I should like first, following the example of previous speakers, to address my warmest congratulations to our President, Sir Leslie Munro, on his unanimous election. I should like also to express our appreciation of the magnificent example Mr. Charles Malik set us by the selfless decision he made in the interest of harmony. I wish also to take this opportunity to pay a tribute to the retiring President, His Royal Highness Prince Wan Waithayakon, and to convey the fraternal and friendly good wishes of the Kingdom of Laos to the new Member States, Ghana and the Federation of Malaya. We welcome their admission to membership which follows so closely upon our own, as a step towards universality in the representation of peoples in this Organization.
18. May I also voice our satisfaction at the re-election of our Secretary-General, Mr. Hammarskjold, We know that in him we have a man of peace with a deep sense of justice and wholly dedicated to the cause of the United Nations. We see in his unanimous re-election one of the most encouraging political signs that the forces of conciliation will ultimately triumph over fanaticism and intolerance.
19. For the second time since 14 December 1955, the date of its admission to the United Nations, the Kingdom of Laos has the honour of stating its views from this rostrum. The privilege of acting as its spoken nan having fallen to me, I trust that my remarks will not tax the Assembly's patience and will show some of the restraint and moderation which are necessary if the United Nations is to accomplish its primary task of securing the peace.
20. One fact must be plainly stated; peace, the goal to which all aspire, is gravely threatened at the present time. Despite the unremitting efforts of the United Nations, a spirit of violence is still abroad in the world. There is a danger that the profound ideological differences which have destroyed the moral unity of the world for several decades past may in the roar future be transformed into mortal conflicts. The situation is paradoxical to the point of absurdity, for theories and techniques designed to advance the welfare of mankind are instead pushing mankind to the brink of ruin and threatening it with annihilation.
21. It is true that efforts are being made day after day, generally inspired by or under the auspices of the United Nations, to restrain the passions that are being unleashed. Appeals are made to the conscience of mankind and, as always in time of crisis, men of goodwill are striving to halt this progress to disaster. I need only mention the recent vote in which the General Assembly again condemned violence by an overwhelming majority.
22. But let there be no mistake: the threat remains, graver than ever. Even in disarmament conferences, the clash of arms makes itself heard. Fear of world war is beginning to take a turn that makes catastrophe inevitable. The great Powers are giving way to distrust. Their policies are dominated by the simple objective of preparing to meet the danger. Year after year incalculable wealth, which, if properly used, could change the face of the earth, is swallowed up in preparations for war. Small nations like my own can do nothing but anxiously watch these signs which foretell disaster, remembering with a sadness born of disillusionment the old Laotian proverb: "When the buffaloes fight, it is the grass that suffers."
23. But this does not mean that we must give up hope. Despite all these threats there is no reason for despair, and it is the proud duty of this Assembly stubbornly to continue its efforts against wind and tide to stem the forces of evil. Are these efforts vain? Local conflicts have been prevented or halted, the lives and liberty of thousands of men and women, have been preserved, the standards of life, physical and spiritual, of whole populations have been raised through the efforts of mutual assistance agencies within the framework of the Organization. And when dangerous situations arise, it is in this Assembly that the unlawful use of force is condemned. All these facts go to show that the United Nations is playing a useful and a positive role. One need only think of the immense gap that would appear in the world and in the hopes of men if this Assembly were to cease to exist.
24. The United Nations must therefore continue its long and arduous task. Within the limits of its resources, Laos, for its part, will not be stinting in its support. For compelling reasons, Laos places its trust and its hope in the United Nations.
25. By its origins and by its civilization, Laos, perhaps more than any other nation, looks beyond its own frontiers and sees its destiny as an independent State within a broader framework of harmony and good-neighbourly relations. While its racial homogeneity and the originality of its civilization are unimpaired, geography has set Laos at the meeting point of two worlds: the Indian and the Chinese. Recent history has, moreover, brought to Laos the influence of one of the finest cultural and moral civilizations of the Western world. In the present situation, finally, Laos is in the delicate and perilous position of a buffer State between opposing ideological blocs. Laos has survived and continues to survive these often contrary influences; in the process, it has learned, not mistrust, but tolerance — the need to understand other people and, on pain of perishing, to remain on good terms with one’s neighbours.
26. Even if it had wished to follow a different policy and to live in Isolation, its deep-rooted national characteristics would have prevented it from doing so. The people of Laos are deeply attached to the Buddhist religion. The entire life of the individual and of the community is based on the teachings of the great sage who, 2,500 years ago, taught men exposed to the trials of this vale of tears the virtues of wisdom, harmony and tolerance. Penetrated as it is with the teaching of Buddhism, Laos is particularly disposed to organize its relations with other peoples on a basis of tolerance, moderation and peaceful coexistence. It is no political accident that the principles of coexistence enunciated by the enlightened leader of a great friendly State are a reflection in international relations of the sacred rules of our Buddhist pancha shila.
27. This does not mean that we advocate a policy of weakness and surrender. Tolerance cannot be used to cloak injustice or violations of the law. It is not a blank cheque. It merely credits others with good intentions.
28. Laos subscribes and will continue to subscribe to the need for understanding among peoples, for such comprehension is beyond doubt the first requirement for peaceful coexistence and peace.
29. But, although the principle can easily be stated and can be accepted by all peoples, it does not follow that it is the basis of a passive policy. Its application is subject to two conditions: to be effective, understanding must not be a one-way street; above all, it must not be a pretext for one people, taking advantage of numerical or technological superiority or a temporarily favourable situation, to impose patterns of thought or living on other peoples which are contrary to their legitimate aspirations. In other words, coexistence can be conceived only within the framework of Independence and non-intervention. One ill-considered act of intervention is sufficient to bring to nothing years of effort, solidarity, mutual aid and understanding.
30. I should like at this juncture to express our gratitude for the generous material assistance furnished to us by the United States, France, the United Nations and the Colombo Plan countries.
31. Our needs are, of course, great, and the economic and technical assistance we are receiving is still insufficient to enable us to deal with the enormous problems involved in the fight against ignorance, disease and poverty. We could, of course, wish that a larger portion of this assistance was devoted to the equipment and development of our country's infrastructure. But we discuss all these problems openly and freely with the donor States and we are grateful to them for their unvarying spirit of friendly co-operation. Nor shall we forget the material sacrifices which this assistance requires on the part of the States which, in a magnificent gesture of international solidarity, are bringing to us the benefit of their experience, technology and friendship.
32. We have pleasure in paying this tribute to the generosity of this economic assistance because it has been administered so far in a broad spirit of understanding, with full respect for our independence.
33. This spirit of non-intervention and understanding will be essential if we are to solve one of the major difficulties of our national political life. I refer to the problem of the Pathet-Lao fighting units. This problem, which has imposed such a heavy burden upon our country’s economic and political life since the Indo-Chinese war, despite the Geneva Agreements and the negotiations at the national level which have been under way since 1954, derives its complexity and its gravity solely from the international context in which it arises.
34. I should like to reassure the Assembly. It is not the intention of Laos, at least for the time being, to request the United Nations to include this national drama in its already heavy agenda. We intend to make every possible effort to settle this problem at the national level, and we have not lost hope of doing so. But we must recognize that this problem, which we should like to keep at the national level, has ramifications, not to say roots, which have thus far been unaffected by our good faith and our desire for agreement. We do not wish to add to the preoccupations of this Assembly; but it is desirable that it should know the truth and know that peaceful Laos is not prepared to satisfy its desire to live in peace with its neighbours as well as all other peoples of the world at the price of territorial and political scission.
35. Peaceful coexistence and harmony cannot, as I said earlier, be conceived except within the framework of mutual respect for territorial integrity and independence, Passive acceptance of foreign intervention would lead only to enslavement. The people of Laos have too long struggled for unity and independence to be prepared to compromise on this point. It is for this reason that they believe in the sacred mission of the United Nations and that they will devote all their energy, will and hope to enable it to carry out that mission so that the world may live in peace, justice and liberty.