YouSaid · the spoken record

MULLER

lines on the record: 202
first: 1964-09-24
most recent: 1972-09-24
sittings or episodes: 7
sources: un-general-debate

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“This, I maintained, would make it easier for us all to avoid sterile ideological debate and free us to concentrate more on the basic needs of mankind — securing freedom from want, encouraging economic development and providing for education, improved health conditions and living standards — some of the most important tasks enjoined upon us by the Charter. 105. Unfortunately, during the past year, there have been no signs of greater tolerance or respect between nations and peoples. All over the world, since last we met, there have been confrontations, clashes, even open violence between nations or population groups. Indeed, we cannot but view the events of the past year with great sadness. Fresh in our minds is the callous use of brute military force by the Soviet Union against a small neighbouring country.”
1968-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 23 (1968)
“Thus it was in fact a resumption of direct relations which proved mutually fruitful in the past and which we are sure will be the same in the future. We welcome Swaziland to the community of nations, and more particularly to the growing circle of independent States in southern Africa living in harmony in the spirit of sovereign equality, mutual respect and non-interference in the internal affairs of others—a genuine system of peaceful coexistence, with fruitful co-operation in the many fields of mutual concern, which is proving a living reality. 104. In the course of my remarks to the Assembly last year I uttered a plea for respect and tolerance in our relations with one another.”
1968-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 23 (1968)
“101. Mr. President, on behalf of the South African delegation, I wish to extend to you our congratulations on your election to the presidency of this Assembly. We are indeed fortunate to be guided in our deliberations by a person of your ability and experience. 102. Since I have not had an earlier opportunity to do so, I now wish to welcome one of our closest neighbours, the Kingdom of Swaziland, as a Member of this Organization. A short while ago I had the honour to represent South Africa at Swaziland’s independence celebrations. 103. Relations between South Africa and Swaziland have always been close and cordial over several generations, going back to long before the era which ended on 6 September 1968.”
1968-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 23 (1968)
“However, I do not wish to end on a note of despondency. I would rather conclude with an urgent appeal that we should all make a special effort to leave our differences aside and to concentrate on the practical implementation of the ideal of good-neighbourliness extolled in the Charter. I am convinced that the results of such an effort will be both encouraging and rewarding.”
1967-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 22 (1967)
“My Government, consequently, views with deep concern a serious deviation from the principles of the Charter in several recent United Nations resolutions. These resolutions introduce a new practice which permits and indeed encourages the dissemination of hostile and biased propaganda, even by the Organization itself, against the individual Member States. This deplorable and illegal development is bound to undermine the whole structure on which the United Nations is based. It will lead the Organization away from its fundamental purposes and ideals, for it can only accentuate differences and increase friction among Members. The United Nations should be a forum for serious discussion and debate and should not, by the Introduction of practices of this sort, sow the seeds of suspicion, resentment and discord. 150.”
1967-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 22 (1967)
“Their activities are directed indiscriminately at members of all population groups and the victims are usually those who can least protect themselves, including women and children. However, in this respect too, the nations and Governments of southern Africa have demonstrated their resolve to stamp out this evil. 149. I have taken as my basic them the necessity of observing tolerance and good-neighbourliness in the conduct of international relations, and of concentrating on making our world a better world instead of continually quarrelling. This thesis is as valid and as incontestable In the collective activities of this Organization as it is in the pursuance of relations among individual States.”
1967-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 22 (1967)
“The spirit of co-operation, good neighbourliness and tolerance which is being displayed by the countries of southern Africa, particularly at a time when there is so much naked hostility in the world, should surely therefore be welcomed and nurtured by Member States of the United Nations. It should not be undermined by false accusations and imputations. 148. It is regrettable, therefore, that there are elements in this world which are not content with this happy state of affairs and which are attempting to disturb this harmony. Their failure has more recently driven them to one of the most pernicious forms of aggression — namely, terrorism — in a desperate attempt to create disorder. Terrorism Is another form of piracy. Terrorists obey no law, not even the laws of those who shelter them.”
1967-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 22 (1967)
“Despite these differences, and perhaps because of them, we in the region as a whole are now reaping the fruits of practising tolerance and mutual respect in our relationships with one another. We have developed a sense of good neighbourliness, with recognition of the responsibilities and duties of being a good neighbour, which augurs well for the future stability and progress of our area. In other words, In our part of the world there already exists evidence of the peaceful coexistence of a number of diverse nations which by chance find themselves in the same geographical area. The nations concerned can thus by their example make a valuable contribution to greater harmony and fruitful co-operation between States in general. 147.”
1967-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 22 (1967)
“In southern Africa, my Government has committed itself in word and deed to maintaining the closest economic and technological co-operation among all the countries of the region, for their mutual benefit and joint development, while each nation continues to retain its political autonomy and therefore the right freely to choose its own political, social, cultural and economic systems. This is the regional situation, but my Government has also continued to extend the hand of friendship to all other countries in Africa, and indeed elsewhere, wishing sincerely to co-operate on a basis of mutual understanding and respect. 146. In the southern African International community we have a widely heterogeneous mixture of peoples. States and territories, with widely differing political philosophies and orientations.”
1967-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 22 (1967)
“It is obvious that no country or nation should endeavour to dominate another politically, economically or otherwise. Only in this way can every nation be assured of the free exercise of its right of self-determination. Various methods have from time to time been evolved for achieving progress in the fields of government, economy, education, social welfare, health and the like, and each State is entitled to respect for the sincerity of its approach. Our own efforts in those fields are meeting with success and are already producing results which are there to be seen by all. 145.”
1967-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 22 (1967)
“Those are the basic problems and, if we should devote our major attention to their solution, it will become easier for us to co-operate, without any ulterior motives, as neighbours or as groups of States; for, however much we may differ in our social, religious, economic, political or cultural outlooks and systems, we cannot escape being neighbours. 143. My own Government takes the stand that international friendship and co-operation should at all times be based on mutual respect, the recognition of the sovereign independence of all States, and noninterference in the affairs of others. Differences in political beliefs and approaches with regard to internal affairs ought not to be an obstacle to fruitful cooperation between Governments in matters of common interest. 144.”
1967-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 22 (1967)
“In the conduct of our debates, in the selection of items for consideration by the Assembly, in the elaboration of our budgetary and administrative programmes, the bold acceptance of realities will make it easier to concentrate more on the basic needs of mankind: the raising of living standards, the provision of essential housing, the combating of food shortages, the development of health standards, the improvement of communications, the extension of energy and power sources, the eradication of illiteracy and the advancement of education, the training of a cadre of administrators to provide a competent administrative infrastructure and, above all, a greater recognition of each other's needs.”
1967-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 22 (1967)
“But we have not committed ourselves to preconceived immutable methods in achieving our aims. If the aim of self-determination of all peoples, or peaceful coexistence, or the promotion of well-being of less developed peoples is to be achieved, should we not first agree to show respect for the different methods employed by different States in striving to achieve those aims? Should we not be slow in passing judgement involving the good faith of fellow States simply because we differ politically? And in our deliberations in this Assembly, would it not be wise at least to make the experiment of practising respect and tolerance in our relations with one another? 142.”
1967-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 22 (1967)
“As our President so aptly put it in his opening statement: "Every nation has its own special background deserving of respect, interest and a receptive attitude. Obviously, every nation has its peculiar historical development which ultimately determines its particular physiognomy and personality within the great family of nations. Far from being a source of tension and conflict among States, this diversity, viewed in the light of the aims and methods of the Charter, constitutes a valid basis for their joining together, a factor calculated to stimulate increasing participation by each of them in consolidating international peace and security" [1560th meeting, para. 60]. 141. We have all subscribed to the high ideals of the Charter. In doing so we have agreed to be led by certain principles.”
1967-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 22 (1967)
“Development planning which does not take into account the needs and aspirations of a nation, but which is based on a dogmatic approach to be indiscriminately applied, might be administratively convenient but will not promote well-being and progress for all. If the developing nations are entitled to assistance, surely they are entitled to receive that assistance in a way which will not Jeopardize their traditions, characteristics and national consciousness. The human family is a diverse family. To impose preconceived formulas on a nation or group of nations amounts to ideological imperialism. Human development can only be viable if it respects the history of a nation and if it is applied to meet the needs and aspirations of a given society.”
1967-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 22 (1967)
“It is clear therefore that we should concentrate our efforts and resources on the elimination of basic evils such as poverty, ill-health and illiteracy, instead of squandering them on unproductive and disruptive ideological activities. Our starting point should be the recognition that modern technological progress has not been able to remove the disparities in the economic levels of peoples it has tended rather to accentuate them. 140. Economic development is essentially human development, and human development requires respect for and understanding of the social and cultural systems peculiar to a given nation.”
1967-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 22 (1967)
“Their solution is vital but instead of diminishing they assume greater dimensions each day. 138. The urgency of meaningful action has recently been emphasized by the Secretary-General in the introduction to his annual report on the work of the organization when he said: "We are not winning the war on want" [A/6701/Add.1, para. 91], to which he added a serious warning: "We are near the point of no return. Unless all countries are prepared to do more, much more than they have been doing, the world will not solve the food problem. The lives of hundreds of millions of rural youth will be wasted. The swelling migrations to the cities will make living in urban centres in developing countries almost intolerable. Violence will become the rule rather than the exception." [ibid., para. 83] 139.”
1967-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 22 (1967)
“The first concern of the United Nations in the opening words of the Charter is: "to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war". But if we are to create a climate where this is possible, it is imperative that we should practise tolerance in our international relations on a basis of mutual respect, regardless of ideological differences. 137. One of the main reasons for the history of incessant disputes between nations and the impotence of this Organization is the fact that Member nations have tended to concentrate excessively upon furthering their own interests, with resulting friction between them, instead of coming to grips with the real problems of the world, High enough priority has not been accorded to alleviating the suffering and want of the world's peoples. Those are the real problems.”
1967-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 22 (1967)
“We cannot afford the luxury of dissipating our energies in the pursuit of controversial ideological or political objectives when the problems of the world are so pressing as to threaten untold misery in the remaining decades of this century. 136. What, then, are we to do about the present situation? I suggest that we turn for inspiration to the Charter. I would in particular commend for consideration a simple injunction in the Preamble, an injunction which has its roots deep in all civilizations and its counterpart in all the great religions of the world, but one which has proved appallingly difficult to implement on a world-wide scale. I quote: "... to practise tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbour".”
1967-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 22 (1967)
“It is nevertheless difficult to avoid the conclusion that the serious issues which confront this Organization are largely of its own making, firstly because it has tended to deviate from the provisions of the Charter and secondly because it has permitted itself to be turned into an arena where different nations contend for personal political advantage, regardless of the high ideals of the Organization and of the interests of the world at large. As a result, much of the Organization's energy has been expended in pursuing selfish interests, while friction between nations has increased rather than diminished. 135. As the Secretary-General has on several occasions pointed out, the resources of the United Nations are sorely taxed today.”
1967-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 22 (1967)
“We are all familiar with the problems which have recently been posing a very real threat to world peace, as well as those which may erupt at any time. As Ambassador Pazhwak, our distinguished past President, stated in his farewell address to the General Assembly [1501st meeting], the United Nations has suffered no lack of warning signals. Apart from, the problems of the Middle East and Viet-Nam, there has been civil strife, with considerable loss of life and property, and a sustained campaign of subversive aggression in various parts of the world. We are no less aware of the fundamental problems which must be solved if mankind is to have that future which we should all like to see: a future free, or relatively free, from poverty, disease, famine and despair. 134. Far be it for me to suggest that those problems are easily solved.”
1967-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 22 (1967)
“It was believed that the United Nations would maintain justice and uphold respect for international obligations, that well-being and higher living standards would be promoted within the framework of freedom, self-determination and the sovereign integrity of States and that friendly relations between States, based on equal rights of all nations, would be developed. Members undertook to carry out their obligations under the Charter in good faith and, in their international relations, they agreed to refrain from the threat or use of force. 132. Now, twenty-two years later, this Assembly is convening in an atmosphere of frustration and impotence. The representatives are overwhelmingly conscious of the intractability of the problems with which the world is confronted. 133.”
1967-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 22 (1967)
“130. On behalf of the South African delegation I wish to add my congratulations to those already extended to the President on his election to the high office of President of the General Assembly. I am sure that under his wise guidance the business of the Assembly will be conducted expeditiously and efficiently. 131. The United Nations was created in the hope that world peace would replace armed aggression, that peaceful and fruitful co-operation would take the place of discord and friction and that the international rule of law would be restored to its honourable position.”
1967-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 22 (1967)
“This would lead to more fruitful international co-operation in the various specialized^ fields and so promote the prosperity and happiness of mankind. Fourth, the United Nations, proceeding along the course set at San Francisco, should avoid exacerbating disputes between nations and, as envisaged by its founders, strive to become "a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations". In the words of President Johnson, it would then indeed be "a workshop for constructive action and not a forum for abuse" [1284th meeting, para. 68].”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“I believe that what I have already said is sufficient to underline some of the dangers which the world is facing today and which must be removed if we are to live together as good neighbours. There are of course many others which require urgent attention. But I will not elaborate on these, and would like to conclude by outlining briefly certain principles which, in the view of my Government, constitute a healthier approach in international life and could well be reaffirmed. First, every nation is entitled to its own separate identity and existence; second, in the exercise thereof every nation must respect the unimpaired enjoyment of those rights by others; third, in view of the very complicated and ever-increasing problems in this modern world, a greater realization of the practicalities of any given situation is essential.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“This practice must be eliminated. If not, it can result only in international chaos. 37. In speaking with so much emphasis of the need to accept and recognize the separate identity of nations if real peace is to be achieved and maintained, I have not been unaware of modern scientific developments which have reduced so much the effective size of this globe. That we live in each other's backyard, as the saying goes, is correct; but it is equally true that families like to gather by themselves in their own homes. Thus juxtaposition of opposites is itself one of the causes of confusion in men's minds. Both trends are inescapable, and we dare not ignore either of them. 38.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“And yet, despite this clear and forceful condemnation, interference and subversion continue unabated and in some cases even receive support, directly or indirectly — perhaps unwittingly — from quarters which normally conform to accepted international practice. One can but express astonishment that this should be so, for it must be realized that the path of subversion inevitably leads to the negation of the inalienable rights of others and thus ultimately to international strife. 36. Diversity is a fact of international life, and we must accept it as such. Indeed, if I may borrow a striking phrase from the late President Kennedy, "we can help make the world safe for diversity". This ideal, it will be agreed, cannot be achieved if outside interference in the domestic affairs of others is permitted to continue.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“It has been recognized by other international institutions, including the Organization of African Unity. Article III of the Charter of this Organization explicitly declares that "Member States... solemnly affirm and declare their adherence" to the principle of "non-interference in the internal affairs of States". 34. We have also noted with special interest the pronouncement by the Foreign Minister of the USSR that "there can be and should be no justification - ideological, economic or any other — for interference by States in one another's internal affairs". [1335th meeting, para. 60.] 35. The practice of foreign interference, which leads to subversion from without, has rightly been condemned by this Organization as the worst form of aggression.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“This brings me to another practice — indeed an evil — which must be removed if there is ever to be any form of coexistence in which peace and security will be possible and the nations of the world enabled to co-operate constructively in order to promote the prosperity and happiness of mankind. This is the growing obsession to interfere in the domestic affairs of sovereign independent nations. South African representatives have often in the past found it necessary to deal with this practice in this forum. My delegation therefore subscribes to the strong pleas which have been made in the current debate that this odious practice be discontinued. We welcome the renewed attention given to this basic principle of the Charter. Indeed, it is a cornerstone of international co-operation, without which there would have been no United Nations.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“Simply to ignore the separate identities of all peoples, and all the rights which are inherent in such identities, provides precisely those opportunities which are so readily and effectively exploited by others who, for motives of their own, invoke the right of self-determination in order to create dissensions and internal conflicts. 32. But what is more, nations cannot against their will be forced by foreign intervention to share a single statehood. History provides us with recent examples of how constitutional unions or federations, which had been artificially created and were therefore not the product of evolution and the free will of the peoples concerned, have collapsed. 33.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“A good illustration of this is the universal practice of controlled immigration to ensure that a nation will be able to assimilate the new elements without jeopardizing its distinctive national character. 30. I need not remind delegates of the examples in history where the same considerations led to the creation of separate States owing to divergent identities and incompatible aspirations of different peoples in one and the same State. There maybe other solutions, and all constructive attempts to make adjustments to suit particular circumstances should therefore be viewed with understanding. 31.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“My delegation cannot but associate itself with this statement, for the tendency to ignore the separate identities of different peoples and to expect heterogeneous communities to share a common national consciousness and loyalty is a further cause which lies at the root of many serious problems in various parts of the world. 29. We are all agreed, and it is fundamental to the Charter of the United Nations, that each nation has the indisputable right to live its own separate life, to run its own affairs, and to maintain its own identity, its own culture, religion and traditions. It follows that a nation is also entitled to do whatever it deems necessary in order to safeguard and protect its own heritage.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“This statement constitutes a clear proof of Peking's ambitions and intentions with regard to areas where nations, some of them young, some small, are struggling against already great odds to strengthen their freedom, foster their own identities and build their own future. 27. The representative of the United States, a few days ago, drawing attention to a recent call to arms by the Communist Chinese Minister of Defence, observed that this manifesto "leaves no room for difference of tradition, of culture or of national aspiration, or for the legitimate right of every people, large and small, to choose its own...way. It leaves no room for genuine self-determination" [1334th meeting, para. 59]. 28.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“Moreover, they take a leading part in the continuous denigration of our efforts to solve our complex problems — efforts which, as I explained in this Assembly last year, are making it possible, in increasing measure, to provide better standards of living, education and other important services to the various nations at present living within our sovereignty and to set them on the road to full self-realization. 26. I believe that I cannot more effectively stress my reference to the dangers of communist intervention in the affairs of other nations, whether on the continents of America, of Europe, of Asia or of Africa, than to refer to a statement by Mr. Chou En-lai when he toured Africa recently. Towards the end of his visit he stated that: "revolutionary prospects are excellent throughout the African continent".”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“Those peoples of Africa, including those in multinational South Africa, who are attempting to devote their full attention to the many problems with which they have to cope as nations in various stages of development, are continuously exposed to this peril and hampered in their efforts to create and maintain those conditions essential for the achievement of their legitimate national aspirations. It is no secret that the communists strive to create chaos, for chaos constitutes the most fertile soil for their Ideology. We in South Africa are well aware of these facts and of the manner in which communist organizations endeavour to disrupt orderly government and development.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“I should like to add here that, however vigorously we reject and abhor communism, South African spokesmen in the United Nations have consistently and assiduously sought not to aggravate the already dangerous international situation by adding fuel to the flames of the cold war. We cannot, however, remain silent in the face of the threats which communist imperialism presents today, not only to world peace in general, but more particularly to the orderly development of the continent on which the Republic of South Africa is situated and where our future lies. Due to the location of our country in Africa, we are perhaps more aware than others of the threat of communist subversion on that continent, and we therefore feel in duty bound to draw attention to this increasing danger. 25.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“But when their Governments seek to impose a communist form of government on others, then those of us who are irrevocable opposed to communism have every reason to object and to take such measures as we deem fit to protect ourselves against its infiltration into our respective national lives. 23. If we consider the measure of communist infiltration in every continent of the world and the manner in which the fundamental principles of government freely accepted and established in non-communist States are being subversively eroded, we cannot but regard communist activities, as they manifest themselves in these countries and in international life, as a continued threat to world peace. 24.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“In fact, despite all efforts to achieve disarmament, the world today bristles with the most dangerous weapons in history. Major issues have often had to be dealt with outside the United Nations. In very few cases have issues been permanently resolved; the tensions and the causes in which they find their genesis have merely been relaxed temporarily and those Issues continue to impede man's struggle towards peace and security. 22. The nature of this ideological conflict is known to all. It can truly be said that it continues unabated because communism continues to seek universal acceptance, and because it seeks to do so by forceful, subversive and other insidious means. Where the peoples of the communist States have accepted a communist form of government for themselves, that is of course, their own internal affair.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“Subversion continues and even increases to an extent which threatens international relations as well as the existence of orderly and progressive national life. 20. All these disturbing facts and evils are due to a variety of causes, some of which are often obscure and not readily identifiable. Yet there are certain causes which are nearly always manifest wherever there is international friction or internal strife. 21. One of these is the ideological struggle for the minds of men. For years this struggle has frustrated well-nigh every effort to achieve international harmony. It has prevented the United Nations from achieving the fundamental objectives designed for it at San Francisco, and has consistently kept the spectre of war in the foreground.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“Indeed, the world is also suffering from a malaise which threatens to develop into a complete negation of everything we sought to establish in 1945, There are forces which seek to create a new world imperialism and employ as their tools the envy, greed, ambition, intolerance and covetousness in others, as well as their misfortunes and the differences which inevitably arise in international intercourse. 19. Armed conflict continues to harass the world and threatens to engulf mankind in a universal cataclysm unless its true causes are removed. The war against poverty, hunger, disease and illiteracy has not yet been won and these could well assume greater dimensions, bringing intolerable conditions of life to many who already barely exist.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“Where assistance is rendered, it must be in the spirit of co-operation and good neighbourliness and therefore free from foreign domination, in whatever form. To ignore this must inevitably lead to the charge of neo-colonialism, which is nothing more than a form of domination rendering formal political independence somewhat hollow and barren. In saying this I fully realize that the charge of neo-colonialism is often implanted in the minds of some of the new nations by those who strive to exploit dissension. 18. In assessing the present international scene we observe manifestations of instability and intolerance which render conditions in 1965 more dangerous than those in 1939 which plunged us into war.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“In this connexion the question arises, however, whether political independence by itself is always accompanied by freedom in the full meaning of that concept — freedom which not only concedes the right of peoples to govern themselves, but which also includes the right to buttress their independence politically, and to develop their own institutions in a manner which will enable them to escape from the clutches of poverty, disease and illiteracy. It is therefore important that no form of assistance to developing peoples, whether it be technical economic or otherwise, rendered to achieve that goal, should be made available in such a way as to lead to an invasion of their sovereignty or to detract from their right to plan their own futures for their own happiness and well-being.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“A development to which one should at the outset refer is that many nations have in recent years achieved their independence and that others are advancing along the road to self-determination according to the dictates of their own distinctive ways of life. This we must welcome, for each nation has the right to live its own life, provided it does not seek to impose its will and institutions upon others. We must likewise understand the desire of nations which have for so long been subjected to foreign rule to stand on their own and to assert themselves to the fullest extent. 17.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“It is appropriate that the Assembly should consider how far the world has progressed in reaching the goal set two decades ago and whether the efforts of statesmen, both inside and outside this Organization, have in any way succeeded in the removal of those conditions that lead to friction and thus paved the way to a durable form of peace and security. The answer lies of course in the facts of the world as it is today: in the measure of our ability to live together peacefully as sovereign independent States, big and small, powerful and weak, no one being subservient to the other; and in the extent to which international co-operation has been rendered fruitful in all matters of common concern in the interest of mankind as a whole. 15. Now, what are the facts? 16.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“The sincerity of this aspiration — that we too are dedicated to the cause of freedom and denounce foreign aggression in all its guises — requires no further proof than that recorded in history. We ourselves have had to struggle for our own freedom and many South Africans have also fought for the freedom of others. There are monuments in many foreign lands which serve as silent testimony to this. 13. I can assure the Assembly that my country will remain dedicated to the cause of freedom and will always endeavour to assist in creating a realistic pattern for future relations between nations, namely, a form of coexistence in which domination, international friction and war will have no place, This vision we shared with others at San Francisco. 14.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“Thus it was hoped to ensure a form of peace which would enable each nation to attain the fulfilment of its rightful aspirations. 12. As one of the founding Members of the United Nations, my own country shared in the hopes of all the others who met on that memorable occasion in 1945. For we in the Republic of South. Africa have as large a stake in peace as any other State, big or small, and we know full well that it is only in the security of peace that we, like all other nations, can maintain our freedom, survive and progress towards our rightful destiny. This is no selfish aspiration, for we, like others, are prepared to play our part in international life, and are convinced that we also can contribute to the achievement by others of their rightful destinies.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“For any attempts to do so would constitute a complete negation of the fundamental concept of freedom and have throughout history proved to be a basic cause of friction and aggression. There could be no question of devising artificial panaceas. The immutable laws of nature had to be accepted and a solution sought along realistic lines which would hold out hope of general acceptance and the achievement of permanent peace and security. 11. And so, with patience, realism and resolution, the Charter was drafted and accepted, and the United Nations created, in order that peaceful and constructive international co-operation along the lines inscribed in the Charter could displace the dangerous practices of coercion and domination, as well as the many other evils of the past.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“This was the world order which was considered as the essential aim if power politics and aggression were to be removed from international life, if freedom in its full sense was to replace oppression, if poverty and the attendant forms of human misery were to be alleviated and ultimately eradicated — in so far as it lay within the power of man to do so; in short, if harmonious and fruitful coexistence among the nations of the world was to be achieved. 10. This was truly a gigantic task, especially in view of the natural differences firmly embedded in the various identities of nations, differences which could not and cannot be removed even by external interference and domination.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“Soon Hiroshima and Nagasaki would demonstrate the advent of scientific and technological means of destruction which, in the event of another world conflagration, might well result in the extinction of human life itself. 9. It was the obvious task of the San Francisco Conference to seek means which could ensure that "succeeding generations" would be saved "from the scourge of war", that nations would pledge themselves in future "to practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbours"; that every effort should be made to maintain international peace and security by agreeing to settle international disputes by peaceful means and to respect the sovereign equality of all nations.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“The founders of the United Nations who assembled at San Francisco in, 1945 did so in an atmosphere of realism — realism born of bitter experience. They also met with the solemn determination that the experience of the gruesome and most destructive war in the history of mankind should never recur. The Second World War was drawing to a close; no nation, whether it had actively participated or not, had escaped its painful consequences; the scars would never disappear, certainly not from the minds of millions of men, women and children who suffered its tortures and lived under its terror. A harsh and cruel lesson had been learned: war, whatever its causes or its outcome, left no victors. Its only legacies were destruction, suffering and the seeds of further hatreds and revenge.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)