YouSaid · the spoken record

Rawiri

THE RECORD WRITES THIS SPEAKER AS RAWIRI

lines on the record: 55
first: 1971-09-24
most recent: 1973-09-24
sittings or episodes: 3
sources: un-general-debate

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“They should not fall back on misunderstandings, hesitations and errors, which have until now complicated the solution of their problem. 35. delegation has no magic formula for a perfect settlement of all the problems on the agenda of the present session. But it has the firm desire to make its modest contribution to the collective effort to find, with all men of goodwill, the majority of those data which might simplify examination of what unfortunately divides us, and thus attain the unity of thought which is our only salvation. 36. May I therefore be permitted to make a solemn appeal to all those who are particularly responsible for the weal and woe of the international community to give our world, at last, more justice, more progress and more peace.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“It is high time for all inhabitants of the world to be represented in this Assembly. 33. In the case of Korea in particular, the non-aligned countries have advocated at the Fourth Conference of Heads of State or Government of Non-Aligned Countries, held at Algiers, what might be considered as a basis for the settlement of the problem [see A/9330 and Corr.], p. 49]; but the fear of permanent insecurity which is making the southern part of the country hesitate to the point where it is attempting to modify this solution is such that we must seriously consider the statement made on 23 June by the South Korean President, a statement which we think lays down the essential bases for finding a just solution to the problem. 34. The two parties have arrived at a point where hope is possible.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“But everyone knows "hat this situation could not last were the Portuguese Government alone and if the white minorities of Southern Africa did not have outside support, making it possible for them to defy world public opinion with impunity. 31. As for the Middle East problem, it is the responsibility of the great Powers to restore the Jarring mission in order to find agreement within the framework of Security Council resolution 242 (1967), The recent refusal of Egypt and Israel to have this resolution amended makes it possible to think that each of the parties finds it acceptable. 32. While we are pleased to see among us the qualified representatives of the German people, we should not lose sight of the other divided States-the two Viet-Nams and the two Koreas.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“An entire village of 200 inhabitants has just been stricken from the map of Mozambique. And, as if it were living in a dream world, Portugal continues to believe that its country is part of Central Africa. 28. To complete this anachronistic picture, racism of the most humiliating and repugnant kind is still prevalent in South Africa, Namibia and Rhodesia. The African populations, on the soil of their ancestors, live in conditions so well known that it appears superfluous to us to refer to them here once again. 29. Indeed, the allied regimes of Portugal and South Africa, having remained deaf to the voice of reason, the African peoples concerned have risen up in the armed struggle which has been imposed upon them by the colonial systems. Blood is flowing and the United Nations is neutralized through the intrigues of the settlers. 30.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“Indeed their hope was well founded; the freedom of peoples being inalienable, the France of Charles de Gaulle and the British Crown had decided in favour of honour, greatness and the future by substituting for the basically fragile ties of domination the almost indestructible relations of friendship, confidence and co-operation. The evidence is there that people who can have the most confidence in their common destiny are those who have forgotten their relations of the past in order to build a future through mutual consent. 27. It is unthinkable to observe that in Guinea-Bissau, the Cape Verde Islands, Angola, Mozambique, Cabinda and the Sao Tome and Principe islands genocide still goes on, punctuated by unjustified massacres of the aged, of pregnant women and of children, who are daily burned with napalm.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“However, for every African, for every citizen of the third world, as well as for all peoples imbued with lofty moral values, there is very little hope of achieving this world that we all desire as long as colonialism and apartheid are still the rule in Africa and one of the greatest peoples of our continent is still under military occupation. 25. And yet, following the signature of the Charter at San Francisco, the African peoples, which had seen scores of thousands of their people die in order to help others reconquer their freedom, had seriously hoped that, because of the new international code, the day had at last come when they could enjoy independence. 26.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“To set our fears to rest for all time and to provide a satisfactory reply to all the small countries which are only dreaming of peace, there is a solution: formally to prohibit the manufacture of new nuclear weapons and immediately to establish international commissions for the systematic destruction of existing stockpiles. Not to accept that would mean purely and simply, as far as we are concerned, to shirk the sincere search for peace. 22. The Powers concerned which adopted our point of view would emerge ennobled by their decision. As for our world, enjoying the resources thus liberated and delivered from its anguish, it would at last know true happiness. 23. It is because of our faith in the principles of our Organization that I come to set forth here the thinking of my Government. 24.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“Of course, the Powers responsible for our collective peace have been able to avoid the worst by opening treaties for our signature; of course, an important document has been drafted and signed prohibiting the proliferation of nuclear weapons." All these measures, including the Conference of the Committee on Disarmament, are so much evidence of a genuine desire to achieve peace. 20. But the Government of Gabon is still asking itself, What is the purpose of the bombs that were already stored before the publication and entry into force of the text to which I have referred? 21.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“This affirmation is in no way inconsistent With our universalist orientation. It is simply an explanation of the reality that we Gabonese, while prepared to co-operate for our economic development, do not intend to have any of our national wealth exploited to the detriment of our people. And if naturally we are in favour of the exploitation of the sea-bed for peaceful purposes, we reject its spoliation. 18. But how can we prepare and develop this cooperation, how can we improve the, standard of living of our peoples in a world which is uncertain of its own future, a world replete with weapons of destruction, a world in which those who have more than others are spending more for war than for the general well-being? 19.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“And it is not through any accident that our President, Albert Bernard Bongo, upon his accession to power, signed an "investment code" for all those who sincerely wish to help us; that code recognizes that businessmen who come to our country have a right to make a fair profit. 16. In regard to our sovereignty, I wish to go beyond the strict framework of the political situation exclusively and to speak of the full enjoyment of the riches which a generous and bountiful nature has placed upon our soil and buried within our subsoil and under our waters. Such a sovereignty can suffer no restriction. We intend to remain, in spite of our limited means and possibilities, the only masters of our soil, of which our territorial sea to a limit of 100 miles is an integral part. 17.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“There is no doubt at all that the Central African Customs and Economic Union, the European Common Market, the Group of 77 and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development [UNCTADJ, to which Gabon is making its modest contribution, are not in our view exclusive clubs for this co-operation. 14. My country is prepared to co-operate with the whole world and, repeating the statement of His Excellency Mr. Albert Bernard Bongo, President of the Gabonese Republic, I would say that our only policy is to continue to give our peoples the means of emerging from underdevelopment. 15. We agree that other efforts should be joined to ours, provided that those who want to help us in this noble task by offering their co-operation to us respect our sovereignty.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“As it now stands, the economic and social situation of the world must preoccupy the United Nations and lead its specialized agencies to restructure themselves in order better to help our States tackle the various aspects of the problems of underdevelopment that weigh upon us. It is an absurdity to try to deal with world peace before attempting to eliminate from the world the fundamental causes of social inequality which lead men to destroy each other through violence. 13. Only when those causes have been eliminated will our faith in international co-operation as an indispensable means in the service of development be justified.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“But, after 28 years and in spite of a better-organized and more profitable exploitation of our riches, our purchasing power is decreasing, whereas the industrialized nations are selling their products at higher and higher prices; so we grow poorer for the benefit of those very nations which are becoming richer and richer. 11. So, I repeat, after 28 years three quarters of mankind suffers from famine while a minority has surplus in its agriculture, and enormous sums continue to be sacrificed to sterile purposes while millions of children grow up illiterate because it is not possible for us to give them teachers, classrooms, books-in a word, all that is necessary for them to become citizens worthy of our society. 12.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“In rushing to the United Nations as soon as they had acceded to political independence, we, the small countries, thought first and foremost that we would be part of a great human collectivity within which mutual understanding could engender greater justice. In our view, that justice necessarily had to begin with a better considered distribution of riches and consumer goods and all the other means which make it possible to struggle effectively against ignorance, disease and poverty. 9. Our attachment to that ideal was all the deeper as we had total confidence in the industrialized countries, which, following one of the greatest conflagrations they had inflicted upon the world, had succeeded in placing before our eyes the new charter of a better future based upon a thousand altruistic obligations. 10.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“On his election, which was so brilliant because it was well deserved and justified, I offer him the heartfelt congratulations of my delegation. 6. With Mr. Kurt Waldheim, our Secretary-General, who is always between two aeroplane flights in his aim of getting first-hand knowledge of the various problems with which our Organization is confronted, Mr. Benites forms a team of distinguished men whose competence and dedication to the service of the world make it possible for us not to have doubts about the United Nations and to look forward to the future. My delegation assures the President, and all his colleagues in the General Committee and in the Secretariat, of our gratitude. 7. The same feelings guide my memories of the President and the General Committee of the twenty-seventh session. 8.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“I am therefore obliged to re-examine with members the same problems that have been debated at such length- problems of economic and social development, problems of international co-operation, problems of universal peace and, of course, problems of the sacred right of all peoples on earth, and in particular the Africans, to decide upon their own future. 5. All those preoccupations would, of course, have made me pessimistic if we had not had a man of the dimension of Mr. Benites to preside over our Assembly. An erudite jurist, a politician well informed about, and fully acquainted with, this house and all the problems that we shall have to debate here, he is certainly the President that we were awaiting in order to find together the solutions that our apprehensions call for.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“I rise up against retrograde selfishness on the part of all those who-while our common destiny depends upon universal solidarity-are still hesitating about co-operating frankly in keeping the weakest and the most destitute among us from achieving social well-being. I rise up against the constant threat of weapons of destruction which is weighing upon mankind. Lastly and especially I rise up against the abject conditions of colonialism, apartheid and occupation which still hold Africa in bondage, in spite of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and contrary to the spirit of our Charter. 4.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“It should not be surprising that, for a citizen of the third world like me, it is difficult to speak once again before this Assembly-difficult because I cannot forgo accomplishing my duty to express here the point of view of my Government on the important problems which preoccupy us collectively. 2. I cannot be pleased at having to denounce here once again, in the same circumstances, exactly the same evils-in spite of the rather fragile hopes that have appeared in the South-East Asian region. Members must understand that I am concerned over all the factors that have been created and maintained to aggravate and perpetuate underdevelopment in the third world. 3.”
1973-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 28 (1973)
“Man must mobilize his genius and his resources to claim a decisive victory over the enemies of the modern world, those enemies that are called hunger, want, pollution, racial discrimination and injustice.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“It is only the full and scrupulous implementation of that resolution that can lead to an equitable solution of the question, thus putting an end to another dangerous situation whose persistence may well lead to a general explosion. 21. While the third world is involved in a battle without quarter against development, now that mankind is aware of the need to ensure defense of its natural environment, which, if disturbed, might threaten the very survival of mankind, man should not spend his energies and capacities in futile armed struggles which are so anachronistic and obsolete. Man must once and for all outlaw the use of force as the means of solving conflicts between nations.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“Through their Red Cross organizations these two countries together, without intermediaries and without outside pressures, have decided to undertake negotiations, which we trust will lead to an equitable settlement and an honorable end to the conflict that pits one country against the other, and thus extinguish this source of tension. 20. So, in the case of the Middle East, the Secretary- General, through his Special Representative, should bring about the resumption of conversations. We believe that the best basis for discussion lies still in Security Council resolution 242 (1967). That resolution was unanimously supported in the General Assembly, and the parties concerned in the conflict publicly agreed with the recommendations contained in it.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“In Rhodesia the Zimbabwe people should have their voice heard and should acquire legitimate rights as citizens. As far as Namibia is concerned, once again we have to express the hope that the Government of South Africa will prove its willingness to achieve peace and show its spirit of conciliation by making concrete and constructive proposals that will lead to the full enjoyment of the right of self-determination by the people of Namibia as a whole. 19. That will to peace, that spirit of conciliation, are more necessary today than ever, in the light of the efforts being made to find equitable solutions to the conflicts that at present exist. The recent attitude adopted by North and South Korea to find a peaceful solution to the problem of the country's reunification constitutes a clear manifestation of a new spirit.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“In Angola, in Guinea (Bissau) and in Mozambique, Portugal, defying the decisions of the General Assembly and world public opinion, still persists in maintaining its domination over African territories, against the will of the peoples to which it refuses the exercise of their right to self-determination and independence. Surely the time has come for the Portuguese leaders to recognize the legitimacy of the people's aspirations and honestly and courageously to find the ways and means, with the leaders of the liberation movements, that will allow Guinea (Bissau), Mozambique and Angola to enjoy their right to self-determination and accede to independence. 18. In Rhodesia, as in Namibia, the situation is no less disturbing since the dignity of the black man is being flouted.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“The limitation of armaments will not only permit the saving of important resources that might then be devoted to development and to the welfare of peoples, but also will make possible a true relaxation of tension in the relations between opposing blocs and ideologies. It will allow us to put out the fires of conflict and will permit the dawning of an era of peaceful coexistence in freedom and in the full exercise of the sovereign rights of individuals. It is that freedom, it is these rights, that the peoples of the third world are fighting to achieve, particularly in Africa, which still suffers from colonialism and racial discrimination. 17.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“The Stockholm Conference warned of the grave risks that nature and mankind are running, as the constant utilization in different regions of the world of weapons of mass destruction and chemical weapons has effects which are as pernicious and dangerous as those of atomic weapons. My Government must most vehemently denounce the use of force entailed in the arms race and the stockpiling of weapons of mass destruction. The United Nations must devote itself, first and foremost, to putting an end to that dangerous situation and impose general and controlled disarmament on the world. But this disarmament must not only be limited to nuclear weapons. It must also cover chemical weapons, since the use of these latter must immediately be condemned and prohibited in those regions where armed conflicts are at present going on. 16.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“The two camps confronted one another: the third world, with its miseries and sufferings, calling for justice and understanding; and the industrial countries, unwilling or unready to accept the idea of a more equitable distribution of the profits derived from trade. This attitude of the wealthy countries can only give rise to doubts and skepticism regarding their willingness to help the developing nations by placing greater resources at their disposal, resources of both a financial and a technological nature. 15. The fact is that the industrial countries are devoting their wealth and their energies to the arms race, which, whatever may be said, has never been so intense or feverish.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“The Second United Nations Development Decade that was solemnly proclaimed by the General Assembly in resolution 2626 (XXV) was supposed to follow up the first, and was expected to achieve, if not exceed, the objectives that had been set in order to intensify and improve trade relations so as to provide the third world with resources with which to confront the problems of development. But if attitudes do not change and if morality is not introduced in relations of all kinds between the wealthy and the poor countries, then the Second Decade will end as did the first in bitter and inevitable failure. Such a change of attitude and approach was not manifested in Santiago.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“In Santiago recently the third session of UNCTAD pronounced the failure of the first United Nations Development Decade, on which so many hopes had been based. 13. The transfer by the industrialized countries of 1 per cent of their gross national product to the development of the third world has never been achieved. Indeed, assistance for development has decreased both in volume and in real purchasing power, in view of the depreciation of the value of money. The prices of raw materials, produced basically by the developing countries, are becoming lower and lower, whereas the prices of the manufactured goods exported by the wealthy countries are attaining a record level. This system of trade relations can only benefit the industrial nations, which can become even richer by it. 14.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“In Stockholm the representatives of the developed countries expressed alarm at the great danger to nature and to the human species from modifications of the ecological balance caused by the frantic and uncontrolled exploitation of natural resources to satisfy ever-increasing needs. 10. On the one hand are the poor nations suffering from poverty and hunger, and on the other hand are the wealthy nations complaining about the damage caused by the excessive exploitation of natural resources. 11. As can be seen, the concerns of one group are not necessarily the same as those of the other, and the exchange of views between the wealthy and the poor nations might well be a dialog of the deaf. 12.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“His talent, his authority and the diplomatic ability he has constantly shown in the course of the first year of his mandate are an earnest of success for the future. 7. A few months have elapsed since the holding of two very important international meetings: the third session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development [UNCTAD], held at Santiago, Chile, from 11 April to 19 May 1972 and the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, held at Stockholm from 5 to 16 June 1972. 8. In Santiago the representatives of the third world once again denounced the increasing gap between the wealthy and the poor nations and again appealed to the industrialized countries to try to reverse that dangerous trend which is so perilous for the future of mankind. 9.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“Malik, who showed great patience, a spirit of co-operation and effectiveness. 4. I shall only mention, among the most significant events of the twenty-sixth session, the following: the admission of new Member States, the entry of the People's Republic of China into our world Organization and the election of a new Secretary-General, Mr. Kurt Waldheim, who succeeded U Thant. 5. The Government of Gabon would like to address to our former Secretary-General, U Thant, a very special tribute for the invaluable work he did at the head of our Organization during a period of 10 years. Because of his total devotion to the cause of peace in the world, U Thant has earned the thanks of our Organization. 6. To our new Secretary-General, Mr. Waldheim, we would again express our hopes for full success in leading our Organization.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“That is why, Mr. President, your role is one of vital importance, for from the results of our work will be born either hope and light or doubt, pessimism and fear. This shows that your task, although noble, is very difficult because of the complexity and gravity of the problems we have to confront. We have no doubt that you will be successful in carrying out this exceptional task with your enlightened judgment and your realism and with the assistance and full co-operation of all the Members of this Assembly. 3. My delegation is also gratified to be able to pay a sincere tribute to the outgoing President of the twenty- sixth session of the General Assembly, Mr. Adam Malik, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Indonesia. Our last session registered important successes, thanks to the work of Mr.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“Mr. President, it is particularly pleasant for me to express to you on behalf of my delegation om- warmest congratulations on your outstanding election to preside over the twenty-seventh session of the General Assembly. Your abilities and the experience that you have acquired in the course of a long career entirely devoted to the service of your country made you a natural choice to play the eminent role the General Assembly has entrusted to you. Thanks to your well-known ability and competence, we are sure you will preside over our debates wisely and effectively and thus ensure the final success of our work. 2. In a world that is more and more shaken by violence, our Organization more than ever has the imperative duty to find and propose to the community of men the ways and means that will lead to detente and peaceful coexistence.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“Peace cannot be established until a minimum of justice exists, and justice does not consist alone of granting to individuals the enjoyment of their civil and political rights. It is also the right of every man to be able to have food, health and education.”
1971-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 26 (1971)
“In this connexion, the disturbance in the monetary system, certain protectionist measures, certain restrictions in assistance to the third world seem to contain serious threats for us. For our part, we have sincere hope that the nations of the world will desist from their egotism and devote themselves to attaining the objectives of the Second Development Decade. The success of the Strategy depends upon the will and sincerity of our actions. If all the clauses are honestly implemented, then we can hope for a complete success. Otherwise the failure might be heavy with consequences. 38. The world then will find it difficult to achieve peace, so long as the minority holds most of the wealth with the majority continues to suffer from hunger and live in poverty. 39.”
1971-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 26 (1971)
“Once again it is an action program which will maintain the trade of the developing countries and favor their industrialization so as to overcome their backwardness and raise their standard of living. 3t>. The measures to be taken are identical to those advocated under the First Development Decade, without forgetting the rate of transfer of resources of 1 per cent of their gross national product of the developed countries to the developing countries. 36. Just as in the First Decade, the promises in this new Strategy have given rise to great hopes, but, in considering the past, we cannot help experiencing a certain amount of fear. The Strategy which has just been adopted is still quite Utopian and will be so if it is not rapidly and completely translated into facts. 37.”
1971-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 26 (1971)
“For their part, very few developed countries agree to make the capital outlays necessary to meet the target setting 1 per cent of their gross national product as the yearly amount to be transferred from their resources for the benefit of the under-developed countries. 33. The First Development Decade, therefore, was considered by many countries as a partial failure. 34. The General Assembly, during its last session, in resolution 2626 (XXV), proclaimed the Second United Nations Development Decade beginning on 1 January 1971. That resolution defines the international strategy for development during the 10 coming years and establishes the goals and objectives and advocates the measures to be taken.”
1971-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 26 (1971)
“In the opinion of most of the countries concerned, the First Development Decade failed to attain the objectives which it had established. The measures envisaged in the field of international trade, which were to bring to those countries producing raw materials supplementary income, were not fully implemented. These countries, which expected a substantial increase in their incomes because of an increase in their exports and because of stability of prices, had to trim their sails quickly. The export products met with tariff obstacles everywhere. At the same time, they were getting further and further into debt. 32.”
1971-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 26 (1971)
“They had insufficient means, and thus the leaders of these young States had to work prodigies, to construct the nation, to equip the country and to educate and feed the people and at the same time assume their international obligations. 29. In order to face up to such an overwhelming burden, they had to develop means of action so as to increase trade, to produce more so as to increase foreign income and to favor foreign investments. This was something which they had to do if they were to achieve their development. 30. In view of such great problems and so as to bring about, as .far as possible, some improvement in the grave situation of these under-developed countries, the international community launched in 1961 the First United Nations Development Decade, which at that time gave rise to great hopes. 31. Then the years passed.”
1971-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 26 (1971)
“Soon these countries will attain their independence and will come to join their brothers countries. It is not Portugal that will be able to stop this. The wheel of history will not be stopped; it will end by crushing Portugal, if that country does not understand that its destiny is to be found in friendship and co-operation with Africa, which is ready to forget the past and to look only ahead. 27. For centuries colonial Powers have used the resources of these countries, and these riches were destined for distant metropolitan cities. At the same time, the unfortunate overseas countries which were sometimes called colonies were abandoned to their own destiny. 28. It is in this context of under-development that many third-world countries, especially in black Africa, were given their independence.”
1971-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 26 (1971)
“That these minorities, coming from another age, deaf to all the other nations of the world, should refuse to restore rights and freedoms to unhappy peoples which they maintain under their domination that is intolerable and unacceptable. 25. The policy of apartheid imposed by the white minorities in South Africa and Rhodesia is profoundly revolting. Such a senseless policy can only engender hatred among men and lead to violence and chaos. In such a hypothesis, the white settlers of Africa are mortgaging their future. 26. To persist in wearing blinkers, as Portugal insists on doing, is but a sign of political senility and can only lead to decadence and then to downfall. Angola, Mozambique and Guinea (Bissau) are not Portuguese provinces; they are African lands.”
1971-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 26 (1971)
“There is a long road ahead of us before we attain this ideal; that is to say, that general and complete disarmament will not occur tomorrow. However, we can hope that it will be so, and we must undertake this difficult task. That is the way men are; they always attempt the impossible. 24. The peace and security which we call for, the justice and happiness to which we aspire, are common wishes which nature has given to all men to share. They have not been reserved for any particular category of men. They belong to all human beings. To ignore this truth leads to the very worst aberrations. That in the twentieth century foreign minorities, because they believe they belong to a superior race, should deprive of their natural rights other human beings-this is what cannot be accepted.”
1971-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 26 (1971)
“It is the duty of the United Nations to intensify its efforts and its actions in this field so as to bring Member States to realize and carry out an agreement leading to general and controlled disarmament. 21. Negotiations already undertaken so as to achieve agreement as to limitation, control and prohibition of certain arms, both nuclear and biological, deserve our support. We consider, however, that the measures envisaged are insufficient, since they only involve specific aspects of the problem. 22. In the opinion of our Government, disarmament should be total and general, that is to say, all production must be stopped, all stockpiles must be destroyed. If these measures are to receive and bring about their full effect, they should be provided with all adequate controls. 23.”
1971-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 26 (1971)
“When one thinks that the military arsenals of the great Powers are increasing every day with the addition of new, more powerful and more terrifying weapons; when we note that many small countries are also engaged in the arms race, we experience grave doubts. The great Powers, which play such a, decisive role in the affairs of the world and which alone produce all those armaments and are responsible for their dissemination: are they being sincere with themselves and with others when they speak of peace and call for disarmament? 19. In any case, the attitude of these arms merchants makes us doubt that they are sincere. The production, accumulation and dissemination of armaments show us that we must work against the folly of these arms merchants. We must guarantee the security of others. 20.”
1971-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 26 (1971)
“Thus only can Ambassador Jarring fully carry out his role as mediator and make a positive contribution to bringing about an end to that extremely explosive and dangerous conflict and a return to peace in that part of the world. 16. The settlement of the Middle East conflict should be sought, need 1 repeat, within the framework of Security Council resolution 242 (1967). That resolution, which was unanimously supported by the General Assembly, was also officially and publicly accepted by the two camps. Thus is constitutes a basis for balanced and realistic negotiations. 17. To extinguish these hotbeds of war and to do away with all the armed conflicts which plague the world's nations is the very first objective which we must achieve on the road to peace and security. 18. The peoples of the world cannot live in peace unless they feel secure.”
1971-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 26 (1971)
“Thus it seems difficult to say that we are living in a world of justice and peace. 15. In such a situation it is highly desirable that greater effort should be made to overcome injustice and put an end to the bloody confrontations which ravage certain regions of the world. In this regard, and more particularly as regards the Middle East, we feel that the Jarring mission should receive the support of all of us so that it may be carried out without hindrance, The United Nations should, consequently, reactivate that mission and issue a new appeal to the conscience of the belligerents-to their desire for peace-so as to bring them to devise new procedures and new working methods.”
1971-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 26 (1971)
“Today as yesterday, the delegation of Gabon continues to wonder about the reasons for the contradictions which paralyzed the Organization and seemed to frustrate the most generous initiatives taken here. 14. Whether it be in the field of peace and security, whether it be a question of international co-operation and the struggle against under-development, when we take up the problems relating to the restoration of the dignity and freedom of peoples under foreign domination, the situation is scarcely different from what it was 25 years ago. Bloody confrontations take place throughout the world; the armaments race continues and broadens, multiplying the risks of a general conflagration. Millions of human beings continue to suffer under the yoke and domination of foreign minorities seeking power and wealth.”
1971-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 26 (1971)
“We still live under the influence of a certain past, of hegemonies and egoisms of all kinds which maintain inequality among men and various parts of the world. "In tills connexion, one can only be surprised and shocked that the United Nations should have two aspects: that which shows an interest in certain parts of the world by trying to the extent possible to restore peace, and that which shows a deliberate lack of interest in the fate of other men "..." "... Rather than striving to apply the Charter which they [the great Powers] signed, are they not above all interested in defending their interests, in maintaining or even spreading their influence? ..[1867th meeting, paras. 105-U1.J 13.”
1971-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 26 (1971)
“The Chief of State of Gabon, President Albert Bernard Bongo, was one of those pilgrims who came in faith and hope, However, speaking of the United Nations since its creation in 1945, President Bongo could not help but let his bitterness be felt when he stated: "Thus, after these 25 years of existence, the United Nations presents us with a balance sheet which is characteristic of all human endeavors; that is to say, it is both negative and sometimes positive, "On the basis of idealistic aspirations and generous intent, appreciable progress has been made, but when viewed with the results obtained, how many lost opportunities and how many bitter disillusionments there have been! ... .. We still live under the influence of, which can be seen here and there in many phonon of unjust discrimination.”
1971-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 26 (1971)
“Indeed, many heads of State and Government did not hesitate to make long trips to associate themselves personally with the activities of the commemorative session. Those heads of State and Government, the majority of whom came from countries of the third world, felt that their physical presence was not only the best contribution they could offer to the community of nations on that solemn occasion, but that it constituted also an important manifestation of their faith in the Charter and of the hopes which +hey themselves as well as their countries had placed in the United Nations. 12.”
1971-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 26 (1971)