YouSaid · the spoken record

Nuñez Portuondo

lines on the record: 123
first: 1953-09-24
most recent: 1958-09-24
sittings or episodes: 4
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

“Article 2, paragraph 7, of the Charter reads as follows: "Nothing contained in the present Charter shall authorize the United Nations to intervene in matters which are essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of any state or shall require the Members to submit such matters to settlement under the present Charter..." 52. We have said this before and we repeat it again. When France joined the United Nations it considered Algeria, unlike Morocco and Tunisia, as an integral part of its national territory. Several Member States have overseas provinces which, they consider to be integral parts of their national territory, and so would the United States if Hawaii became a State of the Union.”
1957-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 12 (1957)
“The Algerian question was the subject of much discussion during the eleventh session of the General Assembly, at which the Cuban delegation expressed its views. It cannot change those views for fundamental reasons which I shall briefly summarize. 51. The Charter of the United Nations - which, of course, should be more widely disseminated among the peoples of the world so that they would not consider the Organization as a body to provide solutions to internal political problems of the Member States, solutions which are always requested to suit the taste of the party making the request - is our constitution, and therefore its provisions are mandatory upon all Member States.”
1957-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 12 (1957)
“This could be achieved through broad guaranties to the effect that under no circumstances would those liberated peoples become belligerents against the Soviet Union itself. 49. The Cuban delegation is in a position to collaborate to the full extent of its ability in all measures designed to reach at least preliminary agreements in attempting to solve this vast problem affecting all mankind. But under no circumstances would it cast its vote in support of any proposal which, yielding to the pressure of biased and skilfully directed propaganda, would represent a renunciation of freedom and independence for the peoples of this part of the world, and of their right to live according to their traditional democratic principles. 50.”
1957-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 12 (1957)
“It is an artificial division of the State which has the greatest economic potential in all Europe and of a people who constitute an entity and have one of the world’s most advanced cultures. 47. The Cuban delegation subscribes unreservedly to the Berlin Declaration of 29 July 1957, signed by the Governments of France, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Federal Republic of Germany, in which all other States are informed of the urgent necessity of achieving rapidly the much desired unification of Germany. 48. We are astounded too that Soviet statesmen, who always analyse problems in accordance with materialistic principles, do not realize that for their own security the right of self-determination must be fully granted to those peoples in Europe and Asia whose lands are occupied by the Soviet Army.”
1957-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 12 (1957)
“Yet when the Western Powers request guaranties to protect them against surprise attacks, atomic tests and secret manufacture of nuclear weapons, the Soviet Government balks at granting them and launches a vast propaganda campaign through its militant communists and fellow-travellers in all parts of the world, whose sole purpose is to prove that it wants to abolish the use of atomic weapons in order to be able to launch its final and complete conquest. 46. Furthermore, the Cuban delegation sincerely believes that it is contrary to the most elementary rules of logic even to suppose that a lasting peace can be achieved as long as the division of Germany, against all principles of justice, is maintained. We cannot understand how Soviet statesmen can imagine that this division can be made permanent without endangering international peace.”
1957-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 12 (1957)
“It is well to remember the obvious fact that it is due only to the strength of the United States in atomic weapons that it has been possible for the rest of the world to remain free. 44. In our view, and we say this with full awareness of our responsibility, all that renunciation of atomic weapons represents, in the absence of complete and absolute guaranties that aggression will not be unleashed following such renunciation, would be an act of imprudence which the great Western Powers cannot risk. 45. The Soviet Union too is entitled to insist on guaranties. We do not deny this. But such guaranties have been offered to it in profusion.”
1957-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 12 (1957)
“One State seized control of thousands, millions even, of square kilometres of foreign territory, and imposed its pitiless yoke on millions of hitherto free men, women and children. That the number of subjugated peoples was not greater was due to the decision of the United Nations and the exceptional sacrifices of the United States and its allies, which routed aggression in Korea. Thus it was possible to save South Viet-Nam from subjugation by a State which was overrunning peoples and territories. 43. This background, which is apparent to all and cannot be denied with mere rhetoric, is what is destroying the mutual trust essential to any discussion of disarmament. As long as guaranties acceptable to all parties are not provided, it would seem futile to hope for any favourable outcome from the negotiations.”
1957-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 12 (1957)
“There is one fact that cannot be denied: it is the reason why the situation is so complicated. During and after the War, the so-called Western Powers ended their political domination over thousands of square kilometres of territory, and millions of human beings acquired the right to be called citizens of independent and sovereign States. India, Pakistan, Burma, Tunisia, Morocco, Sudan, Ghana, the Federation of Malaya, the Philippines, Laos, Cambodia, Viet-Nam, among others, serve to demonstrate the accuracy of our statements. 42. While this was taking place, we were alarmed to note the rise of the new imperialism and a new colonialism threatening the freedom of all mankind.”
1957-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 12 (1957)
“We have stated repeatedly that, although it is true that only the great Powers can effectively solve this problem - since they are the only ones capable of launching a total war - it is equally true that those nations which do not have great military strength are those that suffer most from wars, without ever reaping any benefits from the outcome of wars. That is why we are presenting our views, for right and truth are not a monopoly of the great Powers. 40. The problem of disarmament must not be considered without taking into consideration certain circumstances which are fundamental in placing the question in its proper context. As long as we do not do this, any statements made in this Assembly will be futile. The Assembly should never be used as a forum for propaganda intended to deceive unwary nations. 41.”
1957-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 12 (1957)
“These difficulties are due chiefly to the unremitting action taken by the Cuban Government against the infiltration of International Communism into the island and to our staunch stand in the United Nations in defence of the democracies, in opposition to a new imperialism and a new colonialism which, it would seem, will yield only to those moral and material forces which are opposing it and will make their final triumph impossible. 39. We consider disarmament the most important item on our agenda.”
1957-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 12 (1957)
“The Cuban delegation’s purpose in participating in this general debate is to state briefly, owing to the great number of speakers listed, our Government's views on the most important items on our agenda. 38. Also, we should like to lay before the delegations for their consideration what might be called a summary of our country’s economic situation and the great work carried out by cur Government in the past few years in spite of the difficulties that have arisen.”
1957-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 12 (1957)
“The Cuban delegation will maintain its stand against colonialism, as has been demonstrated time and again, but it will consider the cases now before it on their merits and in the light of the present world situation. We reject transfers of sovereignty which completely disregard the will of the people concerned, and even more so the dual standard of being an anticolonialist in one part of the world while observing with unconcern the bitter sufferings inflicted on certain peoples by the militant colonialist policy of the Soviet Union.”
1956-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 11 (1956)
“Suffice it to say that in Europe alone it has conquered 1,187,252 square kilometres of foreign territory and enslaved 98 million human beings without justification or reason. This is without counting North Korea, Northern Viet-Nam, Outer Mongolia or Communist China. 40. It is extraordinary, to the mind of the Cuban delegation, to find fiery statements being made and strongly worded draft resolutions submitted on the question of colonialism, without any mention of the present-day colonialism of the Soviet Union. Such a procedure, we feel, amounts to an attempt to dwell on ancient history and to overlook what is going on around us. 41.”
1956-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 11 (1956)
“We said that whereas the United Kingdom had recognized the independence of many of its former colonies, such as India, Pakistan, Burma, Ceylon and Nepal, without acquiring any others; whereas France had done likewise with regard to Cambodia, Laos and Viet-Nam and, just recently, Tunisia and Morocco; whereas the Netherlands had permitted the establishment of the Republic of Indonesia; and whereas the United States had, after an irreproachably conducted plebiscite, granted to Puerto Rico the status of a free and associated commonwealth and had conferred independence on the Philippines; the Soviet Union, by contrast, had engaged in a policy of naked colonialism, of economic and political imperialism unprecedented in the history of mankind.”
1956-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 11 (1956)
“In the statement made by the Cuban delegation at the special session held at San Francisco to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the United Nations, the attention of Member States and of world opinion was drawn to an irrefutable fact.”
1956-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 11 (1956)
“Such an argument is not entirely true, for interdependence is a phenomenon which is more strongly apparent day by day, and an increase in Cuba’s production for export is out of the question unless we can count on markets which will take our products at reasonable prices. 38. The agenda for the eleventh session of the General Assembly contains a number of items that come under the category of colonial problems. The Cuban delegation has voted for their inclusion, thereby modifying its previous stand in certain cases. Our action on this score warrants a brief explanation, so that our vote in favour of the inclusion of these items may not be taken as prejudging our position on their substance. 39.”
1956-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 11 (1956)
“As can be seen, we have striven to check the depressive forces resulting from the decline in our sugar output and the smaller income from sugar sales, and so head off a deflationary process which would lead to a crisis, and to develop our economic structure so that through a programme of diversification it might be less dependent on fluctuations in income. 37. The reason why I have taken up your time with this part of my statement is to support my previous assertion that, despite all the efforts and sacrifices made, we still need the co-operation of the more developed and wealthier countries if we are to achieve the minimum standard of living to which our people aspire. I have also done this to forestall the argument that each country should work out its own economic Salvation.”
1956-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 11 (1956)
“The Government is at present engaged in building 55 new roads with a total length of 1,700 kilometres, repairing 33 with a total length of 141 kilometres and extending another 2 with a total length of 23 kilometres. Other new construction includes 461 main afid secondary highways with a total length of 2,877 kilometres; 35 bridges; 14 aqueducts; and 170 sewerage systems. In addition, 7 new hospitals are being built and 4 repaired; 4 large schools are being built and 5 repaired; and 3 new airports are being built and 5 repaired. In addition, plans are being completed and will shortly be put into effect for building 23 roads with a total length of 675 kilometres, for repairing 7 roads with a total length of 64 kilometres, and for building 3 bridges, 5 aqueducts and 10 hospitals. 36.”
1956-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 11 (1956)
“As regards public works completed by the Government, the figures are: 108 new highways with a total length of 1,380 kilometres built, and 128 rebuilt or repaired; 953 secondary roads or by-roads with a total length of 6,538 kilometres built; 126 bridges built and 23 repaired or improved; 32 aqueducts built and 10 repaired or improved; 693 sewerage and drainage systems installed; 23 kilometres of new streets and pavements built at Havana alone, and 112 kilometres rebuilt or repaired. In addition, 8 hospitals have been built, 8 have been enlarged and 2 have been rebuilt or repaired; and 5 large schools have been built and 1 rebuilt. Other projects carried out under the economic and social development programme include the construction of 5 new airports and the reconstruction of a sixth. 35.”
1956-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 11 (1956)
“Cuba’s petroleum production, though still very low, rose from 48,600 barrels of forty-two gallons in 1953 to 307,852 barrels during the first half of 1956. This development of our petroleum output and the possibilities of a further increase have spurred investments in the construction of refineries. The Esso Standard Oil Company, for example, has invested $30 million, the Texas Company $14 million, the Compañia Petrolera Shell $24 million and the Compañia Nacional Petrolera de Cuba $10 million. 34.”
1956-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 11 (1956)
“A new five-year programme to increase the production of electric power, and calling for the investment of $147 million, will result in a still further increase to 549,000 kW by 1960, or a rise of 335 per cent over the 1950 figure. The financing of the programme has been made possible through the co-operation of the Import-Export Bank of Washington and the Financiera Nacional de Cuba, and the help of local and foreign investors. 32. We have begun work on the construction, for completion in 1957, of a hydroelectric plant on the Hanabanilla river in Las Villas province which will have a probable output of 20,000 kW and will cost 14 million pesos. Two other electric-power projects are under study; one is a 20,000 kW plant for eastern Havana and the other a plant on the Toa river in Oriente province. 33.”
1956-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 11 (1956)
“In other words, we have nationalized these formerly British- owned railways and paid spot cash. 30. We have spent $10 million on the purchase and installation of RCA FM [Radio Corporation of America, Frequency Modulation] telecommunication equipment, with the result that Cuba is the only country in the world today having its entire territory served by a modern telecommunication system of this type. A sum of $6 million was used to set up the first newsprint factory to use bagasse of sugar cane as its raw material. 31. Our total electricity output rose from 164,000 kW in 1950 to 267,000 kW in 1955. This represents an increase of 63 per cent, which was brought about at an investment cost of $74 million.”
1956-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 11 (1956)
“This is one way of increasing agricultural and mining production in our country, for small investors are thus able to start producing without having to lay out large sums on equipment. 29. The effect of all these efforts on Cuba’s economy has been considerable. One striking example of the success of the programme just referred to is the investment of $10 million for the purchase of new equipment for the Compañia Cubana de Aviacion [Cuban Aviation Company], including two “Super-Constellations” for the international routes to Madrid, Mexico and New York, and four “Viscounts” for the Havana-Miami and local routes. We have spent $20 million in cash for purchase of the shares of the Ferrocarriles Unidos de La Habana [United Havana Railways], which operate Cuba, from the former British owners and for the immediate rehabilitation of the network.”
1956-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 11 (1956)
“There is also a Fondo de Seguro de Depositos [Deposits Insurance Fund], with an initial capital of $10 million, that is to be supplemented by an additional $5,400,000 in the form of annual contributions from the National Bank of Cuba and the associated private banks. The news of this fund’s establishment has greatly increased the use of banking facilities, and especially of savings accounts, which were previously insecure and unproductive. 28. We have also set up a Comision Ejecutiva National de Cooperacion Agricola y Minera [National Executive Committee for Co-operation in Agriculture and Mining], with an initial capital of $6 million derived from the economic and social development programme. The purpose of this agency is to help provide small farmers and mining operators with equipment at moderate cost.”
1956-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 11 (1956)
“We have also established the Banco Cubano de Comercio Exterior [Cuban Bank for Foreign Trade] with a view to finding new markets for local products and solving the problem of exporting them to customers in countries with depreciated currencies. 27. There is also the Banco de Desarrollo Economico y Social [Bank for Economic and Social Development], set up to act as the Government’s financial agent for the placement of bonds issued in pursuance of the law on economic and social development, to provide facilities for the discounting by commercial banks of long-term bills for economic development along the lines of what is done in commercial practice by the National Bank of Cuba, and to grant direct loans to private companies and government agencies in connexion with agricultural, industrial and mining programmes.”
1956-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 11 (1956)
“Lack of capital is believed to be the real reason for inactivity in each case. The Act has solved the problem by making operation of the mines compulsory but tax-free. 25. A number of specialized credit institutions have been set up to facilitate the granting of loans for economic activities. One of these is the Financiera Nacional de Cuba [National Finance Agency of Cuba], the purpose of which is to finance self-amortizing public works carried out by State and municipal authorities. The Government has made possible the execution of a large number of major projects such as the tunnel beneath Havana Bay, the expansion of the Havana water-supply service and the expansion of the programme of the Compañia Cubana de Electricidad for increasing the supply of electric power. 26.”
1956-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 11 (1956)
“We are happy to be able to state that, as a result of this legislation a great deal of prospecting is now being done in Cuba by local and foreign companies, which in some cases are meeting with success. We have also set up a fund to promote the production of rice, coffee, beans and maize, with the result that our output of these commodities is the highest ever recorded, and we are now exporting coffee and maize. 23. We have set up an Instituto Cubano de Investigaciones Tecnologicas [Cuban Technological Research Institute] to facilitate the study of new uses for local products and the possibilities of developing new products. 24 Another new Act authorizes the National Bank of Cuba to promote the exploitation of local gold mines, a number of which are in private hands but for one reason or another are not being worked.”
1956-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 11 (1956)
“The impetus to our law for encouraging the construction of medium and low-cost housing was given by the Banco de Hipotecas Aseguradas [Mortgage Insurance Bank], which is conducted on the same lines as the Federal Housing Administration in the United States and is intended to provide employees and workers with funds to build their own homes. We have also enacted a law on what is known as “floor-occupancy” ownership, an arrangement that makes possible the acquiring of a single apartment in an apartment building. 22. There is also a very progressive law on petroleum, under which loans are granted for oil-prospecting, and other substantial benefits are conferred.”
1956-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 11 (1956)
“The Act to encourage industry provides that new industries established in Cuba shall be exempt, for a period of five to ten years, from duty on machinery, equipment and raw materials imported for the use of those industries, as well as from national and local taxes, including profits taxes. 20. Another law is intended to encourage the investment of foreign capital and gives investors the privilege of withdrawing their money from the country free of tax; it guarantees parity of Cuban currency with foreign currency at the same rate at which the foreign currency was changed into Cuban currency. It might be useful to note here that our peso has the same value as the United States dollar. 21.”
1956-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 11 (1956)
“Batista, was the author of this initiative, and he had the vigorous backing of our National Bank, headed by Mr. Martinez Saenz. 18. Within the limits of this statement, I should like to give the Assembly a comprehensive picture of what we have accomplished. I do this, not in a spirit of idle boasting, but to show that if we have not resolved our problems entirely, it is because under-developed countries cannot do so alone, without the help of the more developed countries. Let us bear in mind the principle that, just as peace is indivisible, so must the prosperity and well-being of the masses of the people also he indivisible. 19. Under the economic development plan, the following are the principal legislative measures that have been adopted to promote our economic activity.”
1956-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 11 (1956)
“The economy of the country would thus fluctuate between prosperity and extreme poverty. That is how the Cuban economy came to be called a kind of “lottery” economy. Sometimes it won first prize and became rich, but it paid for the lottery ticket in the many years in which there was no return at all. As a natural consequence, the Cuban economy was unstable from 1902 to 1952. Its import economy suffered from the same lack of stability. 17. To illustrate the tremendous efforts made by the Cuban Government to resolve its economic problem, we point to the programme of economic and social development that was inaugurated in 1952 and has been continuing ever since. The basic objective of the programme is to achieve the diversification of Cuban production. The President of Cuba, Mr.”
1956-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 11 (1956)
“A programme of diversification is, however, imperative not only as a means of increasing our economic activity at a rate commensurate with the growth of our population, but also to enable us to make drastic reforms in the structure of our economy, 16. In the past, Cuba’s economy was based on a single export commodity, and consequently suffered from that structural defect. Our wealth would rise to abnormal heights in times of war; war and sugar prosperity went hand in hand. At those times, our volume of production rose tremendously, our foreign exchange followed a similar course, and inflation was rife. The opposite would take place at the end of a war, when countries began to produce their own sugar and dispensed with imports. As a result, the price of sugar would go down, and our volume of exports would reach its lowest level.”
1956-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 11 (1956)
“For reasons beyond the control of our Government, it has proved impossible to expand our sugar industry, which is our chief industry, to meet the requirements of our increased population. Our main market, the United States, has set up systems of import quotas, protective tariffs and subsidies, in order to increase its own domestic production. That is the example set by the country with the highest level of living in the world. Countries lacking sufficient currency reserves to pay for their imports automatically reduce their purchases of sugar. Cuba must consequently develop other sources of production and wealth if it is to maintain its economic activity at a satisfactory minimum level. 15.”
1956-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 11 (1956)
“Consequently we, the peoples of Latin America, welcomed with deep satisfaction the statements made at the Panama Conference of Heads of State, held in July 1956, by the President of the United States, Mr. Eisenhower, in which he urged closer economic co-operation among all the peoples and Governments of this hemisphere. The Government and people of Cuba are convinced that the forthcoming meetings at Washington of the representatives of the heads of American States will have incalculable benefits if, as President Eisenhower said, current problems are examined honestly and candidly and with a firm determination to solve them in a manner that is fair to all the parties concerned. 14. The economic problem of Cuba is very similar to that of most Latin American countries.”
1956-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 11 (1956)
“The reason is obvious. Private foreign capital is directed to investments yielding better returns than are obtainable in the countries of origin, and it is not invested in undertakings that are not self-amortizing but yet, in most cases, are indispensable to the prosperity of our countries. 12. We should not forget that Latin America is today the largest and safest repository of strategic materials and of all types of commodities in the world. We might add that Latin America is potentially able to supply the whole free world with fuel. To recognize that fact and to make the necessary capital investments is the best way to guarantee an honourable and stable peace. 13.”
1956-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 11 (1956)
“The economic items on our agenda are of great interest to the people and Government of Cuba and, unquestionably, to the other countries of Latin America. 10. The cause of the domestic problems in the Latin- American countries is clearly economic, and those who do not realize that fact are in error. We can state, without fear of contradiction, that the economic development of our countries is not keeping pace with the growth of our population, As a result, the economic situation is steadily deteriorating and is breeding a discontent among the people which cannot be dispelled merely by political formulas. 11. We have often said, and we repeat it now with full conviction, that the flow of private capital alone to our countries, without the assistance of international public capital, is inadequate for our economic development.”
1956-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 11 (1956)
“The intervention of Soviet troops — as a result of which 65,000 Hungarian citizens have been killed, twice that number, including women and children, seriously wounded, and those taken prisoner deported to Siberia — is a serious violation of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the principle of self-determination and non-intervention, which constitute the very corner-stone of our international Organization. 8. The Cuban Government again protests most vehemently against those excesses of the Soviet troops, and publicly states that it will continue to insist that the right of the unhappy people of Hungary to live in peace without the illegal intervention of foreign troops should be recognized. 9.”
1956-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 11 (1956)
“The situation in Hungary, as we have said repeatedly and say again, constitutes a disgrace to mankind. Recent history records no act more illegal or unjust than that perpetrated by the Government of the Soviet Union and its mighty army in Hungary. Nobody can condone such acts, for they are contrary to civilized behaviour and to the most rudimentary principles of the coexistence of peoples. The Hungarian people were entitled to establish the form of government they wanted.”
1956-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 11 (1956)
“In the Security Council and in the Assembly’s first emergency special session, we voted in favour of all the measures adopted to end the state of hostilities between Egypt, on the one hand, and the United Kingdom, France and Israel, on the other. We did so in compliance with the clear and positive precepts of the Charter, and our action had the merit of being that of a country which not only enjoys friendly relations with the people of Egypt, but also has ancient bonds of all kinds, including very important commercial relations, with the British Commonwealth, France and Israel. We hope and desire that all Member States realize that our combined efforts must bring about a lasting peace through the recognition of the legitimate rights of the States concerned. 7.”
1956-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 11 (1956)
“We have already explained our position on these questions in the Security Council and in the General Assembly, so that we shall confine ourselves here to a few brief remarks. 5. We feel that the Suez problem is the outgrowth of a situation in the Middle East which cannot go on indefinitely. We are not taking a position or prejudging the outcome, but we must point out that that part of the world will continue to be a threat to world peace so long as the situation is not settled by peace treaties among the parties concerned. To consider any other solution possible would, in our opinion, be a serious mistake. 6.”
1956-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 11 (1956)
“We insist, and we shall always insist, that all Member States must fulfil their international obligations and comply with our resolutions, whether these are to their advantage or not; any other course would reduce the United Nations to an impotent body without authority before the peoples of the world. 3. It is clearly fitting that I should say, in this connexion, that it is not enough to demand rights, it is also necessary to fulfil the obligations which the Charter imposes on all Member States; and, until we all agree on that, we cannot say that the United Nations is truly living up to the purposes -for which it was established. 4. In the view of the Cuban delegation, there are two current problems of special gravity and importance, namely, the so-called Suez question, with all it implies, and the case of Hungary.”
1956-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 11 (1956)
“The Cuban delegation is happy to congratulate the President, on his well deserved election, and wishes him the greatest success in discharging the duties of his office. 2. The general debate of this eleventh session of the General Assembly has begun at a time when the international situation is such that even the most optimistic could not describe it as satisfactory. The Government and the people of Cuba are extremely concerned over the attempt being made to set up a policy that disregards the principles of international law and the obligations arising out of treaties as well as out of agreements reached by the Security Council and the General Assembly of the United Nations.”
1956-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 11 (1956)
“For that reason we look forward to their establishment in the common interest of the under-developed areas and of the highly industrialized countries with the available capital. 107. We have faith in the United Nations. We know the goodwill that animates all the delegations present. We accordingly hope that, by reconciling the interests of all, this Assembly will find ways and means of setting up machinery that can reduce many difficulties and promote the economic development and well-being of the under-developed countries, for economic development and well-being are, in the words of the Charter, necessary for peaceful and friendly relations among nations. Herein lies the interest of all and we appeal to all, so that we may together find a solution that will in the long run benefit all peoples alike.”
1953-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 8 (1953)
“In addition, in the specific case of Cuba, we are carrying out this work at a difficult time when we have been compelled to reduce our sugar production by 2 million tons a year; in other words, when the position of the international sugar market has imposed a loss on our economy of over $150 million a year, with inevitable repercussions on domestic savings, on the capital available for other enterprises and on the welfare of our working classes. 106. For all these reasons, my country has always favoured the establishment of the bodies for the assistance of under-developed countries referred to in our agenda. These bodies are complementary to our own individual efforts and necessary to our future development and to the present well-being of our working classes.”
1953-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 8 (1953)
“The Government of Cuba, anticipating the argument frequently used in the Second Committee that the government of each of the under-developed countries must play its part, has not, as can be seen, been idle during the eleven months that have passed since the Assembly last discussed economic affairs. We have worked with a will and we shall not slacken our efforts. But everyone knows, since the situation is the same in all the under-developed countries, that our efforts, great as they are, are insufficient for the development and industrialization of our countries. The steady growth of the population largely cancels out the improvements and advances made. The shortage of domestic capital hampers, retards or restricts our plans for intensive development.”
1953-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 8 (1953)
“Among the most important of the bodies recently set up, I may mention the National Children’s Clinics Organization, whose services now cover a large part of the national territory; the emergency board for the assistance of hurricane and storm victims, which was of great service to the inhabitants of the parts of the island damaged by recent storms; the national organization for the rehabilitation of persons crippled from birth, by accident or by poliomyelitis, whose useful, humanitarian work enables crippled persons to take up employment; and, finally, the board for the assistance of children, the aged and the destitute. 105.”
1953-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 8 (1953)
“All these measures and many others initiated by the National Development Commission and the Ministry of Public Works, which I do not think it appropriate to list in detail here, form part of the Government’s two-year plan designed to accelerate the industrial and agricultural development of Cuba. 104. The execution of this whole programme for the economic advancement of the neediest elements of the population is greatly assisted by a number of social organizations.”
1953-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 8 (1953)
“As a corollary to this programme for the expansion and mechanization of our transport system, the keystone of our development plans, the Government of President Batista recently bought the Cuban United Railways, which serve half the island, from their British owners, for a sum corresponding to their real value. 103. The Government of Cuba has also recently established the National Finance Corporation, an autonomous credit agency with the special function of promoting economic development by facilitating the financing, in whole or in part, of production works of public interest. The corporation supplements the economic work of the National Bank, the National Economic Council, and the Agricultural and Industrial Development Bank.”
1953-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 8 (1953)
“Within the last few weeks, hundreds of kilometres of local roads have been opened in the most isolated parts of the island. In urban works, the State is matching the contributions of individuals and municipalities. In addition, the commission for the improvement of rural housing has carried out a large-scale building and improvement programme ensuring that, at the present rate of progress, a few years will see the most far- reaching change in our history in the living conditions of the Cuban peasant. 102. A new Transport Act, adapted to modern requirements and our development needs, has already been approved and will soon enter into force.”
1953-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 8 (1953)
“It was indeed, as will be generally remembered, the Cuban delegation which called at the last session for their inclusion in the agenda of this session, because we believe that the domestic resources available to the under-developed countries are insufficient to permit the successful completion of their economic development programmes. 100. For the Government of President Batista, the past year has not been one of waiting or inaction. On the contrary, the country’s technical bodies have been actively engaged in devising ways and means of accelerating our economic development. 101. New bodies, such as the National Executive Commission of Local and Rural Boards, have been set up and are working successfully to expand our network of local roads so that our remotest farming areas can be linked with our centres of consumption.”
1953-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 8 (1953)