YouSaid · the spoken record

Huerta

lines on the record: 65
first: 1973-09-24
most recent: 1973-09-24
sittings or episodes: 1
sources: un-general-debate

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“Nevertheless, we trust fully in the aid of divine providence and we know that, thanks to the spirit of sacrifice and patriotism of every good Chilean, there will be no difficulty that cannot be overcome. 196. The costly and painful experience we have suffered has left us something positive. We now know the lurking poison behind deceiving mirages. Suffering has brought the Chileans together, overcoming the selfishness of the powerful and the hate which the weakest had been led to feel. The country will not forget the lesson that has allowed it to recover self-confidence. Once again it has been proved that in the spirit of Chile there still flames the fire of those who created a free and independent nation, embodying in its history what Ercilla sang of our strong indigenous race: a nation never "mastered by foreign yoke".”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“193. None of this could escape the uncommitted foreigners who live in Chile, much less the diplomatic representatives of friendly nations who looked on impartially, but with anguish, while the country disintegrated. Politicians and ideologists outside the country may of course have another view. I remind them of the words of Bossuet: "The worst aberration of the mind consists of seeing things as one would like them to be and not as they are". 194. Chile has now taken a different road. The new Government will not retreat one step from the victories won by the workers, or from its policy of absolute national independence. We will whole-heartedly defend the interests of Chile in the face of any kind of imperialism. 195. But it is not easy to rebuild out of so much rubble and debris.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“There was simply a power machine being set up by which, through the use of legal loop-holes at first, and later through open and outright illegality, the country was being led to tyranny and consolidated totalitarianism. 192. The Chilean people did not deserve to pay such a high "cost of revolution", as some came to call the loss of lives, suffering, discrimination, hunger and sectarianism brought about by the Unidad Popular. Worse still, my country, on the verge of financial and economic bankruptcy, plagued by misery and divided into irreconcilable camps, was on the point of falling into chaos and into actual dissolution of the nation. In a supreme effort, and after having exhausted every legal possibility, my country has been able to avoid the most cruel and brutal of civil wars and set its feet on the road to national reconstruction.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“I understand the interest that these events have aroused in the world, even in countries distant from my own, countries which are relatively unfamiliar with our idiosyncrasies, our traditions, and the vigour of our people. There is no doubt that the so-called "Chilean experiment" of setting a course towards socialism aroused the curiosity and even the sympathy of many who saw in the example of the so-called Unidad Popular, a path worthy of imitation or at least of assimilation. But it is one thing to assess a foreign experience from afar, seated in comfortable armchairs or in discussion around a well- served table, and it is quite another thing to experience it. 191. Contrary to what the Chilean people themselves believed at first, it was not evolution or social progress that was taking place in Chile.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“It should set up an international regime for the sea-bed and ocean floor beyond the limits of national jurisdiction that would give adequate expression to the fact that they are the common heritage of mankind. In treaty form it will have to express the natural right of the coastal States to dispose of the resources of their adjacent seas, specifically of the 200-mile zones which have an essentially economic meaning — a theory which is being supported by a large majority of nations today. 189. The statement of the representative of Chile has been lengthy and I must apologize for that. But I felt in duty bound to give a broad outline of the foreign policy of my Government and also to go into some detail regarding the events that took place in my country last month. 190.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“The current session of the General Assembly will have to decide on a date for the already planned second session of the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea. 187. Chile was and continues to be a supporter of this international negotiation, to which we attach the greatest importance. The future of the seas and oceans that cover more than two thirds of the earth's surface is extremely important economically, politically and even militarily. New legal provisions are being established and progressively developed; internationally accepted rules are being updated to conform with the economic, technological and political realities of today. e 188. This new law should clearly cover economic development.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“From the very outset I assured the Secretary-General of the United Nations — and I do so again from this rostrum — that such refugees who are in Chile legally and have not been implicated in any crime are fully protected, and that any others who are expelled will not be returned to their countries of origin but will be allowed to choose their destination. After very pleasant discussions with the Regional Representative for Latin America of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees we have reached a general and entirely satisfactory agreement. We stated that we will accept his help when it comes to practical solutions that might affect refugees who have decided to seek Chilean hospitality. 186. The international negotiations regarding the law of the sea have proceeded to their decisive phase.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“The economic independence of developing countries has been, is and always will be one of the fundamental goals of Chilean foreign policy. 184. I wish to reiterate to representatives my Government's commitment to non-alignment, a position that reflects the aspirations of all countries which like Chile are fighting to obtain for their peoples true economic and political independence. 185. Within the strange tangle of falsehoods that have been spread abroad as a result of the events of 11 September, reports have been circulated that Chile would return foreign refugees from political, racial or religious persecution to their countries of origin.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“Within the dynamics that govern international economic relations, foreign investments must be in harmony with the goals and programmes established by the host Government and must also reflect the welfare of that Government and that country. Just as we do not accept imperialism, so with the same emphasis do we reject economic imperialism, whether it comes from States or from great transnational corporations. 182. In the United Nations, Chile will fight against any form of colonialism or neo-colonialism. That policy was not, as some may have believed, an innovation by the Government of the Unidad Popular. It has been the traditional policy of my country for many years. It is the result of a deeply rooted feeling in our country's traditions. 183.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“We also press most firmly for the right of nations freely and independently to dispose of their own natural resources. We unreservedly support all the principles, agreements and resolutions adopted within the framework of the United Nations and within the sphere of the regional and subregional Latin American organizations on this important subject. 180. We thoroughly support the efforts of the developing countries to gain approval for a charter of economic rights and duties of States that, once implemented, would establish the basic economic and social principles to govern the international community in these matters. This initiative of the President of Mexico has our wholehearted support. 181.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“Imbued by that Latin American spirit, we shall fully support all the regional and subregional integration procedures that involve Chile, such as the Latin American Free Trade Association and the Andean Subregional Integration Agreement. We also support and endorse the Special Committee on Latin American Co-ordination as a basically Latin American Forum where our countries can analyse and adopt unified positions on matters of particular interest and concern to them. 178. The Chilean Government wishes emphatically to repeat its support of the principle of permanent sovereignty over natural resources of the earth, the sea, the ocean floor and the subsoil thereof for the economic development and welfare of the peoples of the world.' 179.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“We are particularly interested in strengthening our ties with the Latin American countries. United as we are by a common origin, we face a common destiny, and to achieve it we must work together. 176. I should like to take this opportunity to congratulate you, Mr. President, on your well-deserved election. My country feels deep affection and respect for yours, and our history has always been closely linked to that of Ecuador. For many years we have learned to appreciate your intelligent, active work in international affairs. Today these qualifications and this experience guarantee the success of your difficult task as President of the twenty-eighth session of the General Assembly. 177.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“Ideological pluralism is and will be another element of our foreign policy. For these reasons we regret that certain Governments to which we had expressed Chile's desire to maintain relations on a normal basis have nevertheless decided to break off such relations with a curious uniformity and under the most varied and false pretences. We ask ourselves, what has happened to the principle of ideological pluralism, so often exalted by those Governments? In the future they will have to take the initiative of resuming diplomatic relations with Chile, since they have, again with surprising uniformity, stressed the fact that those ties are merely suspended. They will find no opposition on our part — so long as our future relations can be based upon mutual respect and non-intervention in internal and external affairs. 175.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“Chile, in line with the tradition that it has always followed, reserves the right to turn to the appropriate international organizations if and when necessary. 173. On the basis of the fact that we can maintain normal relations only with those countries which respect us, we also severed relations with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea — after we were able to prove that there had been intervention in our internal affairs and an involvement of that country's diplomatic representatives in the training of guerrillas. 174. On the other hand, we wish to maintain diplomatic relations with all countries of the world, irrespective of their ideology or their political, social or economic systems. We believe that the diversity of governments has nothing whatever to do with relations among States.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“"Let Carlos and Manuel know how your loyal Cuban friends can help you. "Once again I send you the affection and unlimited confidence of the Cuban people. "Fraternally, "Fidel CASTRO." 170. Now I wonder — do we need any more barefaced proof of intervention in Chilean political life? Can there be any doubt regarding the origin of the political directives and the support for illegality? 171. I do not need to take up any more time of the representatives here by describing the recent and absurd Cuban attempt to accuse Chile in the Security Council. It can only be explained as a futile and desperate attempt to cover up the seriousness of their intervention in the internal affairs of my country. 172.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“If you should call upon them because the revolution is in danger, they can paralyse those that threaten to overthrow the Government, preserve the loyalty of those who hesitate, impose their conditions and decide once for all, if necessary, the future of Chile. The enemy should know the working class is forewarned and ready for action. Their force and combativeness can tip the balance in the capital in your favour, even though other circumstances might be unfavourable. "Your determination to defend the process strongly and honourably, even if it means risking your own life, will draw to your side all the forces able to fight and all the decent men and women in Chile. Your courage, your serenity and your daring in this historic moment for your country, and above all your strong resolve and heroic leadership, are the key to the situation.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“I can therefore quite well imagine the great tension that exists and your desire to gain time, to improve the relationship of forces in case a battle breaks out and, if possible, to find a way to allow the revolutionary process to continue without civil strife, while protecting your historical responsibility for what might occur. These are laudable goals. But if the other side, whose real intentions we are not in a position to evaluate from here, should insist upon a treacherous and irresponsible policy that would exact an impossible price from Unidad Popular and the revolution, which is in itself quite likely, do not for one minute forget the formidable strength of the Chilean working classes and the strong support they have always offered you in your difficult moments.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“The real purpose is to discuss with you your situation and, as always, to offer you our willingness to co-operate in the face of the difficulties and dangers which hinder and threaten the process. Their stay will be very short, since they have many pending obligations here, and it is not without sacrifice to their work that we decided that the trip should be made. "I see that you are now taken up in the delicate question of the dialogue with the Christian Democrats in a serious atmosphere created by the brutal assassination of your naval aide-de-camp and the new truck- owners' strike.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“At that moment, Cuban Minister Carlos Rafael Rodriguez and the Chief of the Secret Police, Manuel Pineiro, arrived in Santiago, ostensibly to discuss the Algiers Conference of non-aligned countries. They carried with them the handwritten letter from Prime Minister Castro. I have a photostat of it in my hand and any representative who may wish to read it can ask for a copy from the Chilean delegation. I shall read out the contents of the letter; it is extremely important because of its implications. It reads as follows: "Havana, 29 July 1973. "Dear Salvador: "Under the pretext of discussing with you questions concerning the meeting of non-aligned countries, Carlos and Pineiro are coming to see you.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“I do not wish to go into details of this Cuban infiltration in Chilean internal affairs. But I should like to read out a hand-written letter from Prime Minister Fidel Castro to the President of Chile, dated 29 July 1973. In order better to understand its terms, I must recall that a short time before, in circumstances that are still mysterious, the aide-de-camp to the head of State, Commander Araya, had been assassinated. The reaction to that new political crime was so great in Chile that the head of State instituted a dialogue with the chief opposition party, the Christian Democrats. That dialogue turned out to be hopeless because the President's desire was obviously to gain time and not arrive at any concrete solution.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“Now we have learned what those "works of art" were: 13 cases containing 472 side-arms and machine-guns, two sub-machine-guns and 40,000 cartridges. 168. The weapons and ammunition thus far found in the hands of the misnamed "people's militia" are not the type used by the Chilean armed forces, and their numbers are really surprising. They included not only side-arms and sub-machine-guns, but also heavy machine-guns, rocket launchers, anti-tank guns, 106 mm. cannons, as well as large amounts of explosives. This arsenal, brought into Chile principally from Cuba through the surreptitious procedures I have described, was mainly manufactured in the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia. What has been thus far discovered is enough to equip an army of 20,000 men. 169.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“They intervened in every political, economic and functional organ of the State and, above all, in the presidency of the Republic. Instructors and top leaders of the paramilitary groups were either Cuban or had been trained by Cubans. 167. It has been fully proved that gun-running was systematically protected by the Government. For example, in March of last year, 13 cases were known to have arrived in Chile, flown in on a regular Cuban airline flight and intended for the purposes of the presidency of the Republic. Those cases did not go through customs, but were received directly by the Chief of the Chilean Political Police. When the Chamber of Deputies duly protested, the then authorities maintained that the cases contained "works of art sent as gifts by Prime Minister Fidel Castro".”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“To comply with this fundamental principle, one of our first acts was to sever diplomatic and consular relations with the present Government of Cuba. We have been able to prove that over the last three years there has been constant interference by Cuban agents, some official and some unofficial, in our internal politics and even in our foreign policy. When the break came, 42 Cuban diplomatic officials were accredited to Chile — as opposed to six Chileans in Havana — of whom only two belonged to the foreign service. Last September, 987 Castro Cubans were discovered to be illegally in my country. In the course of the present year, from 1 January to 31 July, 633 people came to Chile from Havana on diplomatic or official business.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“We have confidence in his ability to lead the Organization in new directions that will strengthen it as the main instrument for the achievement of international co-operation. We extend our best wishes for the success of his efforts towards peace in different parts of the world. 165. Another guiding principle of our foreign policy will be, as always, the principle of non-intervention in the domestic or external affairs of other States. But as we solemnly promise to respect national sovereignty, and therefore its obvious corollary, the self-determination of peoples, so must I categorically declare that we shall never allow foreign intrusions in our internal affairs or in the conduct of our international policy. 166.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“We reiterate our commitment to the principle of the universality of the United Nations and to the need to guarantee equal participation for all its Member States. The Organization should not be isolated from the mainstream of world events and, as the Secretary-General has said in the introduction to his report on the work of the Organization, it must be recognized that bilateral diplomacy and multilateral diplomacy are mutually complementary and that, therefore, it is necessary to explore all the paths that might possibly lead to peace. 164. I take this opportunity to congratulate the Secretary-General, Mr. Waldheim, on his strong leadership of the Organization. I should like to express our thanks for his constant concern for the problems of Chile and for the effective co-operation of the United Nations in our development plans.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“We must act in good faith and recognize that progress in the organized international community is achieved mainly through compliance with the basic resolutions of the Organization, such as the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Development Strategy for the Second United Nations Development Decade [resolution 2626 (XXV)], the Declaration on the Principles of International Law concerning Friendly Relations and Co-operation among States in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations [resolution 2625 (XXV)] and the conclusions and recommendations of the third session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“This Organization is the most effective instrument for the achievement of international peace and security, for the growth of friendly relations and for respect for the fundamental rights of States. We must all dedicate our political will to these endeavours and comply fully with the resolutions of the principal organs of the United Nations.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“As I reaffirm Chile's total commitment to its legally contracted international obligations and respect for its treaty obligations, which are the basis of world order, peace and security, I wish to state also that my country's foreign policy will be based upon its loyalty to the purposes and goals of the United Nations and to each of the provisions of the Charter. We signed the Charter in San FranciscO and we have always co-operated not only with this institution itself but also with all the organizations directly or indirectly connected with it. You may rest assured that that traditional policy of Chile will not be altered in any way. In fact we shall emphasize, loyally and without excesses, our co-operation in the work undertaken by the United Nations.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“We maintain our traditional respect for and hospitality to foreigners; but we shall be very careful to avoid a repetition of the reprehensible acts of foreign intervention that have caused the country so much suffering. With the assistance of everyone, we shall rebuild Chile. 161. The armed forces and the police force have assumed the task of redirecting the country along the path of liberty and law. Once we have achieved our goal, we shall not hesitate to withdraw to our barracks and to our ships. The time it takes to return to normality will be as brief as possible and will depend to a large extent upon the efforts of all Chileans dedicated to that noble end. 162. Now I should like to refer to the fundamental principles of the foreign policy of my Government. 163.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“159. The present Government has sought and immediately received the patriotic co-operation of professional people, technicians, workers, employees, businessmen and craftsmen. The Government has emphasized that its basic purpose will be the implementation of effective social justice, which will never be achieved through deceit, easy promises, bribery or the criminal division of our people. Rather, it will be done through honest work, a common dedication and community of interest. The present Government is not the return to a recent or remote past. The workers have fought far too long and far too hard defending their legitimate rights for that. The armed forces are a part of this noble people and we shall never betray those who, like ourselves, have dedicated their efforts to returning Chile to the place history has reserved for it. 160.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“We acted as institutions, without the influence of any leader. The Government junta that currently presides over Chile, with the support of the nation, is made up of men who do not seek power and who lack personal ambition. They are one body, patriotically united, that has taken on the immense but inevitable responsibility of restoring our homeland. 158. I must draw the attention of representatives to the resolution adopted by the full Supreme Court of Justice two days later, on 13 September, whereby the highest court of the Republic, recognizing the intention of the new Government to respect and implement the decisions of the judiciary without prior administrative review of their legality, ordered the nation's courts to continue their work, certain that the administrative authority would guarantee the normal discharge of its obligations.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“Civic protest did not cease; the danger of a confrontation between the majority of the unarmed citizens and the strong paramilitary cells organized by Unidad Popular, which had drawn up a plan to assassinate civilian and military authorities and thus assume power completely, made it imperative for the armed forces and the police force to carry out their fundamental obligation and save the integrity of our nation. 157., On 11 September we acted, guided only by the oath we took many years ago, to defend our country and combine our efforts to preserve Chile as a sovereign nation, prosperous and free. We acted in concord with the immense majority of our countrymen, who, in fear and desperation, saw how an ideology alien to our history was cleverly taking advantage of our legal structure in order to impose upon us a totalitarian regime.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“One high naval officer, aide-de-camp to the President, was the fatal victim of a nefarious attack; a young army officer was assassinated by a foreign extremist; military intelligence services uncovered criminal acts of subversion within the ranks of the Navy, instigated by important members of the regime, including the Secretary-General of the Socialist Party, to which the President himself belonged. 156. Our final effort to participate in the Cabinet of the deposed Government did not successfully prevent the avalanche of events.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“Once again those of us in uniform gave generous assistance by assuming cabinet posts. From the vantage-point of our high offices, we were very soon able to confirm the speed with which the country was heading towards total chaos. We noted the deep deterioration of national security. The irritating injustice of a regime that called itself "popular" while its leaders lived in ostentatious luxury, outraging the people who had to form long queues for food, was brought home to us. We could prove, too, the extremely dangerous level of foreign intervention in our affairs, as well as the way in which bands of actual criminals were preparing to administer the final blow to all those who were not already unconditionally enslaved. 155. Crime increased from day to day.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“It lasted 74 days, and was followed by a civilian uprising of vast proportions. The truckers' union, the professional associations, retailers, large groups of craftsmen, workers and labourers, still not intimidated by foreign slogans, joined to protest with the only weapon they still possessed: the paralysing of the country. And in that historic uprising of the civilian masses, noble and true to their traditions, the long-suffering Chilean women and large groups of young students were in the vanguard. 154. The situation was becoming extremely dangerous and the Government, incapable of solving any problem and basically oriented towards the seizing of total power through violence, once again resorted to the patriotism of the armed forces and the police force of Chile.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“The caches of weapons and explosives; clandestine hospitals and blood banks; plans for violence, assassination, sabotage; the division of the armed forces and the organizing of mercenaries and guerrillas — all showed us that the abyss towards which our country was heading was even deeper than we had discovered when we adopted the historic resolution of 11 September. 152. It was not only the knowledge of those threatening plans that moved the armed forces and the police force in Chile to take the decision imposed upon them by their oath to protect the homeland. 153. With the public demoralized by so much abuse and so many threats upon their lives, humiliated by so much illegal and discriminatory rationing, and ruined by a black market directed and organized by government supporters, a strike erupted in one of the great copper mines.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“We were answered with promises that were always broken and with assurances that bore absolutely no relation to reality. While astute campaigns were organized to prevent a possible civil war. surreptitiously professional agitators, weapons and other highly destructive elements continued to enter the country with the specific purpose of preparing for the bloody coup de grace to our democratic system. I shall not tax the patience of the Assembly by describing the entire background that proves this.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“I myself acted as Minister of State at that time and bent every effort loyally and efficiently to fulfil the mission entrusted to me by the President of the Republic. 150. We ministers who were members of the armed forces repeatedly tried to convince the head of State of the need to adopt measures that might change the course of the nation. We did achieve some revisions, but everything was erased once our mission of ensuring fair and honest elections had been accomplished and we left our cabinet posts. 151. After the elections of March of this year, and in order to comply with our sacred duty to preserve the democratic system, we repeatedly tried to convince those in charge of the country of the extremely dangerous path they were following.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“As I have already pointed out, there was a long and patient wait by the citizenry and the other branches of government, which were always ready to facilitate solutions to the situation. As I have mentioned, the armed forces also loyally and professionally collaborated with the Government. Their mission was stretched beyond the limits of their vocation, since a number of times they were required to assume responsibilities with serious political consequences. Thus, in October 1972, confronted by a tenacious civil strike and in order to calm public opinion and guarantee parliamentary elections scheduled for six months later, representatives of the Chilean army, navy and air force assumed cabinet posts.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“Because of their grave importance, notorious and public attempts to use the armed forces and the police force for partisan purposes cannot be passed over in silence; neither can attempts to break down their institutional hierarchy and politically infiltrate their ranks." 148. For the benefit of the Executive, the Chamber of Deputies' resolution closed with a description of the serious breakdown of constitutional and legal order that confronted the Republic and the need immediately to rectify precisely defined situations and facts, the urgency of channelling the actions of the Government in a lawful direction and the need to ensure constitutional order in Chile. 149.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“It went on to enumerate the Government's principal abuses of the fundamental guarantees and rights afforded by the Constitution and, furthermore, added: "In this breakdown of the rule of law, the formation and development of armed groups under government protection is especially serious since, apart from being a danger to the security of individuals and their rights and to the internal peace of the nation, such groups are intended to confront the regular armed forces. It is also especially serious that the police force is kept from performing its most important functions in the face of criminal attacks perpetrated by violent groups supporting the Government.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“"It has continually mocked the functions of control of the National Congress by depriving of all real effect the congressional power to dismiss from office cabinet ministers who violate the Constitution or the law or who commit other crimes or abuses specified in the Constitution. And, what is most serious of all, it has done away with the high function of the Congress as the constituent power by refusing to promulgate the constitutional reform covering the three areas of the economy which was approved in strict accord with the rules established by the Constitution." 147. The resolution of the Chamber of Deputies did not stop there.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“The Chamber of Deputies also indicated that the Government had committed inter alia the following violations and abuses: "It has usurped the principal function of Congress — that is, to legislate — by adopting a series of highly important measures for the economic and social life of the nation, which are indubitably a matter of law, by mandatory decrees abusively issued or by simple administrative rulings based on legal loop-holes. It must be stressed that all this has been done with the deliberate and acknowledged purpose of changing the nation's structures, recognized by the law in force, by the sole will of the executive, with absolute disregard for the will of the legislative branch.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“The resolution went on to declare: "It is a fact that the present Government of the Republic, since its inception, has been engaged in the conquest of total power with the obvious intention of subjecting all persons to the strictest State economic and political control in order thus to achieve the installation of a totalitarian system absolutely opposed to the representative democratic system established by the Constitution." And, it added: "To accomplish this objective, the Government has not violated the law and the Constitution in isolated instances; rather, these violations have become permanent policy, to the extreme of systematically ignoring and encroaching on the power of the other branches of government, continually violating the guarantees that the Constitution assures to every inhabitant of the Republic, and allowing and sheltering the creation of illegitimate parallel powers that constitute a grave danger for the nation, all of which has led to destruction of the basic elements of our institutions and of our government of law." 146.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“On 22 August last, the Chamber of Deputies, which is the controlling branch of Congress, clearly and energetically denounced the Government's headlong path to destruction. By 81 votes to 47, the Chamber adopted a very important resolution, the main points of which I should like to quote. 145. To begin with, the resolution pointed out that sovereignty is vested essentially in the nation, that the authorities can only exercise powers delegated by the nation, and that a Government, by assuming rights not conferred by the people, is liable to charges of sedition.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“The Government abused the instrument of "mandatory decrees", thus implementing a ruling system bypassing Congress; and the President of the Republic even went so far as to ignore the opinion of the Comptroller-General when it came to the promulgation of a constitutional reform approved by the parliament, which the Executive proposed to enact only partially. 143. After fighting hard to find a political way to protect the national interest, the parliament itself finally assumed a position comparable to that of the judicial branch and of the Comptroller-General of the Republic. Even the possibility of submitting the Government to a plebiscite had been rejected by the Unidad Popular, thus proving its lack of democratic support even more openly. 144.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“The abuse of the law became worse and worse until, last May, in a note to the head of State, the Supreme Court stated publicly something that was even more serious: namely, that the country was faced with "a peremptory and imminent breakdown of the legal system". 141. And yet, the Government continued with its policies, and the head of State even tried to justify them by instigating a public polemic with the Supreme Court, which only succeeded in reinforcing the Court's original position. 142. But the judiciary was not the only institution that had to try to defend the public interest and to point to the serious misdirection of the Government: the Office of the Comptroller-General of the Republic was also the object of increasingly inflammatory attacks and repeated slights.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“It had no compunction about carrying out defamatory campaigns; its officers indulged in all sorts of disrespectful acts, and judgements were deprived of all meaning, being disregarded whenever it suited the partisan interests of the Government of the Unidad Popular. Moreover, the authority to grant pardons was abused in the most inconceivable manner and the courts were denied the use of police power to enforce their decisions. 140. Time and again, the Supreme Court entered its protests, but the Government, far from changing its mistaken plan of action, pushed harder and harder, until the Court ultimately, in communication with the President of the Republic, felt obliged to denounce these events as conducive to "a crisis in the legal system about which this Court cannot keep silent".”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“Even so, the Government refused to alter its line of conduct and, ignoring the will of the people, formed a bellicose Cabinet that intensified its assaults on the lawful structure of the State. This forced the other public institutions to assume a daily more energetic defence of institutionality in the country. 139. The Government was careful to demonstrate apparent respect for the judicial branch for the benefit of the outside world. It is true that it took pains not to interfere visibly with the structure itself; but it drew upon all sorts of resources in order to undermine the hard-won prestige of the judiciary as the guardian of civic rights.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“In 1972, the deficit in fiscal expenditure amounted to 40 per cent of the total budget. For this year, it is estimated that the deficit will surpass 50 'per cent of total public expenditure. 135. All these economic facts caused the country to sustain the highest inflation rate in the world: 323 percent over the last 12 months. 136. In March of this year, under the control of the armed forces, as required by law, normal parliamentary elections took place, although it was later discovered that the registers of voters had been very cleverly altered and tampered with. 137. Nevertheless, those elections clearly and precisely confirmed the fact that the Government of the Unidad Popular could count on the support of only a minority in the country. The opposition parties obtained a large majority in the Senate and in the Chamber of Deputies. 138.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)