YouSaid · the spoken record

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65
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1964-09-24
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1964-09-24
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1
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un-general-debate

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  1. “In other words, certain countries, quite apart from the general benefits of peace which accrue to them to the same degree as to all the other Member States, gain certain benefits of a very special nature from the settlement of a conflict. Would it not be fair to impose on them some special contribution? 18. I do not want to illustrate these general considerations by specific examples. I would. venture, however, to suggest to all the delegations which, like the Spanish delegation, consider the present way of conducting these matters to be unfair that when the present episode is settled, or at the time of its settlement, we should start to study new methods for special financing, in conformity with principles of more equitable distribution. 19.”

    1964-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 19 (1964)

  2. “The existence of privileged countries within the United Nations is accepted as a factor of special importance; and we feel that in every case privileges should carry with them special economic obligations, as the counterpart of the particularly advantageous position which those countries have established for themselves. 17. We also share the idea, which has been outlined on more than one occasion by various representatives, that at the centre, and even on the periphery, of any conflict threatening international peace and security there are countries directly and particularly concerned which have, in one way or another, special responsibility and which, in the last analysis, receive direct benefit from United Nations intervention.”

    1964-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 19 (1964)

  3. “Whether his suggestion is adopted, or whether some more suitable solution is found, let us decide once and for all what the health of the Organization requires, for it would be intolerable if, after a period of time, this type of trouble were once again to divide us and to threaten us with disintegration. 16. My delegation accepts the principle of mandatory contributions to defray the cost of peace-keeping operations, but we do not deny that the idea of voluntary contributions, supported by some distinguished delegations, seems worthy of consideration and analysis. Nevertheless, together with the principle of mandatory contributions, we affirm and register the fact that there is a fundamental discrepancy in regard to the criteria at present governing the distribution of expenditure. The present system seems to us unfair.”

    1964-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 19 (1964)

  4. “The Spanish delegation trusts and sincerely hopes that, in those meetings where some light is being found to disperse the shadows, the way to salvation may soon be found. We shall all welcome it with heart and soul. Thus willy nilly, surmounting all obstacles, we shall dispose of an uncertain past; but if we should do only that, we should be doing nothing more than making sure of bread today and hunger tomorrow. We must therefore face the whole problem of future financing and find a system which will not be subject to the myriad complications and disputes which burden us today. Some eminent representatives have suggested possible courses of action. I should like to refer, as an example, to the structural modification of the Charter which was suggested some days ago by the Foreign Minister of Brazil [1289th meeting].”

    1964-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 19 (1964)

  5. “The present crisis is the result of financial problems. Disputes about money are said to be particularly destructive when they occur in families which do not agree. It might be thought, and even feared, that within this Organization composed of peoples of such different religious, political, social, cultural and economic backgrounds, stormy arguments would be caused by dramatic conflicts of ideals. But it is money which has been the main cause of contention among us, to such an extent that it has made it almost impossible for us to coexist in this universal body, although, as Mr. Velázquez, the representative of Uruguay, said in his excellent statement, behind the present situation there is also a crisis of development and growth related to the different ways of viewing and serving the cause of peace. 15.”

    1964-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 19 (1964)

  6. “It would, however, be well to ponder the peculiar fact that a body which was conceived and designed constitutionally as an Assembly to debate, argue, reason, examine and judge cannot, in a particular crisis, debate, argue, reason, or examine, still less pass judgement. It seems as if it has been frightened by itself. It has lacked the necessary confidence in its own strength. The muse of fear has always been a very bad counsellor. 13. Let us not deceive ourselves. This shirking of our duty, and our evident inability to carry out our basic functions, these are things which always result in a loss of prestige and authority; and if this occurs once only, if this is only the result of chance misfortune, the blow will not be mortal; but crises would be inevitable if we were to allow such things to be repeated. 14.”

    1964-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 19 (1964)

  7. “The procession of eloquent orators — to whom I must pay an admiring tribute — to this rostrum is given the name of "general debate" but we all share the secret that there is no such debate. It is almost touching to see the care which we all take not to disturb in any way the secret dialogue in which certain matters, theoretically the province of the Assembly but which in practice have been removed from our consideration at this time, are apparently being clarified and I hope settled. If it were advisable for the welfare of the United Nations that the principles and procedures of its democratic constitution should be suspended, I should Welcome suspension.”

    1964-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 19 (1964)

  8. “Speaking in strictly legal terms we might say that some important provisions of the Charter are in suspension. We know and we wish to believe that this paralysis is fortunately a passing phase. In the interim, however, the laws of parliamentary democracy, proclaimed as the life and soul of the Assembly, are not being applied: it might be said that they have become impotent. This is certainly not the first time that a conflict of this nature has arisen between the possibilities of strictly parliamentary democracy and the essential political, social or economic reality of the world in which we live. 12. The United Nations Charter and the rules of procedure of the General Assembly grant us two essential rights: the right to discuss and the right to vote; for some time now, we have neither discussed nor voted, we have just talked.”

    1964-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 19 (1964)

  9. “With words that ring out like a call to arms, the Secretary-General has just declared that the United Nations has to face a crisis of confidence in its growth, usefulness and effectiveness and that changes will have to be made in the way it functions; but that changes must take place, first of all, in the minds of men, and that the spirit of tolerance, the desire to conciliate, the will to harmonize, which are the basic tenets of the Charter, must be constantly invoked. 11. Never has such a statement been more appropriate to the circumstances. The United Nations has experienced, or rather is experiencing, a crisis of confidence in itself. At the moment, this Assembly seems rather like a meeting of invalids. The basic machinery of our debates has stopped functioning, like the limbs of someone who is paralysed.”

    1964-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 19 (1964)

  10. “Everything which, in the name of any specific policy, tends to offend or defame the national characteristics of any of the Member States, by means of judgements or resolutions of a discriminatory nature, whether within the Assembly itself or in any of the specialized agencies, will create serious hazards whose consequences would necessarily affect the very foundations of the United Nations. 9. We cannot spend our lives extolling the merits of peaceful coexistence and yet allow ourselves in this very place, in the body formed to organize and preserve that coexistence, to deride and devour each other, in the service of personal or party interests and in the name of the various fanaticisms which are at present rife in the world. 10.”

    1964-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 19 (1964)

  11. “May we all be inspired by the memory of that eminent moralist and let us be careful not to bring to this rostrum passion without dignity, malice charged with resentment, or words which are untrue; for one of the dangers which faces our Organization is that it may be converted into an arena for political dissension and a stage for mutual insults. 8. If one of the main objectives of the United Nations is to create conditions in which justice and respect for the obligations which derive from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained, and if, to bring this about, all people must unite in the service of peace, spurning abuse and aggression, and seeking negotiation, mediation, arbitration, legal settlement, conciliation, everything except the frenzy of war, this forum must always be kept free from unbridled passions.”

    1964-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 19 (1964)

  12. “It will do no harm if, in these critical days, the President of the General Assembly of the United Nations remembers that philosopher who, burdened with the sufferings of his fellow men, dreamed of a wide brotherhood of men, all equal in spiritual needs and in the requirements of moral integrity, brothers in suffering, and for that reason called upon to help each other and to serve each other. In one of his letters to Lucullus, Seneca said that "our existence means living together, and we must live for our fellow men, if we wish to live for ourselves".”

    1964-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 19 (1964)

  13. “From that moment, I realized that not only was the Assembly to be directed by someone whose personal qualities are well known to us all, but that we were to include among our sources of inspiration one of the most venerable teachers in all history. We can expect nothing but virtue and goodness from a man who takes Lucius Annaeus Seneca as a mentor and who entrusts himself to such a guide. 6. As the President, a good Latinist, is well aware, Seneca was a Spaniard, the son of Seneca the Elder, both of them born in Córdoba, the patrician city of Andalusia which was the cradle and the seat of Roman, Arab, Hebrew and Christian learning. 7.”

    1964-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 19 (1964)

  14. “Carlos Sosa Rodriguez, leaves behind him an indelible imprint of his service as President and an object lesson in good sense, intelligence, vigorous decisiveness, courtesy and dignity. 3. We should like to extend our respectful and cordial greetings to both the retiring and the incoming Presidents. 4. We should also like to welcome the three new countries which have joined our ranks as sovereign and independent States: Malta, Zambia and Malawi. 5. At the inaugural meeting of this Assembly, reference was made to Seneca, "Seneca morale", as the great Florentine described him centuries ago; one of the greatest moralists of all time; amoral philosopher and an eternal example of spiritual calm, of clarity and of serene will. I particularly welcomed your reference to that illustrious figure.”

    1964-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 19 (1964)

  15. “1. Mr. Alex Quaison-Sackey, the representative of the Republic of Ghana, has been elected President of the General Assembly by acclamation. He comes to this highly responsible office armed with vast political experience and with a personal culture which not only has distinguished itself in the study of the problems of our time but extends also to the world of Greek and Roman antiquity. In the face of the difficulties and the complex troubles which have arisen during this Assembly, Mr. Quaison-Sackey’s personal qualities seem to us to guarantee that the methods followed will be skilful and the results effective. 2. His predecessor, the representative of Venezuela, our eminent friend Mr.”

    1964-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 19 (1964)