YouSaid · the spoken record

Nko’o Etoungou

THE RECORD WRITES THIS SPEAKER AS NKO’O ETOUNGOU

lines on the record: 62
first: 1965-09-24
most recent: 1968-09-24
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

“In this way we shall be able to live in a better world, especially if, in the words of my Chief of State, President El Hadj Ahmadou Ahidjo at the Organization of African Unity meetings at Algiers, we set ourselves the goal of “providing international society with a humane and peaceful foundation and of transforming relations among men by replacing the law of force by the force of law.””
1968-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 23 (1968)
“We therefore feel obliged to launch an appeal to everyone, and especially to the great Powers, that all their acts should be brought within the framework of the United Nations, which remains the best and the only instrument we possess for achieving the goals of mankind and to which I must reaffirm Cameroon’s steadfast and total devotion, and that the United Nations principles we have freely accepted should provide the basis for our conduct in our relations between States. 57.”
1968-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 23 (1968)
“Obviously then, countries that possess more force than other countries, that is to say the great Powers, bear a special responsibility for the survival of that evil. Indeed, they still employ the argument based on force as an instrument of national policy in inter-State relations. It is not surprising, therefore, that they decline to act in conformity with the principles of our Organization, whose very existence represents the international community’s condemnation of such an attitude. In short, international society is being threatened with the prospect of the perpetuation of the rule of force, in other words, the law of the jungle, that force comes first and might is right. Is that not the utter negation of the aims our Organization has set for itself in its endeavours to promote better living conditions for mankind? 56.”
1968-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 23 (1968)
“Furthermore, what will give real content and lasting scope to this treaty and any other disarmament measure depends essentially on the political will of States; for in an international order in which we wish to establish respect for human rights and to promote the integral development of all, it is absolutely essential to create and maintain the best possible conditions of mutual trust and co-operation. 54. Consequently, our Governments must follow an international line of conduct that strictly respects the principles of the Charter, whether the principle of the sovereignty of States or the principle of their right to political and economic independence. 55. I have spoken of force as the evil that has undermined international society.”
1968-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 23 (1968)
“If that happened our goal would be a long way from being attained. On the contrary, the Treaty will achieve its full purpose when the great Powers too give concrete proof of their will to disarm themselves. Such proof must necessarily come through an extension of the Moscow Treaty to all nuclear tests, through the cessation of all manufacture of nuclear weapons, through the destruction of existing stocks and through the renunciation of the use and possession of such weapons.”
1968-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 23 (1968)
“In itself, the Treaty cannot be considered as a pledge for the achievement of general and complete disarmament, which remains one of our essential aims. None the less, since it constitutes a further step on the necessarily long and arduous road towards that goal, after the Moscow Treaty of 1963 and the denuclearization of the African continent [see resolution 2033 (XXI)] and other areas of the world, it deserves our unanimous support. What will give it its true meaning for peace, however, is not just the massive accession of States; that is a mere preliminary. Non-nuclear States might see their legitimate anxieties justified and come to the conclusion that the nuclear Powers have induced them to forgo the supreme weapon so that they themselves, having disarmed the practically unarmed, can set up a sort of nuclear club.”
1968-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 23 (1968)
“The majority of the crises I have just mentioned are due to an evil that has deeply undermined international society, namely, the use of force as an instrument of policy. And it is here that the need for disarmament appears, not only to free substantial resources for development, but especially to create a climate of real mutual trust, understanding, co-operation and peaceful co-existence. 53. That is why my Government welcomes our Assembly’s approval of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons [resolution 2373 (XXII)]. Of course, it has been said, sometimes rightly, that it contains serious omissions and imperfections; but it is none the less true that that first achievement of the Eighteen Nation Committee on Disarmament represents an agreement of wills and a body of effort whose continuation must be encouraged.”
1968-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 23 (1968)
“For my country, at any rate, the struggle against poverty — in other words, the race towards progress and development — takes priority. Since our independence, we have launched a bold development plan which is being carried out continually. The first fruits of that plan are already appearing and the foreign observer travelling through my country now can see for himself the efforts my Government is making to secure a general improvement in the condition of the Cameroon people. From this platform I would like to thank very sincerely all those who, in co-operation with my country, have given proof of their friendship and solidarity in this priority task of our emancipation. 52.”
1968-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 23 (1968)
“Each of those countries has to devote enormous sustained efforts to the struggle against under-development, pending the receipt of foreign assistance which is, unfortunately, dependent upon the hazards of the international situation. 50. And yet today, the rich countries are bursting with far greater wealth than they have had in the past, and have reached an unprecedented level of development. At the same time, unfortunately, the gap that divides them from the poor countries grows wider and wider. Now that the international community has suddenly become aware of the development problem, those States which possess the necessary resources and income must demonstrate the requisite political will and determination to solve this problem in the clear interests of all. 51.”
1968-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 23 (1968)
“As proof of that I need mention only the failure of the recent negotiations for the conclusion of agreements on cocoa and sugar, notwithstanding the hopes that .were raised by the UNCTAD recommendation on that subject. In other words,. we are back at the starting point, or, at any rate, we are far from having achieved the results expected by the third world. In other words also, the second session of UNCTAD, the adjournment of which had been requested several times even during the course of its work, is not really over, and most of its conclusions are nothing but a preface. 49. Under-development remains a serious obstacle in the path the poor countries must follow to achieve complete emancipation.”
1968-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 23 (1968)
“Everyone expected that it would be possible to open negotiations there for building fresh structures for international finance and economy in the new world, in which the needs of the third world, as set forth in the Charter of Algiers, would henceforth constitute an essential element in the thoughts and lives of all mankind. 47. Alas, as we all know, the New Delhi conference yielded such meagre results that not without reason have some described it as a failure. Indeed, those results are a long way short of answering the hopes of the developing countries, for even if it can be said that the second session of UNCTAD resulted in some agreements, it must also be recognized that they were vague agreements on principle which in fact conceal serious disagreements both on substance and on practical methods of implementation. 48.”
1968-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 23 (1968)
“Therefore I should be loth to leave this platform without laying particular stress on the arduous nature of the struggle of the developing countries against poverty in all its forms and for a greater share in the fruits of modern scientific and technological advances. In the present international economic situation, which inflicts so much harm on the poor countries, the outcome of that struggle appears somewhat uncertain. 46. In that connexion, I should like to recall that a year ago the entire world was looking to New Delhi, where the second session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) was being held.”
1968-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 23 (1968)
“I should also like to pay a tribute to Spain for its successful accomplishment of the task of decolonization in that part of Africa in an atmosphere of harmony and friendship. All who contributed to the success of that task deserve our thanks, with a special mention for the Organization of African Unity and the United Nations. Such examples of decolonization augur well for future sound and fruitful co-operation. 44. Colonization is doomed to extinction, condemned as it is by the universal conscience and by all mankind. The wheel of history will continue to turn in the direction of the progress of peoples and self-determination. The Organization of African Unity will naturally see to that in Africa. 45. All peoples have the right to develop.”
1968-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 23 (1968)
“It must remind that Government that the world conscience will not falter in the slightest before the fait accompli that it seems willing to countenance and that consequently it must take the effective measures of coercion that it alleges it rejects on practical grounds. 42. Nevertheless, in various parts of Africa the decolonization process has had a successful outcome, followed by relations of lasting friendship and fruitful co-operation. 43. Near my country, the Republic of Equatorial Guinea has just acceded to national sovereignty. That gives me the opportunity to congratulate the leaders of that young brother State and to express once again the Cameroon Government’s heartfelt wishes for their prosperity and happiness and that of the entire Guinean nation.”
1968-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 23 (1968)
“It must act to put an end to the obduracy of South Africa which, thanks to the support which we are continually denouncing here, is establishing apartheid, that crime against humanity, as State policy. It must also act so as to make the virtues of decolonization evident to Portugal, that small, underdeveloped European State which has every interest to economize, for development purposes, the resources that have been granted to it and the energies it persists in devoting to the maintenance of an army for fruitless colonial conquest. 41. As for the situation in Southern Rhodesia, the responsibility of the United Kingdom remains entire, The international community is in duty bound to see to it that the equivocations of the British Government are not allowed to impair the inalienable rights of the Zimbabwe people.”
1968-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 23 (1968)
“Whereas the greater part of the African continent has already been freed, southern Africa continues to be the stronghold of colonialism and slavery, where the usurping and minority Governments of South Africa and Southern Rhodesia, joined in unholy alliance with Portugal, are like that country insatiably making inhuman and immoral exactions that the United Nations has condemned on so many occasions. 40. Of course, it is not always easy for someone who is temporarily deranged, even less so for a madman, to return to reason and wisdom. But the international community must not shirk the responsibilities that ensue from commitments freely entered into under the Charter.”
1968-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 23 (1968)
“My Government is of the opinion that the return to peace in the Middle East must be sought on the basis of Security Council resolution [242 (1967)] of 22 November last. That resolution constitutes a sound basis for action for the establishment of a lasting peace in that area of the world. The United Nations, particularly the great Powers that are members of the Security Council, have a special responsibility in the search for that peace. 39. One of the sources of international tension is undoubtedly the continuance of the scourge of colonialism in Africa, with its despicable by-product of apartheid, racism and oppression in the southern part of the continent.”
1968-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 23 (1968)
“In Viet-Nam, a deadly war that has swallowed up an incalculable amount of resources and efforts has already been raging for far too long. Yet the 1954 Geneva Agreements had provided machinery and a procedure for Viet-Nam which it was hoped would finally bring to that country the peace for which its people yearn. Unfortunately, little more importance is now attached to those agreements than to an instrument of propaganda. My Government deplores this state of affairs and is sincerely anxious to see the Paris talks, that opened some time ago at the unanimous wish of all mankind, culminate in a lasting settlement of the over-all situation in Viet-Nam, and more generally in South-East Asia. 38. An equally distressing war goes on for ever in the Middle East.”
1968-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 23 (1968)
“I am especially pleased that Africa, through its increased participation in international affairs, is bringing new life to our Organization, and making an original and positive contribution compounded of that tolerance, respect for others and sense of human solidarity that are typical of its particular genius. 36. I have said that the international situation is difficult and disturbing. Whether we consider the search for peace in Viet-Nam and the Middle East, the pursuit of the objectives of the Charter concerning human rights, the rights of peoples and the rights of States, or the general move of mankind towards the creation of a favourable atmosphere for its full development, we are bound to admit that a sober examination of the international situation offers no ground for great optimism. 37.”
1968-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 23 (1968)
“My delegation’s congratulations are directed first to him, in his capacity as an outstanding diplomatist, and next to his country, Guatemala, a part of that Latin America that is geographically so remote from Africa, but in other respects so close to it. Under our President’s wise leadership, I am convinced that our work will proceed with an efficiency appropriate to his skill and to the trust that has been placed in him. 34. I should also like to take this opportunity to extend to the Romanian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Manescu, the congratulations of the Cameroon delegation, which highly appreciated the manner in which he guided the work of the twenty-second session. 35. Finally, I should like to congratulate Swaziland on its admission to the United Nations.”
1968-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 23 (1968)
“32. For several sessions now, the United Nations General Assembly has met during a particularly difficult and disturbing international situation. The twenty-third session is no exception to that custom; it too opened in the midst of all sorts of crises, some old, the others more recent. 33. Before entering into a consideration of the international situation that is overshadowed by these crises, I should like to associate the delegation of the Federal Republic of the Cameroon with all those who have from this platform duly congratulated Mr. Arenales on his election to the Presidency of the present session of the General Assembly.”
1968-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 23 (1968)
“Yes, the true peace as I have just defined it, the peace on which the President of the Federal Republic of Cameroon focused the attention of the General Assembly at its eighteenth session, still merits contemplation and I should like once again to quote the memorable words which my Head of State spoke on that occasion: "Twice in half a century, this civilization — our civilization — has shown that it knows how to wage war. Let us now prove that it is capable of keeping the peace.” [1244th meeting, para. 102.]”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“Let us say it out loud: we do not mean only the peace which the prosperous nations tend to identify with their own security and simply with the absence of armed conflict, but also — and necessarily — the true peace, which is a framework in which human beings with a health spirit and a minimum of well-being can thrive in the plenitude and grandeur for which the Creator destined them. 57. If war is the enemy of peace and if peace is the supreme good of mankind, why should we not be the enemies of war and, in contrast, the friends of peace?”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“We feel that the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, which is responsible for supervising the conclusion of such agreements, would have an easier task if the Governments represented here applied their political will to the attainment of such noble objectives. 55. This is how, at this stage of history, we see our suffering world. We are overwhelmed by a feeling of deep and serious anxiety about the sad future which awaits mankind if it fails to become aware of its ills and, above all, if it does not courageously and faithfully apply to them the remedies I have just , recommended, which are for us the Cameroonian way to peace. Yes, the Cameroonian way to the peace which depends on our joint efforts, the peace which will be achieved only by our concerted actions, the peace which we all seek. 56.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“We are therefore awaiting with great impatience the results of the meeting of the Working Party on Prices and Quotas of the United Nations Cocoa Conference, which is to be held at Geneva on 18 October 1965 and one of whose principal objectives is to fix a minimum guaranteed price for the 1965-1966 season. It is essential that our planters should be able to receive a just remuneration for the work they do. 54. Generally speaking, we in Cameroon consider that only market organization by the conclusion of international commodity agreements can enable the developing countries to obtain fair, remunerative and stable prices.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“The great London weekly, The Economist, wrote a few weeks ago: "The vitally important exports from many tropical countries in Latin America, the West Indies and Africa are now” being sold at prices which are lower, in absolute terms, than those prevailing at the worst moments of the slump between the two wars." This is true of coffee, sugar and, above all, cocoa, of which my country is one of the largest producers. For the latter commodity, in particular, prices have never been so low as this year. The efforts made by my Government to stabilize prices at the national level will now be useless, for our Stabilization Fund can no longer bear the great weight of supporting prices in view of their continual and catastrophic decline.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“But how many countries represented here can say that they have honoured the unanimous vote they took on this occasion? 52. My Government supports all realistic and effective forms of economic co-operation, especially when, as is the case in most of the developing countries, the efforts made at the national level are in danger of being nullified by excessive fluctuations in commodity prices. 53. The studies of the United Nations show clearly that the developing countries' share in world exports has decreased still further over the past five years, as a result of the decline in commodity prices.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“On the subject of economic co-operation with the industrialized countries, allow me to reaffirm here that my Government remains profoundly attached to the principles of international co-operation among States, with mutual respect for sovereignty. It was for this reason that Cameroon signed the Convention of Association with the European Economic Community, which provides a means of assisting the developing countries, particularly by establishing the necessary machinery for technical and financial assistance. We think that similar measures should be adopted at the international level to accelerate the economic development of the less developed countries. In this connexion, one of the recommendations of the Geneva Conference requests each industrial country to devote 1 per cent of its national income to international economic assistance.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“Consequently, within the framework of sub-regional co-operation, my Government has signed the treaty creating the Central African Customs and Economic Union, which at present comprises the Central African Republic, the Congo (Brazzaville), Gabon, Chad and Cameroon. My country is also co-operating with other neighbouring countries — Nigeria, Chad and Niger — in the development of the basin of Lake Chad. 50. At the national level, my Government is trying to create better living conditions in the country through the diversification of crops, the stabilization of prices for certain exports such as cocoa, coffee and groundnuts, and the national industrialization of the country by the creation of institutions suitable for rapid economic development. 51.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“The developing countries, for their part, are striving with the means at their disposal to put into practice the principles and recommendations of the Final Act of the Geneva Conference. In Latin America, Asia and Africa, efforts are being made to achieve organized economic growth. Regional integration, harmonized Industrialization and development banks exist or are envisaged in each of the regions I have mentioned. The assistance of the United Nations regional economic commissions is extremely useful in this respect. Our efforts do not stop there, however; we think that wider co-operation would accelerate our process of economic development. 49.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“In many cases, the industrialized countries are finding in their development a common denominator for opposing the legitimate demands of the less favoured countries, thus refusing to honour the recommendations for which they themselves voted. Moreover, while they are able to agree to oppose the developing countries, as I have just said, the developed countries are no longer agreed among themselves as soon as the implementation of a recommendation requires the improvement of their respective economic systems. Then they no longer hesitate to transform the Conference into a confrontation, where the developing countries find themselves faced with a false problem — the problem of having to choose between a particular economic system used by this or that country. 48.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“It should give US serious food for thought. 46. If the results for this first half of the Decade are on the whole disappointing, can we hope that the Trade and Development Board, which we established a year ago by resolution 1995 (XIX), will function effectively and satisfactorily? Despite the untiring efforts continually exerted by Mr. Prebisch, the Secretary-General of the Conference, to whom I should like to pay a well-deserved tribute on-behalf of my delegation, we cannot close our eyes to the hard facts. 47. The implementation of the recommendations adopted by the Conference is meeting with the most serious obstacles.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“This is clear from the statement made at the end of the thirty-ninth session of the Economic and Social Council by its President, who said, inter alia: "It should be recalled, however, that this session opened with the acknowledgement that the results obtained up to the mid-point of the United Nations Development Decade were disappointing; that the gap between rich and poor countries, measures by the per capita income, was steadily widening; that what could be expected of life differed shockingly from region to region, because of the difference in health standards and disparities in nutrition; that the highest rates of population growth were to be found in the poor countries and that the population question was one of the greatest worries; that agricultural output was not increasing sufficiently, particularly in the countries which had the most mouths to feed; that the assistance provided by the developed countries and the multilateral financing institutions was insufficient to support the efforts made by the 'Third World’ to achieve development; that the indebtedness of the capital-importing countries was placing an extremely heavy burden on them, which was difficult to carry." This is not a reassuring picture.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“First and foremost, it would be advisable to take stock in order to establish whether the hopes which the Organization had aroused in the less favoured countries had been fulfilled and whether the machinery established, especially as regards the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, is such as to enable us to reach the goals we have set ourselves. 45. So far as the United Nations Development Decade is concerned, the Organization decided that by the end of this period a minimum annual rate of economic growth of 5 per cent should be achieved in the developing countries. Ha this goal, which could not be described as ambitious, been achieved? Definitely not.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“The threat to world peace does not come solely from the grave situations to which I have referred. The condition of under-development which is common to the greater part of the human race is also unquestionably one of the most formidable dangers confronting it. 44. It is particularly significant that the twentieth session of the General Assembly is being held just half-way through the United Nations Development Decade and after the first session of the historic United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. These special circumstances should give each of us an increased awareness of his responsibilities with regard to the development problems of the backward countries.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“Cameroon has no doubt whatever that this sister nation must be allowed to choose in full freedom the régime which it prefers. Let the military at last withdraw and let the diplomats heal the deep wounds which too many years of suffering have inflicted on the Viet-Namese. 41. Let the German people, to whom we are bound by very special historic time, also find peace after a fratricidal war, the last vestiges of which we earnestly hope will disappear. 42. In all the other conflicts, may the opposing parties, realizing that “all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword”, put an end to the horrible spectacle with which war confronts us, bring their weapons to the forge to be transformed into useful tools and sit down at the conference table to negotiate. 43.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“Thus, with scrupulous respect for the Security Council resolutions calling for a cease-fire, we urge India and Pakistan, those two brothers in our great Afro-Asian family, to refrain from applying any solution or taking any step which would have the effect of aggravating the controversy dividing them. It is essential that they should do so, for the persistence of a state of tension in that part of the world, where so much effort must still be made to promote economic and social development, would place on the United Nations the terrible responsibility of finding and imposing a solution which might be a harsh one for both parties. 40. We are likewise in full sympathy with the people of Viet-Nam, who have suffered so much and so long not only from war but also and primarily from foreign intervention.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“On this basis Cameroon is firmly confident that Africa will one day achieve unity in freedom and peace. It most earnestly cherishes the Same hope for all the other parts of the world and looks forward to the day when America, Europe, Asia, Oceania and Africa will join in a great celebration commemorating the end of poverty, the end of injustice, the end of war. 38. Africa with its vestiges of the colonial era is not, unfortunately, the only part of the world where there is trouble, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, where many hotbeds of tension persist, have their troubles too. Many solutions have been advocated in one area or another. All of them are indicative of our common desire to safeguard peace. Cameroon, moved by that same desire, urgently recommends negotiation as the only means of settling all these disputes. 39.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“As I have mentioned the name of the Organization of African Unity, I should like to recall our philosophy with regard to this institution, which is very dear to us Cameroonians and whose existence is entirely in conformity with Article 52 of the United Nations Charter. The Organization of African Unity seems to us to be both a stage of the movement towards universality and a field of experimentation where we can test the principles on the basis of which my country believes that a better world can be built. 36. The United Nations itself, which, if it is to be viable, must avoid utopianism, should resolutely attack the problems of economic and social development within the framework of regional regroupings and should, first and foremost, teach all its Members the meaning of tolerance and respect for the equal sovereignty of all. 37.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“From this rostrum Cameroon urgently appeals to all countries to associate themselves with the efforts of the Organization of African Unity to put an end to the enslavement by Portugal of the peoples of Mozambique, Angola and so-called Portuguese Guinea. 33. As far as South West Africa in concerned, Cameroon, Africa and — we hope — all the Members of the United Nations will refuse to accept a fait accompli in that Territory. 34. Self-determination is a sacred principle. The Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples must be implemented to the full so that colonialism must be totally eradicated once and for all. 35.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“Like the other African countries which are members, of the Organization of African Unity, Cameroon, desirous of preserving the peace which is so dear to us all, urges the United Nations to remind the United Kingdom of its responsibilities in that Territory, particularly with a view to preventing any unilateral declaration of independence in Southern Rhodesia by the Ian Smith team. 32. With regard to the Portuguese colonies, my country deeply deplores the attitude of all those who, while claiming to be friends of Africa, nevertheless continue to help Portugal in its desperate effort to retain its hold in that continent.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“Instead of helping to mobilize all our resources for the only truly worthy struggle — the struggle of man for man and not the struggle for man against man - inveterate and unrepentant colonialists continue to impose an odious régime of exploitation and humiliation on millions of human beings who are our brothers. In Southern Rhodesia, in Angola, in Mozambique, in Guinea (Bissau), in South West Africa and elsewhere, men born free are subjected to injustice and sham. 31. As far as Southern Rhodesia is concerned, I must confess that my Government finds the vacillating attitude of the United Kingdom surprising and disquieting in the extreme.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“In this connexion, the Report of the Special Committee on Peace-Keeping Operations and the principles set forth therein constitute a valid basis for discussion with a view to the establishment of flexible but effective machinery which would enable the United Nations to carry out its responsibilities. 30. Finally, I come to colonization. When one speaks of decolonization — or rather of non-decolonization — one has in mind in particular certain parts of Africa where this phenomenon still exists despite the assaults which, thanks largely to the efforts of the United Nations, have been made upon it.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“There is, indeed, such a contradiction — or, to put it more exactly, there is an absence of the will to abide by the principles laid down in the Charter, particularly when those principles conflict with national interests. 28. The third and final aspect is the fact that some countries pay scant heed to the decisions taken here. Yes, once again, it is the attitude of South Africa and Portugal in particular which comes to mind in this connexion. That attitude, in our opinion, can lead only to the slow but sure destruction of the United Nations. 29. In these circumstances, the United Nations certainly cannot discharge its principal responsibility, that of maintaining peace. We think that the General Assembly and the Security Council should co-operate whenever there is a breach of the peace or a threat to peace.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“As the Charter of the United Nations affirms the sovereignty of States and their juridical equality, it would be appropriate to translate those principles into fact by allowing the small countries to contribute effectively to the preparation of the decisions that are taken here. This international Organization should be made more democratic and its structure should be adapted to the realities of the contemporary world. My world would like here and now to express its satisfaction at the Enlargement of the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council. 27. The second aspect of the internal crisis of the United Nations is, as our Secretary-General, U Thant, so rightly indicated a short time ago at San Francisco, the contradiction between the national interests of States and the general interests of the international community.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“It is hot my purpose, however, to analyse that crisis or to go into its history. I shall confine myself to an examination of its most important aspects as they are seen by my Government. 25. The first of these aspects is the desire of the great Powers to transfer to a world organization the spirit of the former Concert of Europe. Although the United Nations was born of the general desire for an organization capable of ensuring that there would never again be war, the small countries' role in the Organization is rather limited. It seems to us that with the; increase in the number of those countries, particularly as a result of the process of decolonization, they should be given an increasingly important place in the principal organs of the United Nations, which constitutes a forum for all. 26.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“Furthermore, in order to give an impetus to the work of the Eighteen-Nation Committee at Geneva and to invest it with a certain authority, my Government would like to see a world disarmament conference convened without delay. It therefore associated itself with several non-aligned countries at Cairo last year in putting forward the idea of such a conference, an idea which was taken up and adopted by the Disarmament Commission with the support of a very large majority of its members. 24. The United Nations is not immune to the convulsions which are shaking the world. The crisis which has been sapping its strength ever since its establishment, which reached its culmination during the most recent session of the General Assembly and which still persists, offers depressing evidence of this fact.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“(3) My Government associates itself with the recent initiative designed to induce all States to undertake, in a way that has yet to be determined, never to use nuclear weapons. (4) My Government is strongly in favour of the destruction of stockpiles of nuclear weapons. 22. In this connexion, my Government deplores the slow pace of the work done by the Eighteen-Nation Committee at Geneva, especially as the Disarmament Commission at its most recent meetings in New York this summer laid down a precise programme of work with a clearly established order of priorities. 23. This is the way in which my country would like to see the problem of disarmament approached.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“the process of true disarmament must be set in motion, and everything that represents a permanent threat of destruction hanging over mankind must be destroyed. We must achieve complete and controlled disarmament which will lead to a peace such as Jaurés defined at the beginning of this century, 'a deep-rooted, lasting, organized, final peace'." [1244th meeting, para. 33.] 21. The Federal Republic of Cameroon therefore advocates the adoption of the following parallel and simultaneous measures: (1) The Moscow Treaty on the partial banning of nuclear weapons tests, which gave rise to confident hopes, should be extended to underground tests, so that the entire process of the manufacture of nuclear weapons may be stopped. (2) The proliferation of nuclear weapons must be ended.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“The lessons of history, and in particular of the two recent wars, with their painful consequences for mankind, no longer seem to be of any value whatsoever. The frightening arms race challenges the principle of peaceful settlement of disputes, although that principle is enshrined in the United Nations Charter. 19. Worse still, the possession of nuclear weapons, by conferring power and prestige on the State which has them, is a temptation to a growing number of countries, thus making the safety of mankind even more precarious. 20. It is therefore imperative that all responsible men should face the problem of disarmament with at least a minimum of goodwill and in a spirit of cooperation and realism. As President Ahmadou Ahidjo said during the eighteenth session of the General Assembly: "...”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)