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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“I consider it important that, in an Assembly of this kind, we should hear about the sufferings of our fellow beings and how they stand up to them. India has witnessed the worst flood in its history. Thirty thousand square miles of its territory lie under water. Where the Brahmaputra was formerly a mile or two wide, it is now between thirteen and fifteen miles wide. Some nine and a half million people have been affected by the disaster, and some two and a quarter million rendered homeless. Thirteen and a half million acres of land — agricultural, cultivable land — have had their fertility destroyed and crops have been damaged. The present estimate, in terms of money, is about £ 50 million sterling.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“While these facts are on the credit side among the achievements of men, nature has, as usual, been unkind so far as our part of the world is concerned. Europe, fortunately, has been free from extensive floods or other disasters; but in Asia and Africa, cyclones, earthquakes and floods have laid waste large areas of land and rendered thousands of people homeless. 21. In Algeria an earthquake has wrought considerable havoc, and I am sure that our sympathy will go out to the Algerians and the French whose homes were destroyed and whose families were killed in the disaster. In Japan, too, typhoons have caused considerable havoc. But the greatest of all natural disasters have been in China, Pakistan and India. China has suffered very severely from floods, and so has Pakistan. Those entitled can no doubt speak about them.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“In the Trust Territories — with which I shall deal in detail later — there have been similar improvements. But all this does not in any way mitigate the harshness of the fact that, with the present burden of armaments and the speed of the armaments race, the ominousness of that picture is little lessened. 19. On the economic side, world production has_ increased, but world trade has not increased proportionally. Industrial production, apart from the Soviet Union and its allies, has, I think, increased 111 to 119 per cent; while in the Soviet Union itself and in other countries of Eastern Europe and in China, production has risen 12 to 15 per cent. In India, we have maintained the increase in our productivity, as I shall point out later. 20.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“Here, also, there have been some advances, the most notable of which is the further approach of the territory of the Gold Coast towards independence. We take particular pride in these advances, because our country assisted by our own evolution in the forward march of these Territories, which are in the main inhabited by non-European peoples, towards self-government and towards taking their places as equal and independent States. Advance seems also to have been made in the territory of Nigeria. 17. In our own part of the world, we have a much smaller problem which, thanks to the new outlook advanced by the Prime Minister of France, is very near solution. In a few days’ time, this smaller problem which has caused much irritation may be out of the way. 18.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“Similarly, the Iranian Parliament, I understand, will very soon consider the agreements that have been reached between the Governments of Iran and the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom also seems to have scored another success in this respect, in having held conversations with the head of Saudi Arabia, on behalf of the neighbouring countries, and, in contrast to what might well have happened, such as disputing over borders, a settlement seems to have been reached in this part of the world. 16. Now I come to a subject which, to my delegation, is of particular importance, and for which we have particular responsibilities: that is, the so-called colonial problems and problems of Trust Territories.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“Outside Europe, not only in Korea and Indo-China, but in other parts of the world, there seems to have been progress along the lines of conciliation. There was the difficult problem of Anglo-Egyptian relations, in which while we have no direct concern — that is, in the sense of having any interests — but in which we have a very deep-seated sentimental and political concern, in the sense that these two countries are historically very closely related to us; thus their good relations and the terms on which they find agreement are a matter of concern to the people of my country. We hope that the beginning which has been made in resolving the long-standing difficulties between Egypt and the United Kingdom will lead to further conciliatory steps to extend the area of peace. 15.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“This, however, did not come to pass; but meetings between the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the four great Powers took place in Berlin, and the meeting to which the five most important States in the world were called resulted from that. 13. But apart from resulting in the two Conferences at Geneva, the atmosphere that prevailed in Berlin — if reports be true, and I have no reason to doubt them — marked, one hopes, the beginning of a new era and perhaps the beginning of the thawing of the cold war. There have been definite achievements. Thanks to the initiative of the United States of America, two Conferences, or what became two Conferences, were arranged and foregathered in Geneva and dealt with two problems outside Europe, although the Berlin Conference had been primarily called together for the consideration of European problems. 14.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“People are accustomed to refer to the Berlin Conference as though it had not achieved what it had set out to achieve, and, therefore, produced something else, as a sort of consolation prize. But first, the consolation prize itself is not unsubstantial. Secondly, the greater achievement of Berlin is that since 1948 it is the first conference which resulted in greater understanding between individual participants. 12. I would like to remind the Assembly of the fact that last year on behalf of my delegation I suggested that my Government considered that the meeting of the heads of the great States would probably break the existing deadlock.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“The colonial Powers had greater voting strength in the Assembly, and certainly they have greater experience than we have of organization of strength, but the problems are still the same; they are still tough, stubborn, and inescapable. 10. I do not desire to recapitulate any of the items on the agenda, because they properly belong to the Committees, and I only refer to them to outline the picture before us. In regard to all the items specifically on the agenda, I shall, therefore, content myself with the observation I have made. 11. Now, between sessions of the Assembly, there have been notable improvements in the world, to one of which the representative of the United Kingdom referred the other day as a notable advance to which not too much attention has been paid; namely, the Berlin Conference.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“It is probably one of the outstanding developments of the last few days that — in spite of the suspicions which still lurk in everybody’s minds; in spite of the cautiousness of people, whether they come from the northern cold climes, or from the tropics; in spite of what may be contained in this or that suggestion — there is, on the whole, a general feeling to which many representatives subscribe, notably the representative of France [487th meeting], who gave us the assurance that the common ground on which we stand may lead us to the path of solution. 9. In the last session of the Assembly, “colonial issues” suffered reverses.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“Similarly, we are accustomed to speak of the Korean deadlock — if nobody spoke about the Korean solution, perhaps people would sit up and take notice. But though Korea stands at a deadlock, there has not, in spite of particular circumstances, been any renewal of fighting, nor has a situation arisen where the opening of further negotiations was barred, or extremely difficult. 8. In the realm of disarmament, to which I shall make only a brief reference, we appear to have made advances both between the sessions of the Assembly and in the last few days as well.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“But so far as the general atmosphere is concerned, it is the consensus of this Assembly that this year we are in a better position to understand each other and perhaps to find common ground in the solution of these problems. I hope this is the case. I am not for a moment saying that there have not been observations from one side or the other — or from all sides, if you like — where the degree of sharpness exhibited was perhaps unnecessary. I hope I shall not be guilty of this, and if I am, I hope the President will forgive me and regard it as an error. 7. So far as the actual problems are concerned, Korea still stands at a deadlock. I suppose that is not news to this Assembly. Mr. Lloyd said the other day that we are not accustomed to obtain solutions on Korea at the first try.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“Therefore, while we may confront the same set of problems each year and the Secretary-General may place the same number of items on the agenda, the problems themselves are never the same; their content changes. This is the social dynamic which governs man and society, whatever his state of civilization and whatever the structure of his society. 6. Speaking from this rostrum last year [448th meeting] on behalf of my delegation, I said that the overwhelming problem before us was the one which has been called world tension, and I spoke of the remedy we have to seek for it and the objectives we must pursue to find the path towards peace. That continues to be the position today.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“In viewing the world in this light, we have reason to feel somewhat anxious and concerned in some ways and gratified in others. We are today in the tenth year of the United Nations; and, as is customary on these occasions, we take stock of world affairs and draw up a balance-sheet. As the Charter provides for its own review next year, that may well be called an audit. 5. However, in spite of all the priests of gloom and counsels of despair, no General Assembly ever sends us back home the same as when we came. I do not say that we are always the worse for it! We learn a great deal and we all make some contribution. Our collective consideration brings new aspects to bear on even the most difficult problem.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“So far as my delegation is concerned, although the past is not dead, it is certainly not the present; and in the present circumstances of the world, the dead hand of the past sometimes lies too heavily on us and takes the form of inhibitions and prejudices which make our march forward more difficult than it would otherwise be. The present does not really exist, because the moment one has spoken about the present — or is even aware of it — it has already become the past. Thus, all that really matters in public affairs, in the affairs of mankind and in the contemplation of our civilization is the future — the future that alone is the real or actual present. Therefore, the future to us is the historic present in more than one sense. 4.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“If I may say so, I have had some experience in these places and offices and, while I wish her success, I do not envy her — it is a heavily overworked Mission with many difficult problems and will not be as little burdensome as the presidency of the United Nations. In any event, speaking for myself, there is no place to which I would rather have seen her go than to the United Kingdom at a time such as this, when great contributions to peace and conciliation can be made by maturing and increasing understanding between our two countries. 3. In the course of the general debate at the beginning of every session of the General Assembly, it has become customary to speak on matters of general policy, to review the past, to talk about the present, and to think of the future.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“We hope that when the tenth year of the Assembly is over, we shall be able to say that, under your presidency, we have passed through a year fraught with great anxieties but with great hopes — perhaps more than in times when circumstances were more adverse than they are today — and with success. 2. Having said that, I would once again ask your indulgence, Mr. President, to express, in a few words, which come from the depths of my feelings and which represent the sentiments of all my colleagues, our wishes for all good fortune to your predecessor in the very heavy responsibilities which she will be undertaking shortly. As you are probably aware, she will be the representative of the Government of India in our very important Mission to the United Kingdom, and also Ambassador to Ireland.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“It is a very great pleasure for me to follow, and join with, the distinguished representatives of fifty-nine other countries who have conveyed to the President their good wishes upon his elevation to the high office of the presidency of the General Assembly. My delegation, however, has a unique advantage in the sense that we do not have to speculate. Since we speak at the end of the general debate, we have had the opportunity of seeing what type of President we will have for the year. I convey to you, Mr. President, the good wishes of my delegation, and wish you a year of office of great usefulness.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“Therefore, under the President’s guidance we shall go forward with faith and determination, relying upon the collective wisdom of us all to achieve solutions, or the beginning of such solutions, which we can render possible in the context in which we help to shape events, so that, as Dante said, “On this little plot of earth belonging to man, life may pass in freedom and with peace”.”
1953-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 8 (1953)
“We should like to bring into our fold at least such applicants as have been standing long at the door and who have been supported at one time or another by both parties concerned. Equally, we should like, and would make our own humble contribution towards, a lowering of tempers and the heat of discussion in this place in order that the Assembly may really become more of a concert of nations. We do not look upon the United Nations as an exclusive body. We look upon it as a family of nations, with all its divergencies, and to attempt to limit it in the other way — to make it a more convenient body of like-minded people — would be to go against the spirit, the principles and the purposes of the Charter and to postpone the day of the consolidation of the world community. 196.”
1953-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 8 (1953)
“This then is our first request — the high level conference — which the Assembly should ask those concerned to bring about. 194. Secondly, we would like the Assembly to consider whether it would not be possible to make some declaration for the purpose of placing beyond use in war atomic and other highly destructive weapons and instruments of death by torture, so that the inventions of man could be applied to constructive purposes. 195. Thirdly, we would like to see the content and context of the Assembly broadened by the admission of new Members and the process of “blackballing” limited. We should like to reduce to a minimum the attempt to argue on technicalities, appreciating that these technicalities work both ways.”
1953-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 8 (1953)
“To sum them up, my delegation would like to propose, at an appropriate stage and if the opinion of the Assembly warrants it, that some request be made to the heads of those great States on whom primary responsibility lies — and that responsibility is heavy and onerous indeed — the men of whom Sir Winston Churchill said that they would “stand shamed before history”. We should address our appeal to them to meet in high level conference without any further., loss of time, because today the guns have been silenced in Korea, there is a context of greater flexibility in regard to the problems of the European continent, and there are further problems looming ahead. It has to be remembered that the delay in the solution of problems creates further problems. 193.”
1953-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 8 (1953)
“We have the experience of the negotiations at Panmunjom, there are lessons we should now learn from the work of the Indian Army in repatriation, there is the working together of two sides on the Neutral Nations Repatriation Commission. All these are contributory factors which lead to the hope that a Korean settlement is not far away. 191. That brings me to the end of the observations which I desired to make in my intervention in this general debate. We meet in the eighth session, as I said a while ago, many years after the war, in an organization which was established to rid the world of the scourge of war. My delegation has put forward certain proposals. 192.”
1953-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 8 (1953)
“It would be very wrong for anyone to expect that the Government of India is forever to be charged with the responsibility of looking after such prisoners as may remain. 189. But this is not a problem which we need anticipate just now, because we must address ourselves to this question not only with a sincere desire for the conference to come about, but with faith that it will come about. 190. In order that our faith may be justified we must seek flexibility. We do not desire to ask inconvenient questions. The resolving of this matter is not beyond the wit of man. There is a desire on both sides for the holding of a conference.”
1953-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 8 (1953)
“We have also this advantage, that our Secretary- General has fully justified the confidence which the Assembly placed in him by leaving him latitude in the matter of reporting. We have now an Assembly document which from its content would appear to be an interim document, and we must expect more information and must also allow time for events to develop, and for the direct negotiations to which the representative of the United States referred. For our part, our Government will carry out the obligations arising from the repatriation duties that it has undertaken, but we hope that the Assembly will appreciate the fact that if, at the end of ninety days the problem of these prisoners cannot be turned over to the political conference, a somewhat ticklish situation will arise.”
1953-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 8 (1953)
“There are two governments in the place and that is that. 187. With regard to the consideration of the item in the Assembly itself, all I wish to say is that the question of Korea is on the agenda. I hope that we may be able to discuss it in order to congratulate everybody concerned on the issue of the conference if it takes place. If that happens, it is right that we should have an opportunity of discussing Korea. If, on the other hand, the conference does not take place, or there are certain impediments which have to be removed or certain other steps to be taken, it is also right that we should discuss the question. But when it should be discussed is a matter within the wisdom of this Assembly in which each of us has his own contribution to make. At the present moment the item stands on the agenda. 188.”
1953-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 8 (1953)
“I do not ask this Assembly or any of the fifteen Powers which sponsored the draft resolution which I referred to just now to assume responsibility for the President of the Republic of South Korea. At the end of the seventh session of the Assembly, the delegation of India put the question to the representative of the United States, who answered that there were no agreements with South Korea beyond what had been published. For myself, I am prepared to accept that, and I therefore regard the above statement as simply that of Mr. Rhee. 186. But the statement of the Secretary of State of the United States that “the Republic of Korea has no ambitions which run beyond Korea” is something that requires clarification in the light of the objectives of the United Nations for the unification of Korea.”
1953-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 8 (1953)
“He said as follows: “By agreement with the United States, the Government of the Republic of Korea has postponed its determination to unify North and South Korea by military means in order to see what may come out of a political conference. We have also entered into a mutual defence treaty with the United States. “If ninety days after the political conference opens it has failed to achieve the objective of Korean unification, then naturally we shall resume the battle for our national independence and unity. We expect, and we have no reason so far to believe otherwise, 1 that all friendly forces now in Korea will assist us toward that objective if the Communists force us to resume the war. Any plan or programme entered into by a friendly nation which is contrary to this determination of ours will not be accepted or respected by us.” 185.”
1953-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 8 (1953)
“If there are other nations that are able to offer their assistance they will be very glad to do so. 183. There are one or two small points which require clarification. I have been at pains to read the statement of Mr. Dulles on Korea where this particular sentence occurs: “The Republic of Korea has no ambitions which run beyond Korea.” That is a statement which has to be clarified at some point, because there are two governments on the Territory of Korea. 184. There was in The New York Times this morning — and I do not give any credence to it in any authoritative way — a statement attributed to the President of the Republic of Korea.”
1953-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 8 (1953)
“We heard a statement from the representative of the United States the other day which indicated — and here I am supported by the United Kingdom, one of the sponsors of the draft resolution subsequently adopted by the General Assembly as resolution 711 A (VII) — which indicated a degree of flexibility, and let us hope that that degree of flexibility is conveyed to the other side.' Let us be quite frank about it. We cannot get any settlement unless these parties talk to each other, because settlement must be reached with the other side. I do not want at the present moment to ask for clarifications in this Assembly. I believe that if the United States, on behalf of the United Nations Command, desires to speak to the Chinese people they should do so directly, as there is room for them to do so.”
1953-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 8 (1953)
“One can also say this to the United States, quoting from Abraham Lincoln: “There are no great principles which are not flexible”. Principles in politics are not like points in geometry, without dimensions. Principles must enable people to meet and reconcile their differences. It is no derogation of principle if the principal divergent points of view can honestly be reconciled within it. It is therefore important that statements made here should be taken in that light. 182.”
1953-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 8 (1953)
“It was never a candidate to become a member of the conference, and it has never refused to carry out obligations. That position we still maintain. It will become part of an international venture of this kind only on the expressed desire of the sides concerned and only on its own conviction that it can perform a useful service. We have not stated it thus in order to perform an oral trapeze act, but in order clearly to state our position. 181. There is a considerable degree of agreement and, as I stated in this Assembly on the last occasion, our appreciation of the situation with regard to China and North Korea is that they would approach the problem of the conference in a reasonable attitude of mind. It is therefore up to us, in so far as we appreciate that it requires two sides to make a conference, to persevere.”
1953-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 8 (1953)
“The Assembly will remember the resolution [610 (VII)] that it passed by an overwhelming majority was passed as early as December of last year, and we are still only in the Armistice period I am not saying that because progress has been slow in the past we should be complacent, but this is not the time nor the occasion for impatience, nor does the topic lend itself to a situation where impatience would win any results. The guns are silenced, but an outstanding problem still remains, and that problem is the problem of the conference. 180. I would not say anything from this rostrum which would in any way add to the difficulties which already exist, but I think some clarifications are necessary in order to aid progress. The position of India in regard to the political conference is entirely clear.”
1953-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 8 (1953)
“They have performed their duty in such a way as to create a feeling of pride not only in our nationals but in this Organization itself. They are part of an international machinery — and I hope it is appropriate for me to refer to this, because one thing that comes out of what has been happening with regard to repatriation is that, given the will, and if we are able to throw away the accepted and conventional views of approach, we can sometimes achieve results. Therefore, an unarmed army is today dealing with a situation in a way which is not only glorious from their point of view, but full of lessons for others who have to resolve political problems. 179. The Armistice has also shown us the need for patience.”
1953-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 8 (1953)
“If I may say so without it being regarded as inappropriate, and I hope the Assembly will bear with me, I think it is appropriate for us to mention that gallant band of men who are today performing the act of repatriation in Korea. I refer to the Indian Army. The Indian Army is charged with the onerous duty of dealing with the problems of law and order, objective problems, but with very little material power. Our men and our officers have covered themselves with the' kind of glory that is not usual in war. For the first time a peace army, on foreign territory, without arms, has been called upon to deal with turbulence and, according to all our information, has done so gallantly and well. I hope this situation continues.”
1953-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 8 (1953)
“But still, what happens in Korea today is only part of the implementation of the Armistice Agreement, namely, the handing over of the prisoners in pursuance of the Armistice Agreement. When that is over, or simultaneously with it, there comes the other problem of peace. 177. At this present moment I satisfy myself with saying that it would be wrong, in our humble opinion, to approach this problem of peace with the same mentality and in the same atmosphere as prevailed at Panmunjom. There an armistice was negotiated by two sets of warring peoples. The war has stopped now, and it is the common desire of either side to establish peace, and we must therefore approach the problem of peace in an atmosphere of conference. 178.”
1953-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 8 (1953)
“It is a story of tragedy, not only of the Korean people but of the peoples in China, the United States, the United Kingdom, France and everywhere else where troops have gone and engaged in war for purposes which their sides believed to be right! — so far as the United Nations is concerned, to resist aggression. It is our business to see that our efforts of the last three years, which have made very slow progress, now become embodied in the terms of a truce. 176. The position of India in this matter is very well known. Speaking from this rostrum only a few weeks ago [430th meeting] I made it entirely clear that anything that we say in this matter or indeed on any other is not intended to add to the heat of the debate. We think that in the progress that we have made in Korea and in the winning of an armistice, we have reached one milestone.”
1953-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 8 (1953)
“It is a very distressing and dark shadow, the spectre of a country drenched in blood where millions of people on one side and the other have died, where millions of children have been orphaned and where reconstruction, even if it begins today, will take many years before it can make of Korea a homeland in which all its people can live. In addition to this, Korea stands today as the symbol of something which will test our wisdom, our humanity and our political sense. Solutions in Korea represent one of the ways of resolving world tensions. Together with Germany, people look to Korea and what happens there as an indication of what is likely to happen in the rest of the world. 175. The shadow of Korea is drawn long over the face of this Assembly and indeed over the world.”
1953-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 8 (1953)
“With the best of intentions and feeling — and I feel I can do so — I particularly say to the United Kingdom, which has before it the experience which has often been stated in the words, she has lost an empire to win a commonwealth, she has lost domination to win a fraternity, should not the notable example of Libya and West Africa be extended so that the United Kingdom should no longer have colonial countries any more than it should have slaves at home? 174. That brings me to the last item on which I want to speak, and that is Korea. The question of Korea has cast its shadow not only over this Assembly but over the entire world.”
1953-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 8 (1953)
“It is time that the sovereign countries, in the context of the provisions of the Charter, faced this colonial issue — which involves discrimination as to race and creed and militates against the self-determination of peoples and national independence — not in the way of entertaining complaints or of merely meeting agitation, but as part of the more constructive endeavours to liberate the entire world by the conscious attempts of humanity, and particularly by the metropolitan countries. 173.”
1953-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 8 (1953)
“Out of a total population of 191 million people, 139 million people are either subject to colonial rule or are in Trust Territories. Therefore, the vast continent of Africa, which is 130 or 150 times the size of the United Kingdom, is still in part the latter’s private domain, the rest being shared by France, Portugal and Spain. Not only was the whole continent retained for the purpose of exploitation, but certain sections of humanity are kept out of it by various devices, indeed even on the basis of apartheid. 172. Therefore, in viewing colonialism, it is not sufficient for us to determine whether the people are worse or better off, or whether the metropolitan countries can find a certain number of convenient local allies to be against their own people.”
1953-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 8 (1953)
“But there are only 14 million people who are what might be called subject peoples. It should be possible to bring this subjection to an end. These subject peoples occupy only a very small area of Asia. 171. On the continent of Africa, the problem is rather different. We have a situation where the United Kingdom, which has a home territory of somewhere about 94,000 square miles — less than 100,000 square miles — has an empire in Africa of somewhere about 2,250,000 square miles; whereas France, which has a home territory of less than 250,000 square miles, holds sway over nearly 4,500,000 square miles; 6,750,000 square miles colonial areas, and, if you include the Trust Territories, it amounts to 8,750,000 square miles.”
1953-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 8 (1953)
“Would it not be right that, in this Assembly, instead of colonialism being treated as a matter to be taken up on the plaints of those who are affected, it became, by the initiative of the metropolitan countries themselves — presented as an evil that it is sought to end — an affair that has to be brought to an end? Therefore, would it not be right to expect enlightened metropolitan countries to seek ways and means whereby the rule of one people by another ceases in the shortest possible time? 170. Since the time of the war, in the Asian continent some 600 million people have ceased to be members of dependent States. One is happy to say that today, in the whole Asian continent, there are only 14 million people who are under colonial rule. Most of them are under the aegis of the United Kingdom, and the rest are under France.”
1953-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 8 (1953)
“Would it be wrong for some of us who are members of former dependent peoples, whose struggles and peaceful endeavours have resulted in the establishment of a fraternity where at one time there was domination, to ask the representative of the United Kingdom, even from this rostrum, whether the “loss” of an empire did not mean the emergence of a commonwealth; whether the removal of domination has not resulted in fraternity; whether, where there was mutual distrust, there is not now mutual regard; and whether, where there was conflict of interests, the interests today are not complementary?”
1953-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 8 (1953)
“In 1921 or 1922 the South African Government, without asking anybody, gave South African citizenship to the population of South West Africa, in violation of the principles of the Mandate. What the South African Government has committed in this region is an anschluss, an invasion, a conquest. Therefore, to regard and dismiss this merely as colonialism is to condone a lack of respect for treaties. What follows from conquest is the violation of sovereignty. We who have suffered from colonial rule must naturally lend our assistance to those who are thus brought into the regions of colonialism by conquest, the violation of treaties, or illegal interpretations of them by metropolitan Powers for their own purposes. 169. I should now like to address myself to the general aspects of colonialism.”
1953-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 8 (1953)
“Morocco and Tunis are territories that are externally sovereign because the regime of the French Government is regulated by treaty obligations. By violation of the treaties, therefore, the authorities responsible have put themselves in a position where they are subject to challenge, not only — as colonial rulers — on the general problem of colonial rule, but also with regard to the sanctity of treaties and the sovereignty of territories which they have violated. We shall deal with this matter in due course when it comes before the Committee. 168. In South West Africa we have a similar problem. This is a territory where sovereignty is dormant, but exists in the people. South West Africa was a mandated area where only the administration was vested in South Africa.”
1953-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 8 (1953)
“This again is another of those expressions of the doctrine of legitimism: if people do not protest, then they are not dissatisfied enough; if they protest, then they are rebels; in either case, the people are wrong. 167. The next item to which we should like to address ourselves in this general debate is the colonial issue. It is not our intention to allude particularly to the problems of Morocco or Tunis or South West Africa. However, I think it is necessary to say that, in the case of the first two, which are partly under the administration of the French Republic, it is not merely a problem of colonial rule. To our mind and in our approach, it is a problem of the violation of international treaties. It is disregard of the Charter and of treaty obligations and the intervention against and violation of the sovereignty of a territory.”
1953-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 8 (1953)
“This question has been before us for six successive sessions, that is, in the form of the “Treatment of people of Indian origin in the Union of South Africa”, or, more recently, the question of apartheid itself. For six sessions, one or the other of these problems has been before us. The General Assembly has passed five resolutions in regard to the matter. It offered the Government of the Union of South Africa four alternatives, and on three occasions it condemned the Group Areas Act and asked the South African Government not to put it into operation. 166. The South African Government has turned a deaf ear to all this, except to the extent of intervening in the debate in the attempt to show that these are matters of domestic jurisdiction.”
1953-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 8 (1953)
“At the present moment — I can frankly say, so far as my knowledge goes — there is no indication that the invasion of the territory will be ended." As I have said before, what hurts Burma hurts us. Burma is our immediate neighbour. Its people have been linked to us by centuries of civilization. A country that has recently emerged from colonial rule has its own difficulties and problems. That it should be harassed by foreign invaders of this type and should have to fight on yet another front, is indeed a very sad' fact. 165. The next item on the agenda to which we should like to address ourselves is the problem of race conflict. The item which is termed “race conflict” is, I think, a bit of a euphemism; it is really race domination.”
1953-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 8 (1953)
“We have no desire at the present moment to bring this discussion to the point of decision or to submit any resolution. We hope it will be possible, in one way nor another, to diminish this harassment of the Burmese Government. These troops armed from Formosa have the most modern of weapons and are supported by airplanes. They are feeding upon the countryside and leaving it desolate. If this army, equipped with modern weapons, supporting subversive forces and challenging the authority of one of the Members of the United Nations, cannot be stopped, and if it cannot bring forth proper condemnation, indeed it is a sad thing. 164. We hope that by the time this item comes up for debate on the agenda the Burmese Government will be able to report that quick progress has been made towards its solution.”
1953-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 8 (1953)