YouSaid · the spoken record

Viteri-Lafronte

THE RECORD WRITES THIS SPEAKER AS VITERI-LAFRONTE

lines on the record: 29
first: 1948-09-24
most recent: 1949-09-24
sittings or episodes: 2
sources: un-general-debate

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“action taken by the Secretary-General, and the rapidity with which the specialized agencies had provided assistance warranted Ecuador’s deepest gratitude. 39. Mr. Viteri Lafronte stated in conclusion that the President of Ecuador had officially reiterated his faith and confidence in the United Nations, his intention that his country should carry out its duties under the Charter and its obligations as a Member, and his unshakable fidelity to democratic principles in domestic affairs and international policy.”
1949-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 4 (1949)
“The programme of technical assistance called for in the aforesaid resolution had already been started and the Secretariat deserved praise for the rapid solution of difficult problems arising in connexion with that first experiment. Each of the specialized agencies constantly received requests from Governments for advice and guidance in the solution of certain problems. 38. Ecuador came to the Assembly with deep faith in international co-operation. An unexpected catastrophe which had destroyed large areas of the territory of Ecuador had shown that the brotherhood of the American peoples was a working reality and that true universal solidarity also existed. The agreements adopted by various organs of the United Nations, the.”
1949-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 4 (1949)
“The continuous work of the subsidiary bodies of the Council was an indication of the way in which countries, great and small, were presenting their real human problems and their suggestions for solution. Such economic and social activity enabled the peoples to come into direct contact with the United Nations and to gain faith in the Organization. 37. The report of the Economic and Social Council on the economic development of underdeveloped countries showed how conscientiously the instructions given by the General Assembly in its resolution 200(111) of 4 December 1948 had been carried out. That report might well be one of the most important topics before the current session of the General Assembly.”
1949-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 4 (1949)
“The delegation of Ecuador still believed that the United Nations should take advantage of the services of the International Court of Justice to the greatest possible extent, especially when the Court was not overburdened with work. Mr. Viteri Lafronte felt that an excellent step had been taken in requesting the Court to study the problem of reparation for injury suffered in the service of the United Nations. 36. Special mention should be made of the work of the Economic and Social Council, which was intimately related to that of the specialized agencies and the technical departments of the Secretariat. Those activities touched on all aspects of human life, and all the Members of the United Nations had had an opportunity to participate in the consideration of economic and social problems.”
1949-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 4 (1949)
“The previous year the Ecuadorean delegation had submitted to the Interim Committee a draft resolution to the effect that, when one of the parties to an international dispute claimed that the matter was one of domestic jurisdiction, the International Court of Justice should, at the request of the party, of the General Assembly or of the Security Council, give its opinion on whether the question was within domestic or international jurisdiction. That draft resolution was of supreme importance and it should be studied, and an opinion be given on it, by the International Law Commission or the International Court of Justice. 35.”
1949-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 4 (1949)
“Viteri Lafronte stated that, according to its report, the International Law Commission had selected for immediate study three of twenty-five subjects originally considered as capable of codification. As one of those concerned domestic jurisdiction of States, the Ecuadorean delegation considered that it would be advisable for the Assembly to recommend that the Commission should consider the matter as soon as possible. 33. The question of domestic jurisdiction had been repeatedly invoked during the Assembly’s discussions, in defence of various and at times contradictory theses, and the unfortunate last moment expansion of paragraph 7 of Article 2 of the Charter at San Francisco and the differing interpretations placed upon it would justify the International Law Commission in giving that matter precedence. 34.”
1949-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 4 (1949)
“The fact that five hundred million human beings had escaped the scourge of war would be appreciated, as would the influence of the United Nations in helping various countries to establish themselves as independent States. Mr. Viteri Lafronte drew attention to UNESCO’s cultural and educational work; to the protection of the rights of the worker, and to the preparation of peoples as yet non-self-governing for early independence and sovereignty. 31. An objective view of that panorama would lead to the conclusion that the United Nations had done much in its four years of existence and that its work would surely continue to the benefit of all States. 32. After mentioning some of the items on the agenda of the current session of the Assembly, Mr.”
1949-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 4 (1949)
“It was true that there were some problems, especially in the political field, which it had not been possible to solve, or which had been solved only in part. Had it not been for the obstacles known to all, the rate of progress towards the solidarity of peoples could have been accelerated. 30. No one would maintain that the United Nations had done all it might have done, or that its work had been beyond reproach. It would be interesting, however, to pick out on a map of the world the places where the multiple and complex activities of the organs and services of the United Nations were being carried on. It would thus be seen in how many places the shedding of human blood was being prevented.”
1949-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 4 (1949)
“The United Nations had done much towards the accomplishment of the mission entrusted to it. If an impartial observer were to analyse the seriousness of the problems which had led to the war — the problems which had appeared during the war and those which had arisen since — he could not but admit that never before had mankind been faced with problems so vast in scope. 28. That was why everyone should appreciate the amount of positive work accomplished by a nascent Organization which was developing wisely and cautiously in an atmosphere of suspicion and even opposition, and had been able with care and good judgment to overcome obstacles and prevent disputes which might have turned into armed conflict. 29.”
1949-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 4 (1949)
“They required definite and decisive action on the part of States, Governments and individuals; both cautious patience and exemplary perseverance were needed in order to solve domestic problems as well as the international problems awaiting settlement in the erstwhile enemy countries and, above all, the problems between the victorious countries which had been the Allies of yesterday. 26. The countries which had participated directly in the war had reserved to themselves the right to establish the peace. Under the Charter drawn up at San Francisco, the United Nations had been given the task of maintaining international peace and security and achieving international co-operation in the solution of economic, social, cultural and humanitarian problems which were international in character. 27.”
1949-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 4 (1949)
“Mr. Viteri Lafronte pointed out that the General Assembly’s fourth session was meeting ten years after the beginning of the Second World War, which had taken place mainly in order to prevent an aggressor State from setting itself up as a dictator of the world. 24. During that decade, mankind had lived through a difficult period of intense activity, which in normal times would have sufficed to fill long periods of history. 25. The end of the war, however, had not meant the establishment of complete peace. The end of a struggle was always followed by long periods of' transition, in which the most serious and complex problems accumulated and multiplied.”
1949-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 4 (1949)
“Viteri-Lafronte expressed his delegation’s sincere hope that the spirit of cordiality and understanding similar to that with which the American republics had solved their regional problems might reign in the Assembly, a spirit of friendship such as that which those countries brought to the deliberations of the United Nations.”
1948-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 3 (1948)
“In so far as the «resort to regional agencies or arrangements » was concerned, it was worthwhile to recall that the twenty-one American republics, which constituted the oldest and most advanced regional System in the world to date, had approved, among other important conventions at the Conference of Bogota, a charter and the American Treaty on Pacific Settlement (A/AC.18/72). Those acts deserved thorough study because they represented a magnificent effort, which combined a scrupulous desire to respect the provisions of the Charter with a full recognition of the juridical personality of the regional organism, which claimed to have established within its systems the most advanced principles of contemporary international structure. Mr.”
1948-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 3 (1948)
“On the contrary, it was a point of departure, leading to subsequent developments which would continue to improve the functioning of the Organization. In speaking of the accomplishments of the Interim Committee, the Ecuadorian representative regretted sincerely that that body would have lacked the co-operation of an important group of countries, among which was one of the permanent members of the Security Council. The collaboration of those countries would have contributed effectively in the improvement of the projects drawn up and in adding to the authority of the work accomplished.”
1948-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 3 (1948)
“18/63) constituted already a very useful basis either for resolutions which the General Assembly could adopt or for a subsequent consideration of a complete code governing the peaceful solution of international conflicts among Members of the United Nations. On the other hand, the preparatory studies carried out by the Interim Committee, duly examined by the General Assembly, would constitute a standard for the interpretation and development of the Charter, which, though a juridical instrument worthy of respect, was neither perfect nor unalterable. The Charter represented a serious effort in international organization and conciliation, but it did not represent the ultimate point of that which was desirable.”
1948-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 3 (1948)
“According to Article 2 of the Charter, the Members of the United Nations were obliged to settle their international disputes by peaceful means; those means, according to Article 33, were principally, mediation, conciliation, arbitration, judicial settlement and resort to regional agencies. Once the principal peaceful methods were determined in the Charter, it was necessary to establish the general procedures to be used in the application of the measures and methods recommended in the Charter. The work done by the Interim Committee on the basis of the draft proposals presented by the representatives of Lebanon (A/AC. 18/15), Dominican Republic (A/AC. 18/30), Belgium (A/AC. 18/18), United Kingdom (A/AC. 18/39), China and United States of America (A/AC. 18/24), Canada (A/AC. 18/49) and Ecuador (A/AG.”
1948-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 3 (1948)
“Therefore, the representative of Ecuador expressed the view that the advisable and practical thing to do would be to study the possibility of obtaining a limitation in the use of the veto on the part of the five great Powers themselves, a regulating action of a technical nature, which would serve effectively to ensure that the veto, in accordance with the spirit of the Charter, should be used only as the last and supreme resort, in cases of extreme gravity. The technical study of the matter carried out by the Interim Committee was the first concrete step realized up to the present time, and it merited the wholehearted attention of the General Assembly and the Security Council. The same could also be said with respect to the studies carried out by the Interim Committee on the methods of pacific settlement of international disputes.”
1948-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 3 (1948)
“The so-called abuse of the veto had excited even greater opposition to the rule of unanimity among the permanent members of the Security Council. The urgent need for revision of the Charter had even been envisaged, but the revision would not be feasible without the affirmative vote of the five permanent members, who possessed the right of veto and could even veto any proposed revision. Eloquent though they might be, speeches against the veto were completely powerless, faced by the situation which had been established by the Charter at San Francisco. Judging from the repeated declarations which had been made concerning that matter, it would seem that not one of the five great Powers was disposed, at present, to renounce the power of the veto.”
1948-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 3 (1948)
“In truth, the Interim Committee had not tried to invade the jurisdiction of the Security Council nor of any other organ of the United Nations. It had maintained a purely technical character, as could be seen from a perusal of the interesting reports concerning the problem of voting in the Security Council and the question of the pacific settlement of international disputes. Mr. Viteri-Lafronte recalled that the veto had been the source of acrimonious and vehement discussions ever since San Francisco. As soon as the Charter had been signed, there was an immediate general reaction to the fact that the vote of a single State could void the contrary wishes of all the other States, Members of the United Nations.”
1948-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 3 (1948)
“What his delegation did think indispensable was to comment briefly on the report of the Interim Committee, a body set up by resolution 111 (II) of the General Assembly on 13 November 1947, and inaugurated on 5 January 1948. It was not his purpose to renew discussion on the constitutionality or legality of the establishment of the Interim Committee. The various points of view of the Member States bad become crystallized and no one would be able to persuade anyone else through the mere repetition of known arguments. The objective and palpable fact was that by way of an experiment the Interim Committee had existed and worked for eight months. Its activities had served to back up many of the arguments which had been invoked for its creation, and to dispel many of the objections which had been raised against the establishment of the new organ.”
1948-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 3 (1948)
“Many of those items were not new; in one form or another, they had been discussed previously by the General Assembly, by the Security Council or by other bodies. The point of view of the Ecuadorean delegation on those matters had been made known at the appropriate occasions and defended in the respective Committees and in the General Assembly, so that Mr. Viteri-Lafronte saw no necessity to come back on that score. He thought that it would be sufficient to recall that the wish of his delegation had at all times been to support the most liberal and humane solutions, those which were in greatest conformity with the principles of justice and equity and with the standards of authentic and effective democracy.”
1948-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 3 (1948)
“Those who accused the United Nations of ineffectiveness should consider thoughtfully what direction the difficult problems and complex tensions of the post-war world would have taken if there had not existed the moderating and stabilizing influence of the Organization which had been set up in San Francisco. Referring to the Secretary-General’s report for the period of 1 July 1947 to 30 June 1948, Mr. Viteri-Lafronte expressed the opinion that it constituted a good over-all description of the work of the Organization in its various aspects: political and security, economic and social, trusteeship and legal. It presented a valuable historical basis for the items included on the agenda.”
1948-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 3 (1948)
“Viteri-Lafronte found that the United Nations had perhaps left undone certain things it should have done, and done several things it perhaps should not have done but, at any rate, an impartial and detailed analysis of its accomplishments up to date did show a positive credit. There was hope for the future at the thought that the representatives of the peoples who formed the United Nations would discuss their problems, rights and interests in an atmosphere of cordiality, with a desire for understanding, with the help of intelligent and conciliatory measures, encouraging co-operation among all, in the interest of humanity.”
1948-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 3 (1948)
“The present peace was divided and fragmentary, and peace with the very country which had been the central agent of the war was still an unsolved problem. He recalled that according to the Charter, the United Nations’ principal task was to maintain international peace and security, and to that end, to take effective collective measures with a view to avoiding the threat of a new war. Three years previously it had been impossible to conceive such an eventuality, whereas at present it was talked about as an immediate menace. It was at such times that the United Nations was accused of uselessness, ineffectiveness, timidity or blindness. In reality, in the three years of its life, Mr.”
1948-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 3 (1948)
“If up to the present that had not been achieved, it was due to a lack of interest and will to ensure universal tranquillity, or perhaps to the fact that the United Nations did not have at its disposal the adequate means to establish peace and the sense «of security which all desired to have. It was necessary to emphasize, however, that the realization of peace had never been, and was not now, in the hands of the United Nations. That difficult task had been reserved for itself, by that limited group of nations which had intervened directly in the war, whereas the United Nations Organization was entrusted with the task of maintaining a peace which had still not been proclaimed or established. In days gone by, repeating the apt expression of Mr. Litvinov, people used to say that peace was indivisible.”
1948-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 3 (1948)
“And above and beyond all other considerations, the nations which, confronted by a common enemy, had joined forces in the war, were no longer united by that frank spirit of understanding and agreement which had made victory possible. All that was happening concurrently with the existence and activity of the United Nations, an institution of which so much had been expected but in which the world’s confidence was beginning to be shaken. In the opinion of the world, peace depended exclusively on the United Nations; there was a general conviction that the United Nations could establish peace.”
1948-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 3 (1948)
“To correct the supposed mistakes of the Treaty of Versailles, in 1945 it was decided to keep entirely separate the conclusion of the peace treaties and the establishment of the United Nations. More than three years had elapsed since the end of the war, and it still could not be said that peace reigned on earth. There were still armed conflicts in various parts of the world. The use of force and violence in international relations had not disappeared. Aggression and invasion were still repeatedly taking place and countless human beings continued to be deprived of those guarantees and rights which were considered to be fundamental and inalienable.”
1948-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 3 (1948)
“While war scourged the world, men cried for a new way of life, in which tolerance and understanding would predominate, and hoped that nations, stimulated by the desire to repair rapidly the damages caused by the war and by the hope of ending forever the threat of a new conflagration, would realize the sincere yearning for international co-operation. When war broke out, nations were not prepared for it; similarly, when peace ensued, they were not truly ready to accept it or to make it into a reality. In criticism of what statesmen had done at the conclusion of the First World War, it had been said that it had been a grave error to include in one act the treaties of peace and the creation of the League of Nations.”
1948-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 3 (1948)
“Mr. VITERI-LAFRONTE recalled that during the six years of the war — which had been referred to with so much certainty as the «last» war — when the whole world was terrified by the horrors of the massacre, when the most powerful nations of the world feverishly concentrated all their activities on war production, when peoples did not hesitate to spend in an hour what in peace time they would not have dared to spend in years, there was a general belief that, following the destructive conflict, there would rapidly follow a real, just and creative peace.”
1948-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 3 (1948)