YouSaid · the spoken record

MENON

lines on the record: 397
first: 1953-09-24
most recent: 1955-09-24
sittings or episodes: 3
sources: un-general-debate

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“He repaid them by capturing some of the population and taking them to Portugal, certainly not for altruistic purposes. 99. A period followed in which European countries established their empires in India: the Portuguese, the Dutch, the French and the English. Thanks to the rivalries of the various empires of the time, they established themselves in one way or another for certain periods, but finally the British established themselves, not necessarily by conquest alone but by various other forms of development, as the major ruling Power in India. 100. There were, however, small parts of India which remained in the hands of others — survivals — almost like the appendix in the human system. One of these territories is a place called Goa, in the west of India. This place plays an important role in the public opinion of India today. 101.”
1955-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 10 (1955)
“We hope that, with the assurances of our friendship, of our great admiration for the French people and for their noble traditions, the French Government will find it possible to take its place with us very soon. 98. In connexion with the colonial problem, there is one part of the world to which I should like to draw particular attention. With the fall of Constantinople in 1453, the European nations marched eastward. They started to look for lands whose whereabouts they did not know — by way of the Pacific, the Atlantic or the Indian Ocean. Some of them came to our part of the world. A gentleman named Vasco de Gama landed in my home-town in 1498, and, with the hospitality characteristic of our people at that time and now, the rulers and the people of Calicut entertained him.”
1955-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 10 (1955)
“I am sure that, so far as we are concerned, the Government of France will appreciate the fact that during the past three or four years our relations with it, particularly in these matters, have been concerned with finding ways and means of settling difficulties rather than of creating them. 97. I have taken this opportunity of making a further explanation in this connexion in the hope that it will reach the French Government. I feel sure that I speak for a great many of my colleagues when I say that we are sincerely sorry that a decision of this Assembly — not one taken by Africans and Asians only but one taken by a majority of the Assembly — should have had this result.”
1955-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 10 (1955)
“Furthermore, as I stated in speaking on the Algerians item [530th meeting], my Government and people have the highest respect for the traditions and for the great humanism which France can claim. We deeply regret the absence here of the French delegation. We understand the conditions which bring this about, and we hope that it will be possible for the French Government to review its position and to let us have the benefit of its co-operation. 96. I want to repeat that it has never been the purpose of my Government and that it is not the purpose of my Government — what is more, we would not agree to any other view — to support any position which requires the intervention of the United Nations in the domestic affairs of other people. Our contention is that Consideration for the purpose of reconciliation does not constitute intervention.”
1955-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 10 (1955)
“It is because we believe that the peoples of Asia and Africa are awake, that we believe that many of them can stand on their own feet as free nations, that we believe that these problems can best be resolved in the United Nations, that we bring these problems here. 94. This gives me the opportunity of expressing my very deep regret that our colleagues from France are not present at this Assembly. Since they are not present here, my voice will not reach them here. However, I hope that it will reach them indirectly. 95. I want to assure them that, so far as my Government is concerned, the bringing of these questions here, one question or the other — to us all of them are in the same category — is not in the least degree intended as a slight to the French Government.”
1955-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 10 (1955)
“We do not believe that there is more safety in two hydrogen bombs than there is in one. Therefore there is only one thing to do with the atomic weapon, and that is to throw it away. 93. I shall now deal with what are called colonial questions. Here again, the Secretary-General to a considerable extent comes to our rescue. I am very happy to read the following statement from the Secretary-General’s report: “The peoples of Asia today, of Africa, tomorrow, are moving towards a new relationship with what history calls the West. The world Organization is the place where this emerging new relationship in world affairs can most creatively be forged” [A/2911, page xi].”
1955-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 10 (1955)
“I would submit that the Disarmament Commission is bound by the existing resolution unless and until it is changed. So far there is nothing in the official records to show that there is anything to suggest that the principles laid down in this resolution are not those which guide the Commission. However, there have been many public statements from diverse quarters which cause some concern. 91. Without meaning any offence, I would say — representing a country that is not an atomic Power, that does not believe in the balance-of-power doctrine, that does not believe that preparation for war creates peace or that war creates peace — that even if the Soviet Union and the United States were to agree that they should have atomic weapons, we would not think that that would be good for the world. 92.”
1955-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 10 (1955)
“89. I think it is necessary to state that, so far as my Government is concerned, we stand fully committed — as a Government and as a people — to the total prohibition of atomic weapons, and we shall continue to press for that in this Assembly. We do not believe in the idea of using atomic weapons as a deterrent to war, or in the idea that they should be used in the case of so-called aggression to establish peace in the world. There must be effective control, otherwise prohibition becomes valueless. But I believe that it is not a practical approach to let this matter run in a vicious circle. We stand fully committed on this question and we do not change from this position. So far as we are concerned, atomic weapons must stand totally prohibited. 90.”
1955-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 10 (1955)
“Concludes that a further effort should be made to reach agreement on comprehensive and coordinated proposals” — the Assembly will remember that, both in private and in public, we spent a great deal of time in finding the words “comprehensive and co-ordinated” — “to be embodied in a draft international disarmament convention providing for: “(a) The regulation, limitation and major reduction of all armed forces and all conventional armaments; “(b) The total prohibition of the use and manufacture of nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction of every type, together with the conversion of existing stocks of nuclear weapons for peaceful purposes; “(c) The establishment of effective international control, through a control organ with rights, powers and functions adequate to guarantee the effective observance of the agreed reductions of all armaments and armed forces and the prohibition of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction...” Those are the marching orders, the terms of reference, of the Sub-Committee.”
1955-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 10 (1955)
“We wish to state here and now that the Sub- Committee of the Disarmament Commission is not an autonomous body; it is a working committee. The Sub- Committee’s terms of reference are contained in General Assembly resolution 808 A (IX). I should like to quote from that resolution as follows: “The General Assembly … “1.”
1955-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 10 (1955)
“He says: “My Government has expressed its great interest in this plan, a plan put forward by the President of the United States for the exchange of military blueprints and for mutual aerial inspection. To us, that plan is a gesture of faith and of imagination typical of a great man and of his country” [523rd meeting, para. 19]. Of course, Mr. Martin’s lack of objections to the proposal for aerial inspection can apply only to inspection over Canada, because obviously his objections can only apply to his own country. 87. Thus we seem to have made a considerable advance in the matter of disarmament. This is, however, a serious question, and I think it would be improper for me not to refer to some of our concerns. 88.”
1955-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 10 (1955)
“Martin has said; namely, that all the proposals that have been submitted could become steps along the road to disarmament. 86. Reference has been made to the proposal submitted by President Eisenhower at Geneva for the exchange of military blueprints and mutual aerial inspection [DC/71, annex 17]. I think that it must be a matter of relief to all of us that the most important other party concerned — namely, the Soviet Union — has also expressed, through its Prime Minister, the view that there is no objection in principle to President Eisenhower’s proposal, but that the question is how it should be implemented. Here, again, Mr. Martin provides the answer.”
1955-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 10 (1955)
“It is my delegation’s view that, having regard to the meeting of the Foreign Ministers which is to take place in Geneva, we should say very little that will create any difficulties for the main parties concerned. For, after all, it is the atomic Powers, the great Powers, which have the arms and the men. It is those Powers which must take the lead in this matter. That does not mean that disarmament and the establishment of the conditions for world peace are their exclusive concern or their exclusive responsibility, but, as things are in the world today, they are the Powers which can play a decisive part in the question. My Government wishes them every success in the attempts that they will make in Geneva in the course of their talks. We hope that they will take into account what Mr.”
1955-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 10 (1955)
“In that statement, Sir John Cockcroft dealt with the problem of making use of the breeding principle. He concluded by saying that the final goal would be to produce by fusion reactions in the light elements an inexhaustible power source for the world. This means that, although at present the secrets of nuclear power are confined to a few countries, the time will soon come when, as a result of developments in the field of atomic energy — particularly in connexion with the peaceful uses — the manufacture of nuclear weapons on a large scale and in many parts of the world will become a possibility, or even a probability. Hence, the more we delay, the greater the number of problems that will arise. We are happy to feel that progress has been made in this field. 85.”
1955-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 10 (1955)
“None of these proposals, in our view, need be mutually exclusive. There is no reason why they might not all — modified perhaps — become steps along the road to disarmament” [ibid., para. 23]. 83. I submit, with great respect, that there could be no greater proclamation of the advance of international co-operation than that expressed in those sentences. But we equally agree with Mr. Martin that the longer these matters are delayed, the more difficult the problems become. 84. In speaking of the International Conference on the Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy, I should have referred to the extracts from a statement made by Sir John Cockcroft, Director of the Atomic Energy Research Establishment in the United Kingdom, contained in the all too brief but very lucid report on the Conference submitted by the Secretary-General [A/2967].”
1955-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 10 (1955)
“Martin said: "In the course of our Sub-Committee's meetings, progress has been made towards an agreed position on this most important question of the time-table, or schedule, of reductions and prohibitions” [ibid., para. 16]. He went on to state that many proposals had been made — by the Prime Minister of France, Mr. Faure, by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Sir Anthony Eden, by the Prime Minister of the Soviet Union, Mr. Bulganin, and by the President of the United States, Mr. Eisenhower. He added: “We think that the President’s plan, as well as the other proposals made at Geneva, are not necessarily inconsistent with the proposals which have already been advanced in the Sub-Committee and on which, after long and difficult negotiations, some degree of general agreement may be in sight.”
1955-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 10 (1955)
“As my delegation sees it, the position is this. There was a stalemate till 1952. Then, in 1953, the Assembly accepted [resolution 715 (VIII)] an amendment submitted by my delegation suggesting the appointment of a sub-committee of the Disarmament Commission. Since that time, progress has been made in many directions. In this respect, my delegation could not say very much more than what was said by the representative of Canada: “We are more hopeful than at any time in the past ten years” [523rd meeting, para. 13]. We heartily subscribe to that statement. We are happy to feel that in the two years of the Sub-Committee’s existence there has been a great deal of co-operation, many ideas have been put forward and none of these ideas are mutually exclusive. Mr.”
1955-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 10 (1955)
“We do, however, think that this agency, which represents a central factor in the new civilization, in the atomic era, should be very closely related to the United Nations — I do not want to use the word “allied”, because of its particular significance. I have no doubt that the discussions in the First Committee and all the conversations that will take place outside the Committee will enable us to arrive at some arrangements in this respect. 80. I should like to say that my Government will cooperate in every way in this matter. We approach the entire problem from the point of view of a constructive endeavour, rather than from the point of view of staking claims. 81. I now turn to the more controversial, and the more political, questions on the Assembly’s agenda. The first of these is disarmament 82.”
1955-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 10 (1955)
“I am happy to say that both the United States representative and the United Kingdom representative gave an undertaking in the First Committee at the ninth session [717th and 718th meetings] that we would not be faced with what they called a fait accompli as regards this agency. I have no doubt that the undertaking was seriously given and will be kept. 79. There is only one other aspect of this matter to which I should like to refer, that is, the agency’s relationship to the United Nations. It is my Government’s view that the atomic. energy agency should have an integral relationship with the United Nations; that is to say, the agency should not be a foster child. We do not at the moment wish to go into the question of competence, and so forth.”
1955-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 10 (1955)
“In our colleges and universities, no subject is more popular than physics, and therefore we have the technical assistance that is required. 76. We are the largest thorium-producing country in the world. Our plants process thorium. What is more, while it was thought two years ago that we had no uranium deposits, we are now in the happy position of having discovered such deposits. 77. Therefore, whether it is a question of resources or of scientific ability, whether it is a question of the desire to use atomic energy for peaceful purposes only or of the contribution that India has made in regard to the idea and the developments hitherto of the peaceful uses of atomic energy, this General Assembly will feel that the views I have put forward have to be seriously taken into account. 78.”
1955-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 10 (1955)
“Owing to the primary position and the overwhelmingly advanced position of certain countries, this may be possible, but it would not be in the interests of atomic development and international co-operation to have caste distinctions in this matter in the beginning. I would be less than frank if I did not say that it is the view of India that the status of atomic development in India is such that India would have to come in at the early and formative stages, on a basis of equality and of self-respect. In India today the Atomic Agency Commission seeks to employ 800 scientists. There are already 400 of these in position, and there are nearly 200 other research scientists in the Institute of Fundamental Research.”
1955-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 10 (1955)
“We would not want the invisible services in this new atomic age to be confined to one part of the world. In fact, the International Atomic Energy Agency, representing a new civilization, has to take account of the fact that there are no longer any people in the world who are willing to accept — although they may have to acquiesce in it — a colonial position. 75. It is the view of my country, as we stated in the First Committee at the ninth session [720th meeting], that this agency should not become an exclusive club, the rules of which are laid down in secret and to which other people have to adhere.”
1955-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 10 (1955)
“From the industrial revolution represented by the great epoch which is now just ending, we are entering upon another revolution, an atomic revolution. In that atomic revolution, those of us who have emerged from colonial status have to take care that we do not permit this new agency to be of such a character that the resources for this development are utilized in the context of colonial exploitation. I am not saying that anyone is viciously considering this, but we want to be very careful about it. We have to take care that they are not utilized in the context of manufacturing countries on one side and consumer countries on the other, so that once again there is a disequilibrium in economy and in economic status and, consequently, in political status. 74. I referred a while ago to shipping and to the invisible services.”
1955-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 10 (1955)
“There are certain factors in this matter, however, upon which I am directed by my Government to lay stress. It is our bounden duty and our obligation, and in our own interest, to see to it that this agency is not based upon any circumstances which would lead to colonial exploitation. In the industrial revolution of the nineteenth century, as I have said before, we were the hewers of wood and the drawers of water. We produced the cotton, the jute, and the minerals. These were processed and manufactured in other parts of the world and then dumped upon our countries where, out of the small returns for the hard work done by the people, there were markets which, on account of the vast populations, were large. Now we are vigilant in this matter and we should not make any secret of this. 73.”
1955-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 10 (1955)
“Therefore this lifting of the veil of secrecy has been something in the way of a show-down, and it helps us in other matters. It shows that perhaps if we cut Gordian knots somewhere, if we did not go round and round in vicious circles, we could make progress. 71. The second point to which I should like to refer is that very soon the General Assembly and the Governments concerned will have to consider the question of the International Atomic Energy Agency. We are in support of an international organization to promote the peaceful uses of atomic energy. India is devoted to this endeavour, and, what is more, the whole of our attention in regard to atomic energy development is in the direction of its peaceful uses. We do not make, nor do we desire to make, any weapons of destruction. 72.”
1955-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 10 (1955)
“No country was invaded as a result, so that it appears that all this fuss in other fields may perhaps resolve itself if a bold approach is made. I should like the great Powers concerned, in the quietness of their minds, not in public debate, to address themselves to this fact. Here were secrets which were closely guarded. The publication or communication of these secrets would have been an act of treason, visited by the death penalty in some cases. They were secrets which were regarded as not accessible to anybody else. 70. Two things happened. First of all, as I have said, the world did not come to an end. I do not even know how many people read them. But over and above all that, it was found that after all they were not secrets, everybody knew them. At least, one side or the other admitted they were known.”
1955-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 10 (1955)
“Bhabha, was invited to preside over this Conference, and I am instructed, on behalf of my Government, to express my gratitude to all those concerned and to the members of this Conference who are present here today and to assure them that such services as India can render in this matter are always at their disposal. 69. There are two or three aspects of this Conference which have a significance far beyond the Conference itself. We are told that one of the important developments at this Conference was the removal of the veil of secrecy, that is to say, the publication of material which, on the previous day, would have been an act of treason, became an act of international service. Though these great secrets were published, the world did not come to an end.”
1955-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 10 (1955)
“The Secretary-General paid a great deal of attention to this problem and a conference was arranged in which seventy-three Governments participated and in which 1,428 delegates and 1,334 observers took part. It was therefore the largest conference of its kind that had ever taken place, and although we have a long way to travel before we arrive at the establishment of an Atomic Energy Agency or the fulfilment of the other purposes for which it was intended, it was a beginning, the dimensions of the impact of which we not only cannot ignore, but on which we must congratulate ourselves. 68. India is particularly appreciative of the fact that our distinguished scientist, Dr.”
1955-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 10 (1955)
“The Asian-African Conference also made arrangements concerning the machinery of international cooperation and the exchange of information. 67. The next point I should like to deal with is that of the peaceful uses of atomic energy. Here again, since this item will come before the First Committee, it is not my intention at the present moment to make any proposals or to go into any great detail. We have first of all to express our congratulations and thanks to the Secretary-General, who took up this idea that was first mooted in the General Assembly by the genius of the President of the United States, and afterwards developed it into something very much bigger.”
1955-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 10 (1955)
“The Asian-African Conference attached considerable importance to shipping and expressed concern that shipping lines from time to time reviewed their freight rates, often to the detriment of the participating countries. Here again, we are at the mercy of the impact of this invisible trade. It is a very heavy burden on our countries and it is one of the levies on an under-developed area which has to depend on the import of capital goods and a considerable amount of consumer goods, in which , it pays not only for the goods, but also for the service. These services of the ships and of the banks and the insurance companies, which are now concentrated to a very great extent in one part of the world, are a very heavy economic burden which is calculated further to upset the equilibrium between the developed and the under-developed countries. 66.”
1955-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 10 (1955)
“Therefore, on account of the lack of economic parity and the disequilibrium in economic conditions, our commodity prices have been at the mercy of the more powerful countries. For that reason, we want to make a co-operative effort to stabilize these prices and also to make some attempt, as the Conference resolution states, to bring part of the endeavour that goes into manufacture into our own countries, by processing our raw materials. 65. There is another aspect of the Asian-African Conference decisions to which I should like to draw attention, because it has to do with the question of equilibrium in the world. That is that a more equitable approach should be made to the problem of world shipping.”
1955-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 10 (1955)
“With respect to other matters, just to show the amount of concern there is about economic questions, not in a sentimental and uninformed sense, but in a sense which relates to the specific problems that confront us, they went on to say: “The Asian-African Conference recognized the vital need to stabilize commodity trade in the region.” They then went on to say that the participating countries would co-operate to stabilize international prices. 64. Now this has a relation to our past history. We have been in the past hewers of wood and drawers of water, and we have supplied the raw materials to the world and provided the markets for the absorption of manufactured goods.”
1955-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 10 (1955)
“But very little attention has been paid to the considerable work that was done at that Conference and the considerable amount of thinking and constructive results that have ensued in the economic and cultural fields. I will refer to some of these points in regard to the economic field so that at least they might go on record. 63. First of all, the Asian-African, Conference recommended the early establishment of the Special United Nations Fund for Economic Development and the early establishment of the international Finance Corporation. So that here is a recommendation, a request, from twenty-nine countries, most of which are Members of the United Nations. They represent two-thirds of the world’s population.”
1955-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 10 (1955)
“My Government fully supports this organization, and we hope that, particularly in that sector of economic development which is not State-controlled and State-owned, the International Finance Corporation will bring about not only economic development, but also a greater degree of contact and collaboration between industrial elements in different countries. In the case of the International Finance Corporation, we appear to be making a beginning, and we hope that the tenth session of the General Assembly will find ways and means of making a beginning in regard to the fund. 62. I should now like to refer to the position of Asia in regard to economic development. Much has been said at this meeting and at San Francisco in praise, in support and in appreciation of the Asian-African Conference that met in Indonesia at Bandung.”
1955-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 10 (1955)
“What is more, it is not economic development that takes place here; it is the development of self-respect, of self-reliance, of the carrying of the message of the United Nations, on the basis and spirit of the Charter, to various parts of the world. 60. Therefore we would like to avail ourselves of this opportunity, at this forum, to express, very strongly, our support for the immediate establishment of this fund, and to appeal to those countries that have reservations about it to take the risk of making a contribution to co-operation. I feel sure that this appeal which we are making will not fall on deaf ears. 61. Reference has also been made to the International Finance Corporation. Here we seem to have made some progress.”
1955-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 10 (1955)
“But, having said that, I would like to say that we ought to congratulate ourselves that although disarmament is not accomplished, there are signs, in fact there are evidences, there are actual accomplishments, in -the way of the cutting down of military expenditure in certain areas. 59. In any case, is it not right to think that the fact that contributions have been made for economic development may be an incentive to spending less money on arms? Whichever way you look at it, we hope that the great countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, France, the Soviet Union and others, will enable this fund to get on its feet, because it is one of those organizations where the small countries, the poorer countries, the less-developed countries, can also make their contribution.”
1955-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 10 (1955)
“It has been said that this fund could not be started unless there were economies from disarmament. I am not going to say that that looks like blood money, but it is time to face this question a little more realistically. Are there any savings from disarmament? All Governments raise special money for the arms they want. It is not as though there was a pool of money somewhere, part of which went to arms. Arms are regarded as necessary, and therefore money is raised. It is quite true that if that strain were released, that raising of money could be done for some other purposes.”
1955-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 10 (1955)
“One is the Special United Nations Fund for Economic Development for under-developed countries. The position of my delegation and my Government has been very clear on this from the beginning. We think such a fund necessary and desirable, and believe that it will go a long way towards making the United Nations what it should be, bringing it home to the peoples of the world that, in addition, and' without regard to mutual, bilateral, and other aid that takes place in parts of the world, there should be co-operative aid through the United Nations. That is why we have supported this plan for a special fund. We are happy to note that it has been adopted by the Economic and Social Council [resolution 583 A (XX)], and we hope that some further progress will be made. 58.”
1955-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 10 (1955)
“It deals with our part of the world, and although originally it was confined to the States of the Commonwealth, today others have come in because the problem that it deals with, the area it deals with, makes it competent to include them, and necessary that it should. We are glad to welcome the countries of South-East Asia: Indonesia, Burma, Japan and others, which have come in. The United States has given its aid. My country would particularly like to express its gratitude to Australia, to Canada, to New Zealand and to the United Kingdom for the great sacrifices they have made in the promotion of the work of the Colombo Plan, 57. There are two other items under this heading to which I would like to refer. Reference to both of them has been made by the Secretary-General in his report.”
1955-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 10 (1955)
“In other words, poor as we are, either in resources or talent or opportunity, we ought to be willing to give amply and generously even out of our poverty. Therefore we have contributed 191 experts during this period. 56. Another of the organizations for economic development is the one established under the Colombo Flan. Starting from small beginnings, here is the accomplishment of an endeavour which has spread further out in area and amplitude, and also in the volume of its work. The main feature of this Colombo Plan is that it is a co-operative organization. As far as my country is concerned, we contribute very considerably to the Colombo Plan in the way of technical assistance.”
1955-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 10 (1955)
“In the field of technical assistance, there has been much expansion, and I am happy to say that the quota of the contribution of my own Government has gone up by 33 per cent and the contribution of countries like the United States has gone up very much. During the year ending 1954, India supplied 191 experts in the field of technical assistance. We are not saying this in order to render an account of our contribution, but because my country strongly believes that the only kind of rehabilitation is the rehabilitation in which people can take part with self-respect; that is to say, reconstruction in any country must come, even if aid is received from other places, on the basis of co-operation and mutual respect.”
1955-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 10 (1955)
“Here again, the appropriate committee of the Organization will deal with these matters in detail, and therefore I do not propose to refer to them in that way. But I would like to pay our tribute and to compliment the Secretary-General for giving so much space to the matter in his introduction. By dealing with it in a way which is not superficial, and by dealing with many problems, some of which are controversial, he has drawn the attention of the Assembly to its importance. 54. It is necessary at this stage to make some reference to the part played by the United Nations, and in our case by our country, in this aspect of United Nations activity. 55.”
1955-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 10 (1955)
“I think that I am not far wrong in saying that this is the first time that the Secretary-General’s report has given so much space and paid so much attention to precise detail, and to what may be called the strong meat of economic issues. Without glossing over the situation with sentiment about under-developed countries and One World, he has dealt with a large number of fiscal, economic and technical problems of very great importance. 53. Just as I said in the case of our community projects, we cannot build up a world community based upon tolerance, understanding and equality until we have paid adequate attention to economic matters and seen to it that economic equilibrium and economic equity are established.”
1955-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 10 (1955)
“Equally, we are concerned with other problems, affecting the security, the status and the dignity of personnel, and also the responsibilities that should rest in representatives in the Secretariat from various parts of the world. As I have said, however, it is unhealthy to discuss this matter in any great detail in the General Assembly. Much progress has been made in this connexion, and we are grateful to the Secretary-General. It is our duty to press this matter further. 52. In connexion with the next point, my delegation would like, first of all, to compliment the Secretary-General on the part of the introduction to his report which deals with economic matters.”
1955-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 10 (1955)
“I do not say that there should be, necessarily, precise mathematical proportions, but there should be the healthy and equitable impact of the various parts of the world. What is more, I should like to remind this Assembly that most of us have national parliaments to which we are responsible. We have to answer for the position that obtains in this Organization to our national legislatures and to public opinion. I do not want to belabour the Assembly with figures and facts, as I did last year in the Fifth Committee [459th meeting], but I wish to draw the attention of the Secretary-General and the Assembly, which has to deal with it in the Fifth Committee, to this matter of the organization of the Secretariat in such a way as to enable it to penetrate the whole body of public opinion which lies behind the United Nations. 51.”
1955-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 10 (1955)
“The first problem we have in mind is the representative character of the Secretariat. My Government makes no secret of the fact that if there were an international civil service in the world which had no national attachments at all — that is to say, not in theory but in practice — then the question of quotas and representation would not arise. But we are far away from a one-world system. We are still, in this Assembly, a gathering of sovereign Governments, each jealous of its sovereignty. 50. Therefore, taking these facts as they are, and while we move towards this internationalization, it is necessary that in this principal organ of the United Nations, as established by the Charter, there should be the impact of every part of the world proportionately.”
1955-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 10 (1955)
“It does no credit to the United Nations, and the Governments concerned feel very embarrassed at the idea, that, for reasons which have no relation to the principles and purposes of the Charter, large numbers of applicants are kept out. 47. At the same time, we are heartened by the knowledge that there is a general desire to find a way out, and we welcome particularly the approach that has been made by the Government of Canada. We hope that, in view of all the discussions that have gone on in the past, the work of the Committee of Good Offices — which labours continuously in this direction, although its results may not always be obvious — will lead to some success. 48. The next point — to which I wish to refer only briefly, since my delegation will be dealing with it in the Fifth Committee — is the Secretariat and its organization. 49.”
1955-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 10 (1955)
“Both last year, and the year before, my delegation drew the attention of this Assembly to Article 28, paragraph 2, of the Charter, and suggested that the Foreign Ministers of the countries which were members of the Security Council should seek to carry out the provisions of that article in private discussions. We felt that the diplomatic approach, the conference approach, might produce some results, but we regret that during the year that has elapsed since the last, session no such meeting has taken place. We express the hope that, either at the meeting in Geneva or later, here, it may be possible for the Foreign Ministers of those countries which are represented on the Security Council to take into account the feelings not only of this Assembly but of the overwhelming majority of the peoples of the world.”
1955-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 10 (1955)
“They are members of various organizations in the United Nations orbit. They have been admitted to them by votes, and I think, therefore, that we should try to make some progress in this direction at the present session. 45. We are heartened by the fact that delegations representing different points of view have come forward in this Assembly and have supported the idea of the admission of a larger and larger number of new Members. Of course, the countries that, are divided are in a different category. But the fact that there is the question of what is a State does not make it necessary for us to introduce another element of complexity into this matter. The main thing is that we ought to make a beginning. 46.”
1955-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 10 (1955)
“Ceylon, despite its not being a Member of the United Nations, has been consistently an adherent of the principles which are basic to the Charter, and its exclusion from this Organization is a matter of great pain and concern to us. We hope that before this session of the Assembly ends, it will be possible to convey to the people of Ceylon the fact that a change has taken place and that Ceylon will soon take its place among us. 44. There are other countries, and we do not desire to make any invidious distinctions; but, after all, even where the law is the same in regard to all, affiliations can vary in their intensity. Another of our nearest neighbours is Nepal, again a country which is independent — and it has been independent not only since 1947, but always. In fact, most of these applicants are members of the United Nations system.”
1955-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 10 (1955)