YouSaid · the spoken record

ROA

lines on the record: 369
first: 1959-09-24
most recent: 1974-09-24
sittings or episodes: 6
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

“With regard to the immediate problem facing the Secretariat as a consequence of the tragic death of its Secretary-General, the Cuban delegation accepts in principle the formula recommended by the Security Council: namely, the appointment of an Acting Secretary-General to be assisted by various Under-Secretaries who will work in close agreement and co-operation with him. The United States claim that the Acting Secretary-General should be elected by the General Assembly is completely arbitrary and its objective is obviously to impose someone on the Organization by means of its mechanical majority. 158. There have been various references to Cuba in the course of the general debate. This is only natural since Cuba is today one of the most serious centres of international tension.”
1961-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 16 (1961)
“It will not be enough to ensure that Africa and Asia are equitably represented in the Security Council and in the Economic and Social Council; it is also necessary to increase their participation in all the specialized agencies and above all, to make the necessary changes in the Secretariat to adapt it to the exigencies, realities and currents of contemporary international life so that it may function impartially, dynamically and effectively. Colonialism must also be banished from the principal organs of the United Nations. This reform should be completed with the abolition of the " Trusteeship System. 157.”
1961-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 16 (1961)
“The Cuban delegation proposed that Puerto Rico should be included in the resolution to be adopted for the implementation of the mandate laid down in the Declaration approved by the General Assembly. The right to self-determination is as indivisible as peace. 156. The Cuban delegation considers it essential that the obsolescent machinery of the United Nations should be reformed to bring it into harmony with the development of the international situation and the increase in the number of its Members.”
1961-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 16 (1961)
“There are still territories in America under United Kingdom, French and Netherlands domination; there is also a people, akin to us in history, language and aspirations, which has every right and qualification to govern itself as an independent, free and sovereign nation but which nevertheless forms a part of the colonial system of the United States. I refer to Puerto Rico, that unrecovered island which Jose Marti hoped to liberate together with Cuba but which has not yet been able to come into our America. Until that happens, the Declaration on the independence of colonial countries and peoples will remain in force, even though the last vestiges of colonialism may have disappeared from the rest of the world. 155.”
1961-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 16 (1961)
“It is obvious that the imperialists, colonialists and neo-colonialists are acting An concert, in Laos as in Angola, in a desperate effort to prevent the crumbling and collapse of the turgid system which has enriched them at the expense of the labour, poverty, ignorance and blood of millions of human beings. 154. The Cuban delegation considers it essential that the General Assembly should without delay provide the necessary means for bringing about, within a specified time, the abolition of colonialism wherever it may exist and in whatever form it may appear. It must point out, however, that the colonial system is not confined to Africa, Asia and Oceania and that the European Powers are not the only colonial Powers.”
1961-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 16 (1961)
“Such monstrous evil has not been seen since the days of Hitler. 151. My delegation calls for immediate decisions on these matters, expresses its abhorrence of that system of political cannibalism and views in the same light all existing forms of racial discrimination, wherever they may be found; in this connexion I may mention the vexations and abusive treatment by the United States authorities of African diplomats representing their countries in the United Nations. 152. I take this opportunity to denounce the restrictive measures, constituting a violation of diplomatic immunity, which the Government of the United States applies to the Permanent Representative and members of the Mission of Cuba. . 153.”
1961-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 16 (1961)
“The atrocities perpetrated by the Portuguese authorities in Angola and Mozambique with the concealed support of the NATO Powers, especially in the former of those two Territories, where more horrors are being recorded with every passing day, must be stopped and punished. 150. the inhabitants of Bechuanaland, Rhodesia, Nyasaland and Kenya are the victims of oppression, poverty and backwardness under United Kingdom rule. The same thing is happening in Ruanda-Urundi under the Belgian yoke. Over West Irian, a Territory which belongs to Indonesia, dark clouds are gathering. In the Republic of South Africa and in the Territory of South West Africa, which is under the despotic rule of the Republic, racial discrimination has been made the essential tool of the ruling Power, which has set itself the goal of exterminating the African population.”
1961-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 16 (1961)
“The Central Government of the Congo, reconstituted and propped up by Parliament, is not yet strong enough to resist another neo-colonialist assault such as that which preceded the foul murder of Patrice Lumumba. 148. The Congo belongs exclusively to the Congolese and it is for them alone to solve their problems. The action of the United Nations has been too negative to justify placing any faith in it. To the great havoc wrought and the many crimes committed under its aegis must be added the strange death of Dag Hammarskjold, the Secretary-General, and those accompanying him. 149.”
1961-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 16 (1961)
“The heroic people of Algeria are continuing to shed their blood as the Government of France fails to move from promises to deeds. France will never be role to conquer the Algerian people by military might. The Algerians have already won the full right to self-determination, independence, territorial unity and sovereignty, and they will win the exercise of that right either by force of arms or by agreements which will allow of no compromise. It is simply a question of time. 147. The imperialist machinations designed to bring about the secession of the Province of Katanga from the Republic of the Congo are being carried on behind the scenes. The plot which is being hatched must be watched carefully.”
1961-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 16 (1961)
“Although in the dialectical development of the process of history colonialism, neocolonialism and imperialism have been condemned to death, the sentence still remains to be carried out. The historic Declaration on the granting of independence to all colonial countries and peoples [resolution 1514 (XV)], adopted by the General Assembly on 14 December 1960, was a harsh blow to colonialism, neo-colonialism and imperialism. On the eve of the anniversary of that Declaration, not only has the course of events dampened the hopes placed in its application but the situation in Algeria, Angola, Uganda, Kenya, Rhodesia, Nyasaland and West Irian is even grimmer than it was a year ago. Only one Territory has obtained independence since then: Sierra Leone. My delegation extends to it the warmest greetings. 146.”
1961-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 16 (1961)
“This is, in essence, my delegation's position concerning a problem which reality, being stronger than rules and regulations, has inscribed on the Assembly's agenda with a prominence that cannot be challenged^ although it has not been formally recommended by the General Committee. 145. One of the chronic disturbers of international peace and security and one of the main causes of the oppression, backwardness and poverty which exist in vast areas of the globe has been and is the colonialist system, formerly in its classic form and now as neocolonialism, which is the form that imperialism takes in the politically emancipated countries where economic conditions are precarious and there is little awareness of the subtle tactics used by the wolf in sheep's clothing.”
1961-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 16 (1961)
“Any other matters which might affect relations between the two States would fall within the exclusive competence of those two States themselves following the signing of the peace treaty. 143. This is not a matter which can be deferred. It is as urgent as it is important. The way it is decided will determine the future of mankind. Berlin is at the very heart of the "peace or war" dilemma. Those whose response to the rational proposal for the signing of a peace treaty with Germany is to unleash a thermonuclear conflagration, betray a degree of irresponsibility which borders on insanity and imbecility. My delegation, conscious that a catastrophe threatens, urges the parties concerned to take a peaceful settlement of this alarming situation. 144.”
1961-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 16 (1961)
“Proceeding on the basis of that premise, i.e., the objective existence of the German States as an irreversible fact, it may be seen that the only real way to overcome this situation is to sign a peace treaty with both the German States, to guarantee the inviolability of the borders laid down at Potsdam and to admit those States to the United Nations. The peace treaty would, of course, entail the conversion of West Berlin into a free demilitarized city and would expressly recognize and provide for the international defence of the right of its people to live under the social system of their choice and to maintain unrestricted relations with the outside world, while the obligations deriving from the German Democratic Republic's sovereignty Over the means of access passing through its own territory would be complied with.”
1961-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 16 (1961)
“The existence of the German Democratic Republic is as irreversible as the existence of the Federal Republic of Germany. It is only too well known which State was born first and what aims the three Western occupying Powers were pursuing when they made that forceps delivery. The fact is, however, that it exists as a State and that fact cannot be ignored. Neither the forcible absorption of the German Democratic Republic nor the forcible, absorption of the Federal Republic of Germany would constitute an effective or lasting solution. . 142.”
1961-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 16 (1961)
“The urgent need to find a peaceful solution to the situation created by this refusal, the irredentist policy of the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany and the threats of the NATO Powers to maintain the status quo and even to annex the territory of the German Democratic Republic at the cost of a thermonuclear war—these leave little room for speculation. It is the course of events and their implications which dictate the solution in this case. The application of the principle of the self- determination of the German people and the reunification of Germany, which are invoked by some delegations as prerequisites for the signing of a peace treaty, are, objectively speaking, impracticable at the preset .stage in the development of the situation. 141.”
1961-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 16 (1961)
“The adoption of the measures which have been ^briefly enumerated would do much, in the opinion of my delegation, to prepare the ground and clear the air for drafting of the treaty on general and complete disarmament. 140. Of all these measures, the most urgent is unquestionably that relating to the liquidation of the consequences of the Second World War. The tensions existing in parts of Africa, Asia and Latin America constitute a very grave threat to international peace and security. None of them, however, is as explosive as the situation which has developed in Berlin as a result of the systematic refusal of the United States, the United Kingdom and France to sign a peace treaty with Germany.”
1961-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 16 (1961)
“Now is an excellent time to restore to the only legitimate Government of the Chinese people, without further delays or subterfuges, the rights inherent in self-determination, independence and sovereignty. The "theory" of the two Chinas, defended and upheld by the United States, is inadmissible because it is absurd and has been repudiated as false. My delegation proposes that as soon as the general debate is concluded the Assembly should restore to the People's Republic of China its place in this forum and in the Security Council. In so doing it would be not only rectifying an injustice compounded by inaction but also making real progress towards general and complete disarmament, peaceful coexistence and the universality of the United Nations, from which the Mongolian People's Republic has been and still is inexplicably barred. 139.”
1961-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 16 (1961)
“The countries which have foreign military bases on their territory should look at themselves in the mirror of Bizerta. 138. It must be agreed, however, that any conversations and even any agreements on general and complete disarmament would be futile if the People's Republic of China did not participate- directly in such conversations and in the work of the body entrusted with the task of drawing up the relevant treaty. It is not possible to discuss peace, the abolition of colonialism and the granting of aid to under-developed countries unless the presence and co-operation of all peoples without exception is assured; this is particularly true of the question of peace and of the participation and vote of the People's Republic of China.”
1961-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 16 (1961)
“The Belgrade Conference explicitly recognized, in a separate clause, the inalienable right of the Cuban people to recover that portion of their national territory. My delegation solemnly reiterates before the United Nations General Assembly the intention of the Revolutionary Government of Cuba to raise that claim at such time as it deems opportune and in the international forum which it considers appropriate. With equal solemnity it repeats that there has not been, nor is there now, any intention of resorting to force in order to recover the exercise of Cuba's sovereignty over that portion of its national territory which has been usurped. Finally, it should be realized that the strategy of provoked aggression at the military base at Guantanamo continues to be one of the favourite plans of the Pentagon and the Central Intelligence Agency.”
1961-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 16 (1961)
“This last point applies to Cuba. The only military base in our country is neither Soviet nor Chinese: it belongs to the United States and was imposed when the Platt Amendment was enacted. This base, which has no strategic value for the military defence of the United States, has been repudiated by the Revolutionary Government and the Government of Cuba, not only because it infringes the territorial integrity and sovereignty of our country but because it has become a bastion of United States imperialism against the popular movements of liberation in the Caribbean area and is now a. centre of subversion, conspiracy, provocation and aggression and a serious danger to the independence of Cuba and to international peace and security.”
1961-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 16 (1961)
“Such steps could include the strengthening of peaceful coexistence, the freezing of military budgets, the unconditional renunciation of the use of thermonuclear weapons, the establishment of zones where the production, stockpiling and use of such weapons would be forbidden, the prohibition of surprise attacks until such time as a non- aggression pact is concluded between the military blocs, the restoration to the People's Republic of China of its rights in the United Nations, the conclusion of a peace treaty with the two German States, U A/C.1/L.259 and Add.l and 2. the settlement of the disputes between states by peaceful means, the disappearance of colonialism in every shape and form and the abolition of foreign military bases in countries whose Governments and " peoples are opposed to their establishment or continued presence. 137.”
1961-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 16 (1961)
“The final abolition of war and the investment of the fabulous sums now spent on the manufacture of means of destruction in the economic development of the under-developed countries would make the achievements of science, technology and culture available to many peoples and would contribute to the expansion of material welfare and spiritual progress. The possibility of perpetual peace in a world of peaceful competition between systems, values and methods, no longer a Utopian dream. 136. The Cuban delegation thinks that steps should be taken immediately to reduce international tension, to strengthen mutual confidence among States and to reduce the danger of war.”
1961-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 16 (1961)
“International peace and security depend, in fact, on whether or not a treaty on general and complete disarmament is concluded. Since this is a question which affects the vital interests of all peoples, the delegation of Cuba considers that all States, whether or not they are Members of the United Nations, should take part in the coming talks and negotiations on general and complete disarmament. In accordance with the fundamental principles and purposes of its international policy and in compliance with an agreement reached by the Conference of the Heads of States or Government of Non-Aligned Countries which met recently at Belgrade, the delegation of Cuba asks that the representatives of those States should be included in the body responsible for drawing up the treaty on general and complete disarmament.”
1961-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 16 (1961)
“The delegation of Cuba regards their common conviction of the urgent need to reach an agreement on the matter as a step towards the attainment of peace. Yet there is still profound disagreement about the nature and extent of international control. The United States Government thinks that control should be restricted to the field of armaments, while the Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics proposes that it should be extended to cover the very process of general and complete disarmament. 134. The delegation of Cuba is in favour of international control over general and complete disarmament. Mere control over armaments is not only ineffective: it is a source of war rather than of peace. To be frank, it is an excuse for aggression. 135.”
1961-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 16 (1961)
“The action [resolution 1378 (XIV)] taken by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics at the fourteenth session gained the firm support of the immense majority of States Members of the United Nations. The delegations of India, Indonesia and Ghana submitted a draft resolution on the basic principles of general and complete disarmament. But the inflexible opposition of the United States delegation and its allies at the fifteenth session prevented the adoption of any decision on the question of general and complete disarmament. The present state of the bilateral negotiations which opened this year between the Government of the Soviet Union and the United States allows us a ray of hope. The two Governments issued a joint statement of the principles which should govern general and complete disarmament.”
1961-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 16 (1961)
“The complete abolition of the means of destruction is the only way to prevent war and consequently the direct and indirect dangers involved in thermonuclear tests. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics has been compelled to resume such tests in order to preserve its national security, the security of the socialist camp and the security of all peace-loving peoples and States, which is gravely threatened by the unbridled preparations of the NATO Powers for war. 132. Thus the problem of disarmament is the most important and urgent item on the agenda of this session. 133. The history of the frustration of the negotiations on general and complete disarmament is familiar to all, and international public opinion has already condemned the great Powers which are responsible for it.”
1961-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 16 (1961)
“The United Nations was originally established to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war. It is sad to note that, despite the ardent longing of the peoples of the world for peace and security, it has not even been possible to do away with all traces of the terrible hecatomb which led to its establishment. Mankind has been driven once more to the brink of war by the ambition, blindness and selfishness of the imperialist and colonial Powers—but a war which would differ radically from former wars: the death-dealing power of thermonuclear weapons is of such a nature and extent that it could turn the planet into a ball of lifeless ashes revolving through space. In this state of affairs we are logically faced with a choice between war and peace. It is no secret that the way out of this situation is general and complete disarmament.”
1961-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 16 (1961)
“Liberating itself from the political, economic, diplomatic and military domination of United States imperialism, which had replaced the Spanish colonial system by deceit, bribery and force, and laying the foundations of a free, just, enlightened and prosperous society, the Cuban people, under the guidance of Fidel Castro, achieved the age-old aspirations of the nation, as new prospects which had existed in the visions and hopes of Jose Marti opened out before it. 130. Ninety-three years after the beginning of this process, the single star on our flag shines forth as a symbol of the fusion of reality and hope. 131. The long list of problems facing the General Assembly is an unmistakable sign of the increasing seriousness and complexity of the international situation.”
1961-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 16 (1961)
“It is ninety-three years today since the Cuban people began their tremendous struggle for self- determination, independence and sovereignty. It so happens that Cuba's statement in the general debate coincides with this anniversary in its history, the beginning of the heroic deeds, the frustrations, misery, servitude, shame and rebellions which culminated in the radiant dawn of 1 January 1959. 129. The complete destruction of the edifice of power which supported the Batista tyranny brought about the necessary conditions for the further development of the revolutionary process, which, in successive stages and with lightning speed, gave the Cuban people national and social emancipation and in the Declaration of Havana proclaimed as a condition and guarantee of the cult of human dignity, the abolition of the exploitation of man by man.”
1961-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 16 (1961)
“It believes in what it says and says what it thinks. The revolution, which has radically transformed its spirit, its structure and its appearance, has divorced it from lies and wedded it to the truth. Although it has no power to decide on the solution of conflicts which are beyond its scope, it feels itself fully competent to give its views and to take a stand on the dramatic problems which affect the dignity, survival and progress of peoples. It is not in vain that Cuba has ceased to be a mere onlooker and has assumed an active role. The minute Caribbean island is at present the scene of an epic feats the building of a socialist society within ninety miles of an empire which Is stubbornly resolved to stem the inexorable flow of history. 128.”
1961-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 16 (1961)
“Slim on behalf of the Government and people of Cuba and to ask him to assure the Government and people of Tunisia of our solidarity with them in their firm and heroic reply to imperialist aggression. 126. Considered purely from the point of view of its geographical dimensions, Cuba is one of the smallest nations in the world community. This circumstance, however, does not dismay or disturb Cuba in the exercise of its rights and duties as a country which bases its concept of international relations on respect for the right of peoples to self-determination, the full enjoyment of sovereignty, the principle of non-intervention, the sovereign equality of States and their peaceful coexistence whatever their political and social systems. 127. Cuba raises its voice in the United Nations without faltering, quibbling or grovelling.”
1961-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 16 (1961)
“This is the first time since the foundation of the United Nations that Africa's right to share the highest responsibilities within the Organization has been recognized. The delegation of Cuba is very happy that a representative from that continent, which has been humiliated, exploited and oppressed for centuries, has been elected to preside over the General Assembly at its sixteenth session. We must emphasize that this did not happen by chance. It was a clear and forceful expression of will which reflects the changes which have taken place both in the structure of international relations and in the composition of the United Nations. 125. I should like to congratulate Mr.”
1961-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 16 (1961)
“The new Cuba still has faith in the mission which the peoples have entrusted to the United Nations. This mission may be summed up in one word: peace. But peace to be deserved must be fought for, and it can be won only through an intense effort towards international understanding, co-operation and solidarity, based on respect for the dignity of the individual, on the right of the common man to the fruits of his labour and on the ascendancy of the spirit over technique. Bread with freedom, bread without terror is the strongest pillar of that solid and enduring peace which we all desire.”
1959-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 14 (1959)
“Cuba also succeeded in completely defeating the draft resolution setting up an international police force, which would have been in violation of the American constitutional order and would have served exclusively the interests of the dictatorships and the economic combines supporting them. Cuba came out of the fifth Meeting of Foreign Ministers with greatly enhanced international prestige. 26. The work done by the United Nations in the economic, social and educational fields is worthy of all praise. In recognition of the excellent results achieved Cuba has this year considerably increased its contribution to the technical assistance activities and has also contributed to the World Refugee Year, although it considers that international philanthropy is insufficient to solve such an acute and tragic problem. 27.”
1959-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 14 (1959)
“The item, which was finally included in the agenda despite stubborn and unreasonable resistance, was fully discussed at the Meeting of Foreign Ministers, and our point of view, generalized to cover all Latin America, was incorporated in the resolution adopted. Cuba also succeeded in having the meetings open to the public, and publicly championed the principle of non-intervention, respect for human rights, the inviolability of the right of asylum of exiles, the incompatibility of dictatorships with the inter-American legal system and the right of every State to reject any investigation into its internal affairs.”
1959-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 14 (1959)
“We took the view that the Meeting of Foreign Ministers would be meaningful and effective only if it sought to determine the fundamental cause of tensions existing not only in the Caribbean area but in all Latin America, since to confine them to one area would be both arbitrary and false. The essential cause of the tensions and political and social upheavals in Latin America, which are especially acute in the Caribbean area because of the authoritarian régimes in control, is economic under-development, with its inevitable corollaries: concentration of rural property, mass poverty, illiteracy, unsanitary living conditions, commercial dependency, absentee capital and political despotism.”
1959-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 14 (1959)
“The fifth Meeting of Consultation of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the American States at Santiago, Chile, was officially convened to study "tensions" in that area. There can be no doubt that the international enemies of the Cuban revolution hoped to place Cuba, whose attitude towards the remaining dictatorships in the hemisphere is well known, in the position of the accused, that is to represent it as a victim instead of an aggressor. Cuba accepted the invitation and submitted to the Organization of American States as the main item on the agenda, the relation between economic under-development and political instability.”
1959-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 14 (1959)
“It is hardly necessary to say that Cuba is opposed to any discrimination based on race, sex, ideology or religion, and therefore protests most strongly against the policy of "apartheid" and against any type of persecution, because of ideological or religious nonconformity, on either side of the barriers which separate the East and the West. 24. We cannot help recalling here with deep bitterness the failure of the United Nations to respond to the anguished appeals by civic, professional, cultural and religious institutions in Cuba, that it should call a halt, in the name of outraged humanity, to the excesses, tortures and crimes committed with impunity under Batista's cruel dictatorship. 25. On the regional level, the American republics have faced various conflicting problems and situations in the Caribbean area.”
1959-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 14 (1959)
“This would be the best way to root out political instability in Latin America and to ensure the continued prosperity of representative democracy. Cuba will renew this request at the Inter-American Conference at Quito. There is no other way of consolidating the future of the emancipated countries of Africa and Asia. The United Nations, which is under an obligation to watch over that future, must give these countries the economic help and technical assistance which they require to speed up the development of their backward economies and to raise their levels of income and of employment. 23.”
1959-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 14 (1959)
“It is difficult, however, to attain such an ambitious goal in a short time without large-scale assistance from foreign States. Foreign private investments, useful and desirable as they may be to national development, and international credit institutions are not able to provide even the minimum economic resources which are required. Operation Pan America, initiated by the President of Brazil, Juscelino Kubitschek, is unquestionably one of the most far-reaching projects in this field. At the meeting of the Committee of Twenty-one held at Buenos Aires at the beginning of 1959, the Prime Minister of Cuba, Dr. Fidel Castro, requested the United States of America, as an effective solution of the problem of under-development in Latin America, to provide public financing of $30,000 million over a period of ten years.”
1959-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 14 (1959)
“Political independence, however, without a strong and varied national economic structure, usually tends to be illusory, and is sometimes merely a formal cloak for an actual protectorate. Thus the stability and progress of the emancipated peoples of Africa and Asia are closely related to their economic development. This is the problem which on various levels and under varied circumstances also confronts the Latin American nations. 22. Cuba has already taken domestic measures to lay the foundation for an independent, diversified economic structure, with freedom of movement in the world market. To that effect, it has abolished the "latifundios" and has undertaken a comprehensive programme of agrarian reform which, together with an adequate fiscal; tariff and credit system, constitutes the indispensable basis for its industrial development.”
1959-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 14 (1959)
“The emancipation of the dependent territories and of those nations in Africa which are still subjugated would undoubtedly contribute to accelerating and strengthening the régime of security and coexistence which we all desire. Some of these nations and territories, such as the Cameroons under French administration, Somaliland under Italian administration, Togoland under French administration and Nigeria, are already in the peaceful process of becoming independent States. Others, like Algeria, have been compelled to assert their desire for freedom and sovereignty through violence, which is always justified in resisting evil, injustice and oppression. This valiant people has already, in an epic struggle, won the right to enter the international community, and therefore Cuba will vote in favour of Algerian independence. 21.”
1959-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 14 (1959)
“Millions of men who for centuries have been under a foreign yoke may now be politically classified as able to govern themselves and to decide their own fate in the concert of States. Cuba, a nation which for long centuries suffered materially and spiritually from the insults, exactions and injuries inflicted under a colonial yoke, joyfully welcomes this awakening of Africa and Asia and the formation of free sovereign nations in many of the formerly subject and exploited regions. Their participation in the United Nations is a very valuable contribution to the cause of international understanding and co-operation, and hence to the peace and stability of the world. 20.”
1959-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 14 (1959)
“The only country with which Cuba has severed diplomatic relations is the Dominican Republic; we were forced to do so, not only because of the repeated unprovoked attacks on our diplomatic representatives and the harbouring of the Cuban war criminals who have taken asylum in that country, but also because of the commission of international offences incompatible with the relevant inter-American agreements. But we are hopeful that this enforced breaking-off of diplomatic relations, which does not and cannot apply to the Dominican people, will be of brief duration, since the consequences will disappear when the causes have been eliminated. 19. The decline of the colonial system in Asia and Africa, long a reservoir of raw materials for imperialist Powers, is one of the most encouraging features of an otherwise depressing international picture.”
1959-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 14 (1959)
“Our hard-working, peace-loving people wishes to coexist and trade with all the countries of the earth, particularly with those of this hemisphere. It is so deeply attached to peace that it is turning its barracks into schools and its tanks into tractors. And because it is peace-loving and wishes to live in peace, the Government which represents it reaffirms its resolute intention to support any agreements which may be adopted on disarmament and the total cessation of thermo-nuclear tests. 18.”
1959-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 14 (1959)
“Cuba is vitally interested in the ending of the cold war and the strengthening of peace, and considers it essential that an effective and lasting agreement on disarmament should be reached as rapidly as possible. The unrestricted arms race in which the great Powers have engaged; bodes no good. The time has come to devise acceptable ways and means of ending or at least checking or Controlling it. 16. Cuba advocates the permanent cessation of thermo-nuclear weapons tests and opposes. France's plan to conduct such tests in the Sahara. The millions of human beings who would run the risk of death as a result of radioactive fall-out are of more account than the scientific or military prestige of France or of any other country. 17.”
1959-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 14 (1959)
“That regional community is entitled, if only because of its considerable importance in the international community, to be informed and consulted about matters affecting it directly. To settle such matters behind the backs of its members is, to say the least, improper. If we are morally and legally equal as States in this Assembly, problems affecting war and peace should be discussed in this forum or our legal and moral equality is a mere form of words. 14. My country also wishes to place on record its dissatisfaction with the fact that a subject of such vital importance as disarmament has been virtually withdrawn from the jurisdiction of the Assembly. There is no alternative but to accept the report prepared by the Committee of Tan, to which the four Powers have given decisive powers. 15.”
1959-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 14 (1959)
“We accordingly warmly support the efforts made to reduce the existing tensions, guarantee the right of the under-developed countries to develop freely and lay the foundation of a secure and lasting peace. The recent conferences in Europe and the conversations which are now going on between the President of the United States of America and the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics are encouraging signs. It is, however, disappointing that the conversations were planned and arranged without taking into account the views of the small nations and in particular of the members of the Latin American community, which represents the moral, political, economic and cultural strength of 200 million people.”
1959-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 14 (1959)
“In other words: it is the people that governs, since the revolutionary power is their power and as such is the rightful government. But because the revolution is deep-rooted and broadly based on democratic ideals, it does not persecute or fear any opinion and protects the free expression of all ideologies, however reactionary or extremist they may be. Respect for the views of others and for the dignity of the human person is the ultimate key to the humanism of the Cuban revolution. 13. If even the ordinary citizens of the great Powers dream today of lasting peace at the cost of coexistence, the Cuban people, because of the small size of their country and their defencelessness, need peace even more in order to survive and build a freer, more just and better life.”
1959-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 14 (1959)
“The idea that man is the most valuable capital and that power, wealth and culture must be subordinated to the effective satisfaction of his physical and spiritual wants is the driving force of the new Cuba which is being built, in the face of prejudice, privilege, resistance and conspiracies. And in order "to raise justice to the sides and ensure that Cubans enjoy their full rights" the revolution has altered the system of land tenure, the taxation system, the tariff system, educational methods and even the way of life, thus laying the foundations for subsequent industrial development without sacrificing a single individual or public liberty. Today for the first time there is government in the name of the people, by the people, for the people.”
1959-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 14 (1959)