YouSaid · the spoken record

El-Khouri

THE RECORD WRITES THIS SPEAKER AS EL-KHOURI

lines on the record
71
first
1946-09-24
most recent
1948-09-24
sittings or episodes
3
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

  1. “The committees designated to study this subject have worked well and prepared good proposals which will be studied by the proper Main Committee during this session. It may be hoped that this achievement will aid in adjusting the behaviour of nations in their international relationships. One of the principal safeguards for peace is the reduction of armaments and armed forces. The Security Council started the work in this respect, and displayed considerable effort in this field, but it is to be pointed out that there have been some dilatory matters which should be settled before any final or complete action can be taken.”

    1947-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 2 (1947)

  2. “If we are unable to eliminate this dangerous invention by turning it back to the mysteries of nature, we should at least chain it and render it incapable of sinking its fearful talons in the flesh of its prey. Another measure which can be taken by the General Assembly for ensuring peace is the codification of international law in conformity with the principles and purposes of the Charter. The adherence, of all Member States to this law will greatly help in establishing the relationships between the nations on a solid basis and in avoiding numerous incidents which cause disputes and which arise from opposing views on the clauses of international law dealing with mutual obligations.”

    1947-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 2 (1947)

  3. “Should a third war be waged, it is greatly feared that it will be an atomic war, and that it will put an end to our civilization. To intercept this horrible eventuality the United Nations must accelerate the conclusion of definite conventions to be pledged and ratified by Member States, aiming at the prohibition of the use of atomic weapons and all other weapons adaptable to mass destruction, and at ensuring the world of strict control of atomic energy in its production and use. This problem has been studied in the respective organs of the United Nations for about twenty months, and yet the concrete result is still not in sight. The unfortunate discovery of the means of releasing the formidable energy of atoms is now spreading fright throughout the world and bringing the prospect of misery rather than bliss to millions of mankind.”

    1947-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 2 (1947)

  4. “It is the urgent duty of the rivals to find this common ground among themselves, if they really intend to be faithful to their pledges under the Charter and to the magnificent declarations which they fervently and proudly proclaimed before the tribunes of the world and of this association. We should not, however, allow despair to overcome us and triumph over our hopes. We count on the sound instincts and fair judgment of these prominent leaders not to defy the billions of eyes gazing on them and imploring them for peace. There are certain measures which can be taken by the United Nations to safeguard peace and thwart the threat of war, and consequently, to pacify to a great extent the anguish of the peoples of the world.”

    1947-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 2 (1947)

  5. “Only their loyal solidarity can guarantee and realize the aspirations of the world for peace and justice. The world must be convinced that full agreement and complete understanding prevail among the leaders of the world and the fashioners of its policy. Only that solidarity and good will can dissipate the dominating fear of war today, replacing it with tranquillity and confidence. We all know the source of this fear. It is the extravagant rivalry that now exists among the great Powers, so clearly renounced in the premises of the United Nations. It is a rivalry, in effect, between two social doctrines. Some common ground must be found to extinguish the flames of this rivalry before they spread too far.”

    1947-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 2 (1947)

  6. “During the last two years they have been endeavouring to lay a solid foundation upon which to erect this peace structure, but till now the progress achieved has been rather insignificant. War, with all its horrors still fresh in our minds, casts its inimical shadows on this situation. War and talk of war are still a feature of our age, as of all the ages, and the earnest efforts consistently made here are just as consistently neutralized by selfish exhibitions of national ambition. Small nations do not possess the necessary implements to maintain world peace, although they can sometimes disturb it. It is the great Powers which have the resources and implements and which have the ultimate capacity to ensure peace. To do so, however, they need good will, self-denial and a sense of justice.”

    1947-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 2 (1947)

  7. “It would be superfluous for me to echo here the clamour for peace heard from every pulpit and tribune in the world and featured in every issue of the Press all over the globe. The peoples of the world are in deadly earnest and in dire need of having their fears allayed and their anxieties calmed. Words can be of little use in pacifying this agonizing anguish clutching at their hearts and nerves. The sponsors of this Organization felt the pressing necessity for an efficient device to remedy the malady of our world by securing for mankind freedom from fear. The Charter of the United Nations was meant to be the instrument for this device. Fifty-five nations composing this powerful Organization for peace — all of them supposed to be peace-loving — pledged themselves to the new undertaking.”

    1947-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 2 (1947)

  8. “In conclusion, we should have no doubt that those who were united to win the war and save the world will not fail to find the path to continued unity in order to win the peace and preserve the world which they have saved.”

    1946-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 1 (1946)

  9. “In the very exceptional cases where refugees cannot be repatriated to their previous homes, any settlement which is proposed for them should take into account the freely expressed wishes of the people of the country of their proposed settlement. Furthermore, this humanitarian work should have no political objective or implication. The Syrian delegation wishes to stress these two reservations, for fear lest the humanitarian work of assisting these refugees, which it fully supports, should lead to the disturbance of peace and security and to the infringement of the ideals of international justice to which we are all dedicated.”

    1946-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 1 (1946)

  10. “The Syrian delegation solemnly declares that the Syrian Government and people, in full agreement with all the Arab nations, condemn fully and categorically every form of persecution, whether by reason of creed, race, colour, nationality or any other difference between human beings. We are determined to co-operate with the United Nations in fighting such persecution, which has caused refugees and others so much suffering, to share in the duty of having these displaced persons repatriated to their previous homes and to create for them in those homes conditions of security, happiness and freedom, which the Charter of the United Nations was intended to assure to all peoples of the world.”

    1946-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 1 (1946)

  11. “For the solution of these questions it is necessary for adequate administrative machinery to be set up soon and for the subordinate organs of the Council to start to function without delay. Furthermore, it is hoped that the relation of the specialized agencies to the Organization will be established by the General Assembly, so as to obtain the desired efficiency and co-ordination among all the organs working to realize the purposes of the United Nations. Among these agencies is the proposed International Refugee Organization. The refugees and displaced persons in Europe today are victims of an abominable persecution which should never recur in the future of the world.”

    1946-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 1 (1946)

  12. “Inspired by this hope, we look to the future of the United Nations with confidence, and we build our faith, for the preservation and growth of human civilization, on this Organization and on it alone, as the only instrument we can have for the realization of our vital hopes. The Syrian Republic takes this occasion to reaffirm its deep attachment to the purposes, principles and texts of the Charter, and its readiness, in full agreement with its sister States forming the Arab League, to do its part in implementing them, in letter and spirit, to the utmost of its ability. The Economic and Social Council has studied a number of vital questions which are of great importance for the promotion of human wellbeing and welfare.”

    1946-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 1 (1946)

  13. “We have repeatedly heard reassuring declarations from those great leaders of their solemn resolution to stand firmly by the cause of this Organization, which they have voluntarily created. From this very tribune, the President of the United States of America assured us a few days ago that his Government and people have resolved to put all resources in their possession at the disposal of this cause. The same pledge was repeated by the chief representative of the United Kingdom. These two important declarations were preceded a short time ago by an analogous statement by Generalissimo Stalin expressing practically the same resolve.”

    1946-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 1 (1946)

  14. “The dispositions of the big Powers alone are to be counted in this respect. And since these big Powers themselves have sponsored the United Nations, and since they gave birth to this Organization from Moscow to Dumbarton Oaks and to San Francisco, we can look to the future with hope and confidence, in spite of what we hear and read, from time to time, about their differences on details. For these Powers know, more than any others, the increasingly devastating effects of war. They are surely convinced, by the bitter experiences of the last two world conflicts, that even the victor is also subjected to terrible losses and suffering, making him not much more fortunate than his defeated enemy. We may be sure that the great leaders of world policy are too wise to let the world be exposed again to universal destruction.”

    1946-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 1 (1946)

  15. “Furthermore, this power in the hands of such a body will not serve the ideals of the Charter, unless each and every one of its Members is animated not only by a desire for peace, but also by a yearning for justice. The whole course of human history is a witness to the fact that there can never be true and stable peace without justice, fair play and a real sharing of ideals. As a small and peace-loving country, Syria is resolved to do its duty in serving this cause of peace based on justice, and remains loyal to the precepts of the Charter. But it firmly believes — and takes this occasion to express this belief in all frankness and sincerity — that the maintenance of peace depends primarily, not upon the small, but upon the big Powers. Small States by themselves can hardly ever disturb world peace, and are unlikely to do so.”

    1946-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 1 (1946)

  16. “This is an indication that the Council has within itself the possibilities of achieving the goal for which it was established in defending the right of nations, irrespective of the strength of the opposing parties and without discrimination between small or big States. This goal can never be attained in full, however, unless force or threat of force is placed beyond the reach of individual nations. Force, in accordance with the Charter, can only be used for the common interest of the United, Nations in suppressing aggression, in maintaining peace and security. The determination of who is the aggressor, who ought to be brought to order, should not be left to the arbitrary will of any single Power, but to the collective and considered judgment of a body representing all peace-loving nations.”

    1946-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 1 (1946)

  17. “For this is the first time in history that such a pledge has been taken by the responsible nations of the world, and that a universal and official concern has been expressed for the fate of dependent peoples. The Security Council, immediately after its creation, began to handle serious international problems, although it has not been able to reach decisive results with respect to some of them, for reasons which we hope to see limited. The Syrian delegation is delighted to note that, in the case which it presented to that body during its session in London in February last, concrete results were obtained, and the rights of Syria and Lebanon were respected and upheld.”

    1946-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 1 (1946)

  18. “On this occasion the Syrian delegation voices its full agreement with, and support of, the statement in the supplementary report of the Secretary-General regarding Non-Self-Governing Peoples. This indeed is incumbent upon us by virtue of Chapter XI of the Charter, in which Members of the United Nations administering dependent territories have taken upon themselves the solemn pledge to accept as a sacred trust the obligation to promote to the utmost, within the system of international peace and security, the well-being of the inhabitants of the territories under their administration. We attach great importance to this Chapter of the Charter. In our view, it represents one of the most significant advances of the Charter over all previous instruments or international conventions.”

    1946-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 1 (1946)

  19. “I would like also to call the attention of the General Assembly to that section of the Secretary-General’s report which deals with trusteeship and Non-Self-Governing Territories. It is the fervent hope of this Assembly, representing world democracy, that the Trusteeship Council be set up as soon as possible, and that energetic steps be soon taken by all concerned, under the aegis of the Charter, to make it possible for peoples under mandate to attain the stage at which they are competent in self-government or independence, in conformity with the provisions of the Charter. These provisions lay a strong obligation on all of us to see that the fundamental and inalienable rights of all such peoples are decisively and internationally recognized, and their legitimate aspirations realized.”

    1946-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 1 (1946)

  20. “And, while we do not wish in any way to overlook the shortcomings and excusable delay of some aspects of the Organization’s work, we note with pleasure and increasing hope the many valuable and positive results already obtained in such a short period. I believe that these reports will give good satisfaction to the Members in the main Committees where they will be studied. I wish, in particular, to express my appreciation for the efficient way in which the Secretary-General and his collaborators have undertaken the hard task of starting and establishing the administrative machinery of the Organization. As Chairman of the Administrative and Budgetary Committee, I am gratified to see that the numerous recommendations of the Committee, as adopted by the General Assembly, were deliberately executed with energy, firmness and wisdom.”

    1946-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 1 (1946)

  21. “The meeting of the General Assembly is a good occasion for self-examination. It affords an opportunity for a backward look on the progress achieved and for a forward searching of new goals and of wider horizons. The reports of the Secretary-General, the Security Council and the Social and Economic Council give us ample material for this necessary and beneficial self-examination. The Syrian delegation wishes, first of all, to express its satisfaction at the progress achieved by the Organization during the first few months of its history. This period of infancy was, of necessity, a difficult one.”

    1946-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 1 (1946)