YouSaid · the spoken record

Martinez Sotomayor

THE RECORD WRITES THIS SPEAKER AS MARTINEZ SOTOMAYOR

lines on the record: 77
first: 1961-09-24
most recent: 1962-09-24
sittings or episodes: 2
sources: un-general-debate

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“We still think — as Chile has said so many times in the United Nations — that the survival of hunger, poverty and need anywhere in the world endangers the prosperity of the rest, and even compromises world peace. 73. We are still opposed to the idea of economic self-sufficiency, either national or regional, and advocate a balanced, harmonious and co-ordinated economic development of all geographical areas and an increase in trade between all nations.”
1961-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 16 (1961)
“The prospect which has thus opened before Latin America promises well for the solution of the problems which so grievously beset it. This will require much effort and sacrifice by our Governments and peoples. As far as Chile is concerned, I can assure you that its President, Mr. Jorge Alessandri — who, being moved by a deep sense of social justice, anticipated these agreements by working out plans for national economic development — will continue with the greatest energy the work already begun in order to satisfy the aspirations for progress of my people and my country. 72. This action, which is similar to what has been undertaken in other regions , does not cause us to overlook either the economic interdependence of all parts of the world or the common destiny of all peoples and all human beings.”
1961-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 16 (1961)
“In this instrument the Governments of the contracting countries laid down specific objectives of economic development and social progress for the next ten years, and undertook to unite their resources and forces to achieve those purposes and to initiate the land, tax, educational and health reforms which are indispensable, if these aspirations are to be converted into fact and, above all, if the advantages of this great effort are to be equitably distributed among all the people and are to reach the common man, particularly in the most needy sector. The United States, for its part, undertook substantially to increase its financial and technical co-operation in the preparation and execution of the development programmes. 71.”
1961-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 16 (1961)
“This illustrates with dramatic eloquence the degree of responsibility which falls to the United Nations and the specialized agencies, which under the Charter are made responsible for directing international cooperation in order to ensure and promote "higher standards of living t full employment, and conditions of economic and social progress and development" (Article 55 a of the Charter]. 70. Only a few weeks ago the American countries adopted the Charter of Punta del Este, which gave concrete expression to the "Alliance for Progress" initiated by the President of the United States of America, Mr. Kennedy.”
1961-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 16 (1961)
“The world's food production — taken as a whole — is growing more slowly than its population, and this growth is so unbalanced that whereas in North America, Australia, New Zealand and Europe the per caput food production has increased bjr 20 to 40 per cent since 1939, in the other continents it is lower than it was before the Second World War. 69. The "population explosion" which has taken place iri the under-developed world has coincided with a small increase in food, whereas the food surpluses of certain industrial countries are growing.”
1961-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 16 (1961)
“Although these advances have substantially raised levels of living in industrial countries, which contain about 500 million of the earth's inhabitants, they have not yet brought about any appreciable change in the living conditions of the greater part of mankind who live in the developing regions. In some twenty countries the length of human life has increased from thirty-five to seventy years in this century, and the per caput income ranges from $1500 and $3,500 a year; yet in the rest of the world — which includes the nations of Asia, Africa and Latin America, with few exceptions — the life expectancy is less than forty years, and the average annual per caput income la less than $300. 68.”
1961-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 16 (1961)
“This obligation should be fulfilled with all due respect for the domestic sovereignty of States and without the use of international measures of a coercive nature, 66. The world has been astonished by the truly prodigious scientific and technical progress which mankind has made in the last few decades. In this period mankind has discovered and put to work a source of energy thousands of times more powerful than those previously known, has begun the conquest of outer space and has made surprising improvements in communications and in agricultural and industrial production.”
1961-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 16 (1961)
“Our mutual relations must be based on the full compliance with the principle of non-intervention in the internal or external affairs of States. They must be based on scrupulous respect for the self-determination of peoples, on recognition of the right of each State to develop its cultural, political and economic life freely and spontaneously, provided only that it respects the rights of the human person and the principles of universal morality. 65. I should also like on this occasion to say how essential it Is for the restoration of continental solidarity that all the American Republics should base their political organization on the effective exercise of representative democracy and by so doing honour the commitments they have formally and repeatedly entered into.”
1961-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 16 (1961)
“We also have faith in the ability of this system of representative democracy to provide prompt and adequate solutions for all problems — economic, social or cultural — affecting the Latin American nations. 63. Our approach to questions of specific interest to the American hemisphere is characterized by the same spirit of peace and harmony as our approach to the international situation on the world level. We are sure that all these questions can be solved by the peaceful means set forth in the Charter of our regional Organization. In order, however, to accomplish this, we must courageously apply the methods laid down in that Charter and must respect all the principles which have been solemnly agreed upon. Only in this way can we restore the solidarity which today is seriously shaken. 64.”
1961-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 16 (1961)
“We have pledged ourselves to take joint action to repel such aggression and to determine, through the lawful method of consultation, what course is the most appropriate in the event of America's peace and security being threatened. 61. Furthermore, in relation to systems which seek to predominate by violence and deny the spiritual values inherent in the personality of the individual, our stand is squarely taken in support of the principles of freedom and justice. This is the logical consequence of our faith in representative democracy, steadily enhanced by free periodic elections, as the best system of government and the only one capable of securing to man the happiness to which he aspires. 62.”
1961-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 16 (1961)
“The Chilean delegation will therefore support speedy adoption of the Covenant on Human Rights5 including economic and social rights, which have now been under discussion for more than twelve years„ It will also speak in favour of and vote for any resolution aimed at preventing discrimination and strengthening the action of bodies established for that purpose, and will endorse all the constructive measures in conformity with the Charter that are designed to eliminate the racial discrimination that, has been a main concern of the General Assembly since its first session. 60. With respect to Latin American problems, I take this opportunity to state once again that Chile is a member of a regional system which, while not a military alliance, provides for solidarity in the face of any aggression against an American country.”
1961-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 16 (1961)
“It is thus the view of the Chilean Government that compliance with our obligation under the Charter to ensure full respect for the basic human rights, without discrimination of any kind is just as urgent as the adoption of measures to abolish the armaments race and suppress nuclear weapons. 59.”
1961-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 16 (1961)
“The San Francisco legislators were fully aware that systematic violation of the individual's rights and man's implacable persecution of man on no other ground but that of belonging to a certain ethnic group are not only heinously criminal acts in themselves but were contributing causes of the Second World War. Peace will always be in danger and peaceful relations among the nations always threatened unless the world is able once and for all to root out every notion of racial superiority, of privileged class or group and of the exploitation of one people or one human being by another.”
1961-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 16 (1961)
“The principle of respect for fundamental human rights, without any distinction as to race, sex, language or religion, is given a prominent place in the United Nations Charter and is defined there as an essential factor for the maintenance of international peace and security. This relationship is affirmed in the very Preamble to the Charter, is reiterated in Article 1 which defines the purposes and principles of the Organization, and is reaffirmed in Article 55 which constitutes the key division governing the entire chapter on economic, social and cultural co-operation.”
1961-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 16 (1961)
“Thus it was that a large group of countries from every part of the world recently met at Belgrade for the purpose of exchanging views and seeking formulae for peaceful coexistence. 57. Although it does not fall to my Government to analyse the arguments put forward at that conference, I may say that it followed the discussions at Belgrade with the greatest interest and is of opinion that the conclusions which were reached offer much that is useful and profitable for the achievement of our common goal of banishing the spectre of war and building again a world capable of peaceful survival in justice and freedom. 58.”
1961-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 16 (1961)
“This is clear evidence that we need have no fears regarding the liberation of peoples, nor qualms in face of the difficulties which the newly independent countries may encounter. In judging what is happening in Africa and Asia, we must always bear in mind the problems that beset Latin America in the years following the wars of independence and the way that which they came to be resolved. 56. These guiding principles of my own country are, I am sure, common to the nations of Latin America and are largely shared by Governments in other continents that are fundamentally concerned to ensure the maintenance of peace and security and to eliminate the causes of international friction.”
1961-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 16 (1961)
“As a country which, a century and a half ago, attained an independent life after a long and cruel struggle to gain Its sovereignty, Chile takes a firm and resolute stand in support of peoples that are still subject to colonialism in some form or another and shares in their aspirations to be free. It believes that the example given by the American countries in maintaining unbreakable ties of brotherhood with the Powers that formerly ruled over them is worthy of emulation. This course has yielded fruitful results, not only in our own hemisphere but also in other continents where countries which yesterday were engaged in colonial wars are today united by close ties of friendship. 55.”
1961-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 16 (1961)
“That is why we, in common with other delegations, were favourably disposed last year towards a Canadian proposal to initiate disarmament negotiations in which countries that do not possess nuclear weapons, that is to say, small and medium-sized countries, would participate. They could, we are convinced, make a valuable and effective contribution towards attainment of the objectives our peoples are calling out for. 53. Causes of international friction do not, however, exist solely among the great Powers, We have also Witnessed _ in other parts of the world, in vast continents, the emergence of problems caused by the fact that there are still peoples who have not yet achieved full political or economic independence. These problems jeopardize all the efforts that are being made on behalf of peace. 54.”
1961-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 16 (1961)
“This serious question, which has been under discussion in United Nations meetings for years past, has far-reaching consequences for every country, whether large, medium-sized or small. For expenditure on armaments inevitably leads to international incidents, and we well know that the astronomical sums now being expended on means of destruction would, if devoted to combating hunger, poverty, ignorance and disease, contribute to universal peace. It is the duty of every country, we believe, to join in a concerted effort, within a body that should be created forthwith, to find ways and means for speedily eliminating these problems.”
1961-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 16 (1961)
“Accordingly, Chile's support will not be lacking for any proposal made at this session with the object of restoring peaceful international relations. 50. We shall likewise support any proposal aimed at banning nuclear tests and restoring the principle that atomic science must be used exclusively for peaceful purposes with a view to helping resolve the problems besetting mankind, rather than bringing about its destruction. 51. Every effort must also be made to put an end as goon as possible to the preparations for war and the increase in armaments. I have been instructed by the President of Chile — who has been pressing strongly for a reduction of military expenditure in Latin America in order that large sums may be freed for purposes of economic development — to support any move designed to promote general and controlled disarmament. 52.”
1961-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 16 (1961)
“An essential prerequisite, however, |§that negotiations should take place in an atmosphere free of threats and that there should be no resort to force to compel one side to give in. 48. It is also essential that any solution, to be lasting must respect international morality and the purposes and principles of the San Francisco Charter, particularly the principle of self-determination. For we firmly believe that representative democracy is the best system of internal government; we likewise hold that the fate of peoples cannot be determined without consultation of their sovereign will. This is the basic tenet of self-determination that must be applied in •every area of the world, without exception, and notably in the case of Germany. 49.”
1961-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 16 (1961)
“In this regard, Chile, as a Member of the United Nations, has a responsibility which it neither can nor will evade. 46. This rule of conduct — in essence, active pacifism — must govern our acts at this session of the General Assembly. 47. Chile is convinced, from its own experience and on the strength fit a tradition it has steadfastly upheld, that a way of solving any international problem can be found through the means enshrined in the United Nations Charter, No controversy, however intractable, can be beyond the bounds of a peaceful settlement. No problem can fail of a solution, provided all sides have the honest will to tackle it realistically in accord with the rules of law.”
1961-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 16 (1961)
“Side by side with the conquest of space through technical progress that, put to good use, might contribute to the general well-being, man is seemingly at the same time and by the same means carving out his own destruction. 45. In the face of such acts, threatening not peace alone but man's survival, Chile, as a small country, is bound to take a stand different to the one it has hitherto maintained. We cannot go on putting our trust in the great Powers. We are in duty bound to Safeguard the fate of our own countries; it is our duty to take timely and effective action, since we know but too well that a conflagration these days cannot be limited to given countries or predetermined areas. Consequently, every nation and every Government must make the utmost effort to avert a general catastrophe.”
1961-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 16 (1961)
“The world we are living in is torn by dissension; acts of war are common talk, and intimidation has seemingly become the norm in international relations, bringing back to mind the tragic years preceding the last world conflagration. 44. Recriminations have given way to threats, and now the stage has been reached of military displays and shows of strength that can at any moment bring on a generalized conflict. Worse still, just as though panic were meant to be used as a psychological weapon, we witnessed a few weeks ago the ending of the atom moratorium that had been agreed between the great Powers only by dint of superhuman effort. Our planet has been shaken by the exploding of bombs of an inconceivable power of destruction, and the disastrous effects of the resulting radio-activity have spread to encompass peaceful areas.”
1961-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 16 (1961)
“This support has been loyal and true, though limited because Chile is a small country far removed from the main centres of international friction and also because we trusted that the great world Powers would fulfil their obligations under the San Francisco Charter, which conferred upon them special privileges and special responsibilities for the maintenance of peace and security. 43. Despite the political and ideological differences that emerged at the end-of the Second World War, we continued to be buoyed up by the hope that peace would be maintained and that an era of harmonious relations would eventually be ushered in whereby man's progress would be assured. These objectives have not been realized.”
1961-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 16 (1961)
“In applying his intelligence, his political ability and his resolute will in the service of mankind's higher interest and in giving up his life for that cause, Dag Hammarskjold exemplified the kind of international civil servant that is envisaged in the United Nations Charter. 41. Sorrow is not, however, the only weight pressing upon us here today. The hour is also one of grave anxiety, Mankind is threatened by the greatest danger it has aver affronted in the whole of history: the danger of total destruction. This compels us to speak our thoughts with the bluntness the circumstances demand and with the candour that has always marked my country's international policy. 42. Chile, as a founding Member of the United Nations, has steadfastly supported the cause of peace, both within and outside the Organization.”
1961-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 16 (1961)
“Mr. President, may I present Chile's congratulations on your election as President of the General Assembly for this session. 38. We also congratulate Sierra Leone on its admission to the United Nations, which we supported both by word and vote in the Security Council. 39. The circumstances in which the sixteenth session of the General Assembly is meeting are grave. Grief and anxiety permeate and trouble our debates. 40. The Chilean delegation wishes to pay a tribute to the Secretary-General whose tragic demise has deprived the world community of a most active and effective defender of peace and upholder of man's progress.”
1961-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 16 (1961)