivity and fairness the conflicts which torment the world, particularly when their Governments are the genuine expression of the will of the people and when their representatives act with dignity and courage. The experience of the last session of the General Assembly has shown the decisive part which certain small countries have played in the solution of the gravest international disputes. 13. Undoubtedly, the intervention of the United Nations in the Suez Canal conflict was an extraordinary triumph for our Organization. The United Nations not only succeeded in preventing the spread of hostilities but also managed to end them quickly. The speed and efficiency with which the United Nations Emergency Force was able to re-open the Canal to shipping is the most striking proof of what decisive international action and respect for United Nations decisions can do. 14. We must recognize and applaud the conduct of one great Power during this unhappy conflict. I refer to the United States. Its action was all the more laudable because there were other allied Powers involved, with which it had long standing bonds of friendship. However, the United States consistently followed a policy of cooperation with the United Nations and resolutely supported all its decisions. 15. Panama, which like Egypt, has on its territory a Canal which joins two oceans, cannot remain indifferent to the sufferings of that distant country whose interests are so similar to its own. 16. There are those who consider that the United Nations failed to achieve the same success with regard to Hungary as it did in the conflict in Egypt. However, this does not mean that the United Nations did not act decisively, diligently and efficiently. What is so lamentable and blameworthy in the case of Hungary is that the aggressor and the Hungarian Government which came to power as a result of the aggression have refused to respect the measures taken by the United Nations and have not carried out its recommendations and decisions. The Soviet Union and the present Hungarian Government have committed a serious error in so doing and those who believe that the free world can ever forget the horrible crimes perpetrated in Hungary are greatly mistaken. 17. The delegation of Panama has faith in the United Nations and every confidence in its ability to prevent conflicts, curb threats to fundamental freedoms and establish bonds of real friendship among the great variety of peoples represented in it. This confidence is not the capricious result of light-headed optimism but the fruit of a serious and deliberate analysis of its accomplishments. 18. The United Nations had brought its great authority to bear on the most serious, most difficult and most dangerous problem now confronting the world, that of controlling the outrageous armaments race. We know that the Sub-committee of the United Nations Disarmament Commission met in London until recently without reaching any definite solution. It will therefore be for this Assembly to discuss and to solve this complex problem. Although it possesses only a limited war potential, Panama will do everything in its power to bring about an agreement which lessens the possibility of a new armed conflict. 19. An atomic attack on the Panama Canal, which links two oceans and which is of vital strategic importance, would mean the total and immediate destruction of the capital and probably of the city of Colón, which is second in importance to it in size and population. My delegation is filled with grave concern, not only when we think of Panama, but also when we consider the whole American continent and the small defenceless countries of Europe, Asia and Africa. 20. The problems of peace which concern the United Nations are inevitably linked with political, legal, humanitarian, social and economic problems within the Organization’s competence. So long as the United Nations has not solved certain of these important problems, it will be unable to solve the problem of disarmament. 21. In the political field, for example, it is inconceivable that there should still be nations divided artificially and without representation in the United Nations. The most obvious case is Germany and we might also mention Korea and Viet-Nam. 22. At this point, I would like to digress for a moment to extend a cordial welcome to the new States, Ghana and the Federation of Malaya, which have just joined us. At the same time, I hope that those countries which are still unjustly being kept out of the United Nations will soon be admitted. 23. In the legal field, it is abnormal that the excessive rigidity of the Charter should prevent its being revised in the light of recent international changes. Panama has always considered that international agreements, whether multilateral or bilateral, should be amended to keep pace with the changes in the relationships which they govern. 24. Panama, which has always honoured its international commitments, has urged periodically and through direct negotiation, the revision of the treaties which govern our relations with the United States regarding the Panama Canal. In 1955, the Remón-Eisenhower Treaty was drawn up, together with the memorandum of understanding which recognizes certain of my country’s aspirations. 25. This treaty, which is awaiting approval by the United States Congress, contains a law establishing a single salary scale and the principle of equal advancement and retirement pensions for Panamanians and United States nationals working in the Canal Zone. This law is essential for the complete and effective implementation of the treaty. We sincerely believe that, if this law is applied, we shall be putting into practice in this strip of our territory, over which Panama has always maintained sovereignty, the universal principle of equal pay for equal work for which we have been fighting for so many years. 26. In the social field, it is inadmissible that there should still exist colonial and semi-colonial countries where the indigenous inhabitants are discriminated against, exploited and subjected to an inferior wage system solely on grounds of nationality and race. In this respect, the Declaration signed in Panama on the occasion of the meeting of American Presidents held in our capital in 1956 constitutes the most sublime profession of faith in the human race that has ever been conceived. 27. In the humanitarian field, it is shameful that there are still peoples who are denied their fundamental rights and who, in spite of their maturity, remain under the yoke of foreign oppression and are prevented from deciding their own destiny. Over and above agreement of a political nature, the Latin Americans respect the principle of non-intervention in the domestic affairs of other States, but we protest when this argument is used as a pretext for subjugating defenceless peoples. 28. Panama considers that every people capable of self-government should enjoy peace, freedom and justice. To claim that oppressive regimes should be maintained because peoples have not yet reached sufficient maturity to enjoy freedom is fallacious in the extreme. The rights of the human person cannot be the exclusive heritage of minorities which set themselves up as superior beings. 29. In defence of these guaranties, my delegation wishes to state that it has supported the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and that it will strive to ensure that the validity of that Convention is not undermined by unfortunate interpretations. All aspirations to freedom must be unanimously supported; otherwise, we should place in doubt our creative, dignifying and inalienable right to determine our own destiny. 30. As the United Nations is an organisation with such vast functions and such high aims, it is necessary to strengthen faith among men. In this connexion it may be well to recall the words spoken a year ago by the present President of the Republic of Panama, Mr. de la Guardia. Although they refer to the social climate of the Isthmus of Panama, they also have a universal application: "For a long time it has been said that people believe in nothing and no one. There are certainly many proofs to strengthen this opinion. Above this prevailing atmosphere of pessimism, I wish to raise a voice ringing with sincerity, and I hope it will not fall entirely upon deaf ears. It is a voice calling upon you to conquer the past and to encourage people by diligent and courageous work to search their souls and rediscover faith and confidence in a better future. It is a voice which, guided by confident visions of the future, seeks to bring relief from this stifling pessimism which day after day proclaims the loss of hope and the impossibility of any improvement." 31. In the economic field, the fact that so many countries remain insufficiently developed causes universal disequilibrium, instability and disappointment. These countries are frequently told that they should follow the example of the great industrial nations which achieved their present high level of expansion and wealth by their own efforts. However, any student of political economy knows that such sententious advice is false when it is applied to the times in which we live. The circumstances in which those powerful and wealthy nations came to the fore were very different. 32. In the world today, a small number of industrial countries, which have reached a stage of maximum economic saturation and diversification, are surrounded by an enormous number of under-developed countries which are generally dependent on a single primary commodity and whose economies gravitate inexorably around the large industrial countries. It is absurd to ask these under-developed countries which are so dependent on others to help themselves. Of course, no one wants them to live on international charity or do nothing for themselves. But it is obvious that, however much they strive, they cannot improve their economic structure unless there is a better and fairer relationship between them and the highly industrialized countries with which they are compelled to trade. 33. The economy of my own country requires more assistance from the United Nations, and more effective help from its true friends in order to stimulate its agriculture and industries for the permanent benefit of all its people. 34. Recent public administrations have tried hard to establish new sources of wealth and to diversify the national economy. Development and credit institutions are giving more and more assistance to the peasant and to the farmer. Various laws have recently been promulgated to encourage foreign capital investments and we have signed contracts with United States and European companies for exploring and exploiting some of the resources of our sub-soil. 35. Panama looks with optimism towards the Special United Nations Fund for Economic Development which the Organization has so wisely proposed. We trust that during this session the Fund will meet with the enthusiastic and sincere support of the great Powers so that its proposed aims may become a reality. As a consequence, unsound economies and unhealthy economic relationships will begin to disappear. And as we go forward along this path we shall feel that we are advancing on solid ground towards real agreement on disarmament, peace and sincere international cooperation. 36. Amid the anxieties and misgivings which beset human beings today, only the United Nations can raise the flag of hope, extend the area of agreement between peoples and strengthen the civil and political rights of mankind. Towards these ends the delegation of Panama will work wholeheartedly at this twelfth session of the General Assembly.