YouSaid · the spoken record

Chamoun

lines on the record: 26
first: 1946-09-24
most recent: 1947-09-24
sittings or episodes: 2
sources: un-general-debate

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“As regards the veto, the position, of the Lebanese delegation was made dear, during the session which started in October 1946, In approving a motion introduced by the representative of Cuba for the creation of a permanent committee to study various modifications to be made in the United Nations Charter, we said that this Charter, like everything human, was far from perfect, but that, given time and experience, it could certainly be perfected, and that any modification to be made in the Charter should be the outcome of the evolution of our Organization, which I hope will be rapid and, above all, in conformity with the purposes set out in Article 1 of our Charter.”
1947-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 2 (1947)
“The United Stales representative, in his statement, denounced certain neighbours of Greece for supplying arms and facades for fostering revolt in that country. If such acts are feeing perpetrated, we denounce them equally strongly, but we should also like to see the representative of the United States denounce with equal warmth the activities of the nationals of certain other Powers who are encouraging illegal immigration on a large scale, directed against the Arab population of Palestine and against the integrity of their territory. It has been said that peace is indivisible, justice is even more indivisible, and in this connexion I must reluctantly, mention the well- known French dictum: “Truth this ride the Pyrenees, error the other”.”
1947-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 2 (1947)
“Did he base himself on Article 1, paragraph 2 of the San Francisco Charter, which defines in the dearest possible terms the purposes of the United Nations, and which reads as follows: “To develop friendly relations among nations based on respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples...”? Finally, did he base himself on the fact that the text of Charter does not permit the United Nations to decide on the partition or dismemberment of a State against the will of its inhabitants, especially when such measures — which are contrary to the fundamental principles of the Charter — are calculated not to develop friendly relations between nations but rather to promote an atmosphere of tension which may threaten future peace?”
1947-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 2 (1947)
“Did he base himself on Article 22 of the League of Nations Covenant, which defined the principle of the mandate system and recognized the territorial integrity and independence of mandated countries while those countries were preparing themselves, with the assistance of a mandatory Power, for the effective exercise of such independence? Did he base himself on Article 6 of the Mandate, which provides that the establishment of a Jewish national home in Palestine must not prejudice either the rights or the position of the Arab population of that country?”
1947-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 2 (1947)
“While taking a dear stand on these questions, I should, however, like to ask the representative of the United States, who based himself on the fundamental principles of the Charter when defending the political independence and territorial integrity of Greece and of Korea, on what principles he was baring himself in the same statement when he endorsed what amounts purely and simply to the mutilation of another State — Palestine? Did he base himself on the rules of justice which forbid any action against a defenceless people, such as the Arabs in Palestine, whose only desire is to live peacefully in their territory and to develop their liberties and rights under the protection of the great international institutions?”
1947-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 2 (1947)
“President, to examine in rather greater detail some of the principal problems broached so far in the course of this session of the General Assembly. The representative of the United States has told us that the General Assembly will have to discuss the matter of Greece and that of Korea. Actuated by the principles of our Organization, the United States Secretary of State, Mr. Marshall, proposed that the Assembly adopt a resolution pledging itself definitively to maintain the political independence and territorial integrity of these two countries. Both in fact, and from a legal viewpoint, we favour the independence and territorial integrity of every State, whether or not it be a Member of the United Nations, and I hope we shall never abandon this principle.”
1947-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 2 (1947)
“Not long ago the supreme spiritual authority of the world appealed to the nations urging them to strive for justice; a justice that would be as total as it was inflexible. When this appeal is heeded, and only then, shall we be able to ensure peace and prosperity for all. For we must not deceive ourselves; the world will inevitably be governed either by force or by justice. Between these two extremes there is no middle way, there is no compromise. If certain nations choose force, we may expect to witness bloody conflicts on a world-wide scale, which will eventually lead to the destruction of human civilization. If, on the other hand, they choose justice, then law will have triumphed in peace over all tendencies and for the benefit of all. And now, in the light of this general statement, may I be permitted, Mr.”
1947-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 2 (1947)
“It is a policy of unswerving respect for the letter and spirit of the Charter, because we consider that to depart from the San Francisco texts in order to achieve solutions, based on expediency, or in order to satisfy particular tendencies which bear no relation to die aims of the United Nations, would be the most dangerous threat to the cause of peace, which we aim to see triumphant. Therefore, the Lebanese delegation will uphold its view, and take its stand on all matters submitted to the General Assembly or to its various bodies, actuated by the fundamental principles of our Organization, as well as by the desire to ensure to the best of our ability the triumph of peace with justice.”
1947-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 2 (1947)
“Confidence and candour were lacking in the mutual relations between mast of those Powers, and hence, in practice, they deliberately departed from the texts which they themselves had set before the world as the principles governing modem society. The same shortcomings are present today and constitute a most serious threat to the survival of our Organization and to peace. As a matter of fact, we are faced not so much with a crisis in the relations between certain Powers as with a crisis in international morality. The policy of the Government, which I have the honour to represent in this Assembly, is that of every small or medium-sized State which considers the United Nations Charter and the principles it embodies as the only safeguard of the rights of individuals and of the international community.”
1947-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 2 (1947)
“The United Nations was born not only of the last war and because of that war, but it was formed primarily to replace the old League of Nations, to make good its shortcomings and remedy Its errors. The reasons for the failure of the League of Nations are too well known to necessitate recapitulation. I shall merely recall the following facts. Power politics, which were condemned by President Wilson, emerged again in the Treaty of Versailles and divided the League of Nations into several opposing camps instead of linking the countries in one common international ideology. Despite public protestations of their belief in peace, the Powers of that day in reality subordinated peace to their selfish interests or ambitions.”
1947-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 2 (1947)
“The Lebanese delegation joins in the expressions of sorrow which have been voiced in the course of this meeting in connexion with the passing of Mr. La Guardia, former Mayor of the City of New York. The present session of the General Assembly has opened under the shadow of a grave crisis that has arisen in the relations between the principal Member States of the United Nations. In the opinion of several of the previous speakers, the outcome of the crisis — if we are not careful — may be an even more terrible and more destructive struggle than the one just ended. It may also — if we can live up to the principles which we publicly proclaim — prove definitely salutary and help to establish a happy and constructive peace.”
1947-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 2 (1947)
“I have the honour to belong to one of the smallest countries that are Members of the United Nations. Lebanon has no large armies, no powerful navy, no death-dealing air force; she therefore has no pretension to ensuring the peace of the world by these means. But she has behind her five thousand years of civilization and culture, and in this field of human thought it is her honour and duty to make a sincere and practical contribution to the work of reconstruction devolving upon the United Nations.”
1946-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 1 (1946)
“This will doubtless remain as the normal method in the case of colonies and trust territories … “But in the present world, when a new spirit in international relations has arisen, embodying itself in the Charter and activity of the United Nations, the less developed countries expect the United Nations to take a bold lead in giving them the necessary help required by their development and in providing the normal procedure to which they may resort whenever they need such help. “In this way the activity of the United Nations will be advanced from the level of debate and recommendation to that of active, responsible participation in the planning and execution of diverse projects of development affecting directly the life of peoples ah over the world.” I do not wish to take up any more of your valuable time.”
1946-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 1 (1946)
“Finally, the policy of the Government I have the honour to represent has been to make the constructive work of the United Nations more effective and to substitute its own initiative for that of certain individual nations. In a letter dated 1 October 1946, Mr. Malik, Lebanese representative on the Economic and Social Council, transmitted the following proposal to the Secretary-General of the United Nations: “In the past, less developed nations were given assistance in their economic, social, health, educational and cultural needs by the individual governments of the great Powers. The less developed regions themselves in many cases had asked for this assistance, but more j often it was a part of a relationship of dependence by them on one of the great Powers.”
1946-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 1 (1946)
“Among other suggestions, our delegation to the Economic and Social Council has proposed that the United Nations, through its specialized agencies, should undertake the translation and dissemination, in all the languages of the Member States, of the classics of each nation throughout the ages. In a draft which it will submit for your consideration, it will also suggest that the study of selected passages from this universal literature should form part of the compulsory curriculum in the schools of every country. We feel confident that such dissemination of the thought and philosophy of each nation will contribute in a very large measure to the creation among future generations of that true spirit of understanding, conciliation and brotherhood, which is so essential to future peace. 2.”
1946-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 1 (1946)
“Similarly, and in full agreement both with all the States of the Arab League and with the general principles of our Organization, we could never tolerate any departure from purely humanitarian aims, in order to further political ends or ambitions, when dealing with the question of refugees and displaced persons. In fact, both during the war and since, thousands of Greek, Yugoslav and especially Polish refugees have received from Lebanon a welcome which is just as disinterested as it is sincere. 1. In the cultural domain, the policy of the Lebanese Government, as defined by its representatives on the Economic and Social Council, has been to endeavour to establish on a common intellectual basis a new spirit of understanding and- co-operation among the various peoples of the world.”
1946-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 1 (1946)
“These institutions have done valuable and useful work, but the cohesion needed to make it world-wide and efficacious has hitherto been lacking. The Lebanese Government has approached the problem of refugees and displaced persons from a genuinely humanitarian angle. In its efforts at a solution it has been guided throughout by the spirit and the letter of the United Nations Charter, so as to ensure that equal treatment is accorded to all refugees and all displaced persons without distinction of race, language, sex or religion. The Lebanese Government has not favoured, nor would it ever favour, any one group at the expense of the rest, since all these people have suffered equally from Hitler’s persecution.”
1946-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 1 (1946)
“The study of schemes for the development of inadequately developed areas. 2. The establishment of rules designed to ensure, not in theory, but in practice, universal and effective respect for the fundamental freedoms constituting human rights, and to improve the status of women wherever this social reform is necessary. 3. In order to make possible the application, of a general programme of economic, social and cultural expansion, the Lebanese representative on the Economic and Social Council has proposed that a World Statistical Congress be summoned next year. The aim of this proposal is to combine in one and the same organization, under the auspices of the United Nations, the large number of separate organizations already in existence.”
1946-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 1 (1946)
“The Lebanese delegation considers, however, that the sphere in which the efforts of the United Nations can have full scope, far removed from strife and suspicion, is that of activities associated with the realm of the intellect and of science, and with sustained endeavour to improve the social conditions of all peoples. Lebanon, which was elected a member of the Social and Economic Council in January 1946, having already been elected to the Preparatory Committee of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, is prepared to contribute sincerely and wholeheartedly to this important work. The delegations representing Lebanon on these bodies have already taken a special interest in, and will continue to devote the closest attention to, the following questions. 1.”
1946-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 1 (1946)
“Perhaps we ought to examine our consciences, though not in such a way as to reach conclusions reminiscent of the fable in which the innocent party is regarded as guilty and vice versa, as in the immortal verses of La Fontaine where the fox says to the lion: “You did them great honour, Sire, in devouring them.” If, after examining our consciences, we have the courage to admit that our interests have often prevailed over these principles, that we have unfortunately confused these principles with our own political needs, or that they carry weight with us only in so far as they serve our political interests, then and then only shall we be able to accomplish sound work and base our hopes and those of future generations on the United Nations Organization.”
1946-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 1 (1946)
“Were it otherwise, the inexhaustible resources of the great Powers, and the skill and energy of their peoples, would constitute not a safeguard, but a permanent threat to peace and security. Have we consistently endeavoured to ensure the scrupulous application of these principles to the solution of the various problems with which the world is confronted? Have we refrained from imposing on another country, or against another people’s will, a policy which is in no wise consistent with the principles we publicly profess?”
1946-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 1 (1946)
“Moreover, the future success of our Organization depends on respect for the principles underlying the Charter of the United Nations, not only when we take the floor at this rostrum, but in the daily life of nations and in the decisions governing their mutual relations. When distinguished statesmen or the representatives of the great Powers solemnly declare that they give their full support to the United Nations and put all their resources at its disposal, such support is of value only if it is genuinely and unreservedly placed at the service of the ideals inherent in the United Nations Charter. These are: 1. Fundamental freedoms for all; 2. Justice and democracy for all; 3. The application to all, without exception, of the rules of non-discrimination, regardless of differences in race, colour or religion.”
1946-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 1 (1946)
“Only when these moral requirements are fulfilled, and not until then, will it be possible for the United Nations to agree upon the establishment of a code of justice applicable to all — compulsory arbitration sanctions and the creation of an international force to carry out its decisions. All these requirements have unfortunately been lacking in our Organization during this vital initial stage of its creation. Instead, we have consistently thrown down the gauntlet or hurled stones at each other, as if a merciless duel of this kind could ever constitute a solid foundation for a constructive undertaking.”
1946-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 1 (1946)
“Unfortunately, we are still influenced in our actions and in our thoughts by past centuries. The Treaty of Westphalia, memories of the Congress of Vienna, the vain attempts to organize peace in 1919, concealing appetites that could hardly be acknowledged — in short, all those things that may be summed up in the words “power politics”, still weigh heavily on our judgment. Now power politics, with all the devious means it employs to achieve its ends, is the very negation of a healthy United Nations Organization. The United Nations, in order to carry out its primary task satisfactorily, needs, above all, goodwill, sincerity, mutual confidence and genuine international solidarity.”
1946-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 1 (1946)
“May the Lebanese delegation be allowed objectively to state its views on this matter? We have listened very carefully to the speeches made by the many and distinguished orators who have followed one another at this rostrum. It seemed to us quite natural that countries, desirous of seeing the United Nations spread an aura of enduring peace over the world, should be alarmed by the vicissitudes of the Paris Conference or by the difficult circumstances prevailing at the meetings of the Security Council. But it seems to us more and more certain that the remedies for the difficulties we deplore do not lie only in the mere modification of the provisions of the United Nations Charter. One thing it is essential to reform: our international concepts and our international morality.”
1946-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 1 (1946)
“The Lebanese delegation takes advantage of the opportunity afforded by this general debate to express the point of view of the Lebanese people and Government on the past and future activities of the United Nations and to define its own line of action within this Organization. In stating its point of view and defining its policy, the Lebanese delegation has a two-fold aim: first, it desires to see the authority and prestige of the United Nations strengthened and the part it plays rendered more efficacious and more direct; secondly, it hopes that the differences and disputes winch divide the nations may be settled as quickly as possible so that our Organization may devote itself wholly to constructive action in the social, cultural and economic spheres. Our discussions during the past days have dealt mainly with political considerations.”
1946-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 1 (1946)