A/31/PV.24 General Assembly

Mr. President, may I fust of all take this opportunity to convey to you and, through you, to all delegations assembled here, greetings from His E.,xcdlency Alhajji Field Marshal Mr.ldi Amin Dada, VC, IPSO, MC, Life President of the Republic of Uganda, the Government and the entire peopleof Uganda and their best wishes for fruitful deliberations. Uganda attaches great importance to this Organization in the sincere conviction that it is hereto serve the interestsofmankind. 2. Also on behalf of my delegation I would congratulate Mr. Hamilton Shirley Amerasinghe on his unanimous election to preside overthis session. Hishighreputation and the impressive list of his diplomatic andadministrative achievements are undoubtedly the best guarantee that he will carry out this assignment with competence and to the satisfaction of all Member States and especially to the pride of the non-aligned movement, of which his country is a member. My delegation assures him of its full support in the discharge of his duties. 3. I shouldalso liketo pay a tribute to his predecessor, His Excellency Prime Minister Gaston 'Ihom, for the efficient manner in which he conducted the deliberations of the last session. 4. On this occasion too I shouldlike to express our deep appreciation and gratitude to our Secretary-General, Mr. Kurt Waldheim, and his staff for their good work. Uganda greatly appreciates the work of Mr. Waldheim in promoting peace, justice and equality, particularly in the third world. His dedicated service to our Organization will remain on permanent record in the annals of the United FridtJy, 8 October 1976, at 3.20p.m. NEW YOlK Nations. We are particularly grateful for his services in the field of decolonization and in handlingthe problems of the racistminority regimes in southern Africa. 5. It is also my delegation's pleasure to congratulate the people of the new Republic of Seychelles on their attainment of illdependence. Uganda welcomes thisnewest State from Africa amongthe ranksofthis worldbody. This demonstrates Africa's determination to cast off the last chains of colonialism and to establish a free and peaceful human society. It is nowthe duty ofthe United Nations to help this new State to pre!erve its political and economic independence and its territorialintegrity. 6. While welcoming the Republic of Seychelles, Uganda expresses the hope that during this session the People's Republic of Angola and the Socialist Republicof Viet Nam will take their rightfulplaces in this Organization. 7. May i at this juncture record our sorrow at the passing away of Chairman Mao Tsetung and, through you, Mr. President, convey to the Government and people of Chinaour condolences at the lossoftheir greatandbeloved leader. 8. The world community is still experiencing hot-beds of political tension. The United Nations has all along been preoccupied with finding long-term solutions to these problems with a view to achieving lasting world peace, justiceandequalityamongall the nations of thisglobe. 9. At this very moment, as I speak to you, the grave situation prevailing in southern Africa has become more than ever before a threat to international peace and security. 10. This august Assembly has for many yearsboth i.n it~ debates and in its resolutions condemned the illegal and racist minority regime in Rhodesia. The sanctions against rebel Ian Smith's regime have failed miserably because of the support of the Vorsterregime and someMember States represented herein this Assembly. 11. Recent developments in Zimbabwe and observations made in the present debate highlight the need for an immediate solution to the deadlockin Zimbabwe. Various proposals have been made in recent weeks ostensibly to solve the Rhodesian problemby peacefulmeans. Why, may we ask, should the people of Zimbabwe wait for another two or so years to have power transferred to them, when they have been fighting rebel Smith's illegal regime since 19651 The peopleof Zimbabwe have shed their blood for many years, particululy in the last 11 years, fighting for their independence. Uganda has given, and continues to 12. Despite numerous resolutions of the United Nations, under whose mandate Namibia falls, Fascist South Africa continues to occupy Namibia illegally. Besides occupying Namibia illegally, South Africa has extended its inhuman policy of apartheid to that Territory. South Africa isin the process of fragmenting Namibia and establishing pocket regimes under the policy of "bantustanization".Thebogus constitutional conference held recently in Namibia hasbeen denounced by the South West Africa People's Organization [SWAPO]. the authentic representatives of the people of Namibia, and we support them. South Africa has further militarized Namibia and turned it into a police State from which the racist regime stages attackson other independent MricanStates.We cannotcondone thesebarbaric acts. 13. The people of Namibia, under the leadership of SWAPO, are waging a gallant struggle against the racist regime in South Africa. We appeal to all peace-loving nations to support their just cause until fmal victory is achieved. We in Uganda will continue to render every assistance to thoseheroicpeople. 14. This Assembly is fully aware that the principles underlying the system of apartheid are in sharp contradiction to the very principles of the United Nations Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Yet the racist regime of South Africa has committed, and still continues to commit, crimes against humanity,andthere is no doubt that this regime remains a threat to international peace and security. When it is stripped of all propaganda and sentiments, we all know that the tyranny in South . Africa, unequalled anywhere in the world,is maintainedby deliberate racist legislation and carried out by a ruthless administration, secret service and police force. 15. The situation in South Africa is, more than ever before, a test which will enable us to assess the real practical value of this Organization. For our part, we have not hidden our hostility to the apartheid system and we make no apology for the fact that we want that racist regime andits policies dismantled. 16. For a long time we have heard some Members of this Organization speaking loudly against the policies of apartheid, and yet they arm South Africa and are even supplying nuclear reactors to that country to enable it to entrench its policies. These countries have attempted to enhance the credibility of Vorster, who now poses as a mediator and a eo-sponsor of the so-called African solution to an African problem. The time has come for those' who claim to be the friends of independent Africa to stand up and bp; counted,We believe that thosewho continue to arm South Africa with sophisticated and dangerous weapons cannot at the same time genuinely claim to be on our side. Current events in South Africa have shown that apartheid is 17. Since the establishment of the Zionist State of Israel, the Middle East situationhas beena threat to international peace and security. Those whosupportZionist Israel forget that the Palestinians have been made to suffer for the last 30 years. The Palestinians have now been driven into the desert, surviving on hand-outs and living in tents. In allthis the Zionists and their allies have treated.the Palestinians as if they were surplus human beings to be removed and dumped anywhere in the harshness of the desert. 18. It is true that had it not been aided militarily by powerful imperialist forces, Israel's ambitions would have been crushed by now. This Assembly should not be intimidated by those imperialist forces in condemning the Zionist atrocities committed in the Middle East and elsewhere in the world. No solution in the Middle East will be lasting unless Israel withdraws from the occupied Arab territory, and the rights of the Palestinian people are fully recognized. . 19. As regards the situation in Lebanon, wehopethat the people ofthat troubled country will be ableto fmda quick, peaceful and lasting solution to existing conflicts in that country, so that the Arab people can focus their attention on their majorobjective in the Middle East. 20. My delegation is alarmed at the lack of progress in disarmament and the upward trend in the production, stockpiling and proliferation of armaments, particularly nuclear armaments. The vast resources which the world is devoting to the arms race should usefully be channelled towards the social and economic development of the developing countries. It is against this background that my delegation would like to endorse the proposal of the :fifth Conference of Heads of State or Government of Non- Aligned Countries, held at Colombo from 16 to 19 August 1976, to convene assoonas possible a special session of the General Assembly to discuss the question of disarmament. 21. The world has changed a lot since the Charter of the United Nations was drawn up more than 30 years ago. The membership of the Organization hassince greatly increased, and so have its activities, especially in functional fields and in otherbumin.g· international issues .that have since confronted us. These drastic changes in the facts of international life make corresponding changes in the structure of the Organization imperative and require our urgent attention. 22. The negative vote system in the Security Council, for instance, has now, more than ever before,become distasteful to most members of this Assembly because it runs counter to the principle of equality of all States and gives to a few a privileged status, dwarfmg the will of the majority. We have stated before that this Organization was founded on the fundamental principle of equality among nations, whether great or small, strong or weak, rich or 23. Uganda has pursued and participated with keen interest in the proceedings of '?~~ Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea. Although a land-locked country, Uganda shares an active interest in the peaceful exploitation of the resources of the sea-bed for the betterment of mankind. My Government jJs ready to support a just international convention for the effective exploitation of these resources. 24. Uganda feels that any convention on the law of the sea must adequately cover. the interests of all countries, including the land-locked countries. There are still many areas of disagreement, and the non-aligned countries have already made proposals on the right of free access to and from the sea. This and other issues, particularly regarding the sea-bed and its exploitation and the exclusive economic zone, have to be satisfactorily resolved before we can come to a convention acceptable to all. We shall not be intimidated by threats of unilateral action on the part of some Member States to conclude a convention which will not cover our interests. We hope that the remaining difficulties will be resolved at the sixth session, which will take place in 1977, taking into consideration the position of the Group of 77. 25. Regarding the world economic situation, we are all familiar with the reasons and developments which led to the current international economic crisis. Although there are some prospects for improvement on the world economic scene, economic growth in the developing countries has generally been scanty and in certain cases there has been some negative growth. The most seriously affected countries have been the ones least able to withstand this crisis. Considering that 18 out of the 29 least developed countries are located in Africa, many of them being land-locked or situated in disaster areas, and that Africa also contains 28 of the 45 most seriously affected countries {see A/31/21, annex IV], the African continent has been the most severely hit of all the regions of the world. In this respect, the continent deserves increased assistance from the international community. 26. The alarming disparity between the levels of development in the developed and developing countries has become a threat to world peace and security. Durable solutions must be found to the grave problems being generated by the present distribution of wealth in the world, the price relationship between raw materials and manufactured .goods and discrimination in the world trade system as well as in the credit and monetary system. My Government considers the move towards the new international economic order as a logical response to the urgent need for greatly .enhanced development prospects in the developingworld. 27. In this respect, we reaffirm our support of the positions taken at various international conferences, particularly at the sixth and seventh special sessions of the General Assembly, the fourth session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development {UNCl'AD] and the Fifth Conference of Heads of State or Government of Non-Aligned Countries. 29. My delegation is deeply concerned at the lack of progress in the Paris Conference on International Economic Co-operation. After almost nine months of negotiations, the developed countries have not even responded, beyond general remarks, to the concrete proposals submitted by the Group of 19 developing countries taking part .in the Conference. We expressed misgivingsat the thirtieth session of the General Assembly about the Paris Conference, and the deadlock reached at the Conference seems to confirm our fears. We would, therefore, wish to propose that all future negotiations of this nature should be conducted under the auspices of the United Nations. 30. The real issue now before us is whether or not we can come to terms with the political realities of an economically divided world and whether or not we can agree on the need to establish a viable economic system for the equitable distribution of the world's resources. This, then, is the stark reality before us. Mankind is now at the crossroads. We have either to turn towards the new international economic order or to choose to continue with the present inequitable system. My delegation is confident that the United Nations system is capable of arriving at an integrated multisectoral approach to the problems of economic and social development. 31. In this context, I should like to refer to the limited nature of the progress achieved last May at Nairobi during the fourth session of UNCTAD, and urge the developed countries which have not already done so to accept, among other things, the principle of indexation, to achieve the target of 0.7 per cent of their gross national product as official development assistance to the developing countries in accordance with the International Development Strategy for the Second United Nations Development Decade {resolution 2626 (XXV)] ~ to accept the cancellation or rescheduling of the developing countries' external debts and to implement the special measures in favour of the most 1 See Proceedings ofthe United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, Fourth Session, vol. I, Report and Annexes (United Nations publication, SalesNo. E.76.11.D.I0), annex V. 34. Taking self-reliance as the basis of our economic policy, my Government is keen to develop closer co-operation among the developing countries. My delegation would like to urge those developing countries in a position to do so to increase their investments in developing countries rather than channelling them to developed countries. My Government is of the view that there isa vastpotentialfor investment by developing countries in Africa asa whole and Uganda in particular. 35. Having actively participated in the fourth session of the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme I UNEP] and in the preparatory work for Habitat: United Nations Conference on Human Settlements and in the Conference itself, which washeld at Vancouver from 31 May to 11 June 1976, my Government issatisfied with the progress that has been made so far by UNEP in playing its role in the stimulation of interest in environmental problems as well as promotion of international and national awareness andactionaimed at combating problems of the environment and of human settlements. My delegation supports the Vancouver Declaration of Principles, the recommendations for national action and the programmes tor international eo-operations and believes that their implementation would go a long way towards improving human settlement conditions in developing countries. My delegation, therefore, wishes to supportinitiatives aimed at trying to establish anew, independent body on human settlements to tackle the serious problems of human settlements afflicting the world today. 36. ~Before I conclude, let me briefly refer once again to the Israeli military aggression against Uganda on 4 July 2 Report of Habitat: United NationfJ Conference on Human Settlements (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.76.1V.7), chaps. Hll. 38. ThisAssembly and the whole worldarefully aware of President Amin's efforts to save the lives of the hostages held by commandos of the Popular Front for the liberation of Palestine in a hijacked Frenchairbus. Permission for the hijacked airbusto land at Entebee airport was granted on purely humanitarian grounds and at the request of the French Government. The Uganda Government under the direct command of my President undertookevery effort to give the most comfortable treatment to the hostages who, for the rust time in the history of hijacking, were allowed to leave the aircraft. President Amin also persuaded the Palestinian commandos to release the hostages, and some were indeedreleased. 39. The President of Uganda has already received some messages of thanks fromthe hostages, including the Israelis, for the excellent efforts he deployed to secure their release and the comfortable treatment they received duringtheir stay at Entebbe airport. In actual fact, Uganda fulfilled, to the best of its ability, its moral and humanitarian duty. Now, instead of being grateful to Uganda, the Israeli Government carried out a barbaric invasion into my country, under the pretext of rescuing the -remaining hostages. During the raidUganda suffered heavy human and material losses. Our people died at the hands of the Zionists, who had no respect for human life or for the sovereignty and territorialintegrity of an independent State Member of the United Nations. In any circumstances, the Israelis had no justification in attacking Uganda, which at that time was striving to secure the release of the remaining hostages. Israel has a reputationfor disrupting effortsbeing undertaken for the establishment of peace and security. Uganda strongly condemns thiswantonact of aggression. 40. The Organization of African Unity lOAU], at the thirteenth session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government, held from 2 to 5 July at Port Louis, adopted a resolution strongly condemning the Zionist raidon Uganda and calling for payment of full compensation for both human and material losses which my country suffered 41. Our efforts to secure similar resolutions in the Security Council have been frustrated by the imperialist forces in the Council whoare sympathizers with the Zionist regime in Israel. However, Uganda wouldliketo register its gratitude to all the peace..}oving countries which showed solidarity and sympathyduring that tryingperiod. 42. Representatives will agree with me that the Israeli raid DD Uganda defied all known principles of humanity enshrined in the United Nations Charter and was in direct violation of the Charter. Israel violated our sovereignty and territorial integrity, respect for which constitutes the basic principle for the maintenance of world peace and security, of which the United Nations is the chiefcustodian. 43. Despite the Israeli aggression against Uganda, wehave returned to Israel a jet plane that was loanedto us in 1971. Furthermore, the Uganda Government has appointed a commission of inquiry to look into the whole question of the Israeli invasion of Uganda, including the whereabouts of Mrs. Dora Bloch. 44. Finally, we reiterate our faith in the United Nations and our willingness to co-operate with this world body in trying to find solutions to the many problems that face mankind.

With the Assembly's permission, my delegation would like to discharge what to us is an especially important duty. I hope it will not embarrass Mr. Amerasinghe if I extend to him our warmest congratulations on his election as President of the thirty-firstsession ofthe General Assembly. 46. That tribute was paid to him because of his outstanding qualities as a stateman and an experienced diplomat.It is also a tribute to his country, Sri Lanka, an Asian country which has played a decisive role in the growing selfawareness ofthe Afro-Asian peoples of the world. 47. One of the principal promoters of Pan-Asianism and the Afro-Asian spirit, Sri Lanka is a founding member of the movement of the non-aligned countries, which today encompasses nearly all the countries of the third world.At New Delhi in March-April 1947, at Belgrade in September 1961,earlier at Colombo in April 1954 and at Bandung in April 1955, Sri Lanka was instrumental in building the anti-eolonialist and anti-imperialist movements of Africa and Asia. Mycountry hasparticipatedin allthe third-world conferences since Bandung and can bear witness to this statement. 48. It was in view of that exceptional contribution to the awakening of those whohave beenexploitedand colonized on the five continents that the Fifth Conference of Heads of State or Government of Non-Aligned Countries, meeting at Colombo, appointed Mrs. Bandaranaike, the Prime . Minister of that country., Chairman of the non-aligned movement. That distinguished nameof Bandaranaike which she so proudly bears calls forth moving memories of important stages in the emancipation struggle of the Mre-Asian peoples. SO. Secondly, I wish,throughyou, Mr. President, sincerely to thank Mr. Gaston Thorn,Prime Minister and Minister for Fbreign Affairs of the Grand Duchy. of Luxembourg, who so skilfully conducted the proceedings of the thirtieth session of the General ASsembly. Thanks to his talents and vitality, he steeredour difficult debates clearof a number of shoals. His success was particularly welcome to me because Luxembourg and my country have very friendly relations, both bilaterally and within the association of members of the European Economic Community and of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group, in which he has beena primemover. 51. My delegation would not like to conclude these comments without expressing to the Secretary-General our appreciation for the outstanding services that he has rendered to the cause of peace and harmony in the world. He is a trustworthy man with a sense of duty. Mr. Kurt Waldheim, during his brief term of office, has travelled to all continents of the world to take our Organization's message of hope. My delegation wishes to express to him our appreciation for the exceptional contribution that he has made with his characteristic political courage to strengthening the role of the United Nations throughout the world.. 52. Scarcely two months after OAU did so, the United Nations, on 21 September last, admitted a new Member, the Republic of Seychelles. My delegation bidswelcome to that fraternal country and extends to its Government and people our warmest congratulations. We wish to pledge to them Mali's fraternal co-operation. A multiracial country and member of OAU, which acceded to iadependence in peace and concord, the Seychelles will,,I am sure, make a valuable contribution to our work. 53. My delegation wouldlikealso to take this opportunity to pay a tribute to the victory of the valiant Angolan people over the imperialist forces and their puppets who tried to block their independence. We bow humbly in memory of all those patriotswhohavefallen for the sacred cause of freedom in Angola. The People's Republic of Angola is a reality today which the worldcannot ignore. It is a member of OAU and is recognized by nearly all the States Members of our Organization. The victory of the heroic people of Angola, who fought spontaneously under the banner of the Movimento Popular de Llbertacro de Angola [MPLAJ, under the leadership of Agostinho Neto, is the victory of all peace-loving peoples in the world over colonialists and racists. It is also a victory for the United Nations, which has solemnly proclaimed in its Charter the rightofall peoples to freedom and independence. 55. The maintenance of that exorbitant privilege which was granted by the founders at San Francisco to the allied Governments following their victory over nazism can no longer be justified and is no longer in keeping with present-day reality or with simple justice. The decisions of the United Nations must reflect the interests of all the Member States. In such fundamental questions es the admission of States, a single Member can no longer assert certain domestic considerations which havelittle to do with the' mission assignedto the Organizationby its Charter, It is reprehensible indeed that a single negative vote can cancel out the positive votes of 14 other members of the Security Council. That is a denial of the principles of democracy. We must put an end to that anomaly which paralyses our Organization and discredits us in the eyes of the peoples of the world which we represent. 56. The improper use of the veto right by certain permanent members of the Security Council has blocked the process of decolonization in southern Africa and has put a brake on effective action by the international community to llring down the racist and rebel r~gimes of Pretoria, Salisbury and Tel Aviv. Assured of impunity, thanks to the protection of thelr allies, they are openly challenging our Organization and have done so for a number of decades. That is why, at its thirteenth session, the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of OAU, meeting at Port Louis, adopted a resolution calling for a reconsideration' of the veto right in the United Nations. We are sure that a number ofdelegationshere present share the viewsand concern of OAUon that question. 57. In the opinion of my delegation, the imperative task before us, namely the democratization and the rationalization of our institutions, requires that we reconsider the veto right of some Member States in the organ which is primarily responsible for the maintenance of peace in the world, the raison d'Stre of our Organization. Thisquestion must occupy a central role in our efforts to revise the Charter and restructure our institutions. The efficien.cy and the credibility of the United Nations depend on that action. I remain convinced that everyonehas a proper appreciation ofthe importance of what is at stake. 58. The sessions of the General Assembly give us an opportunity to review the international situation, to sum up what we have done for peace over the past year and to 59. Some like to say, perhaps to quiet their consciences, that for the past three decades there has been no war in the world. For them, regardless of the number of the victims, an armed confrontation is no undue source of concern, unless the' arena is Europe and unless it endangers the major military Powers. In the terminology of those "mentors", the wars in Viet Nam, Laos and Cambodia, in the course of which the aggressors and their allies in the South-East Asia Treaty Organization used the means of mass destruction and extermination in a vain attempt to reduce the peoples of those countries to subjection, those wars are merely local conflicts. A more cynical view, indeed, could not be taken. It is not a well-knownfact that in Viet Nam alone the quantities of bombs that were dropped during the 30 years of the national liberation struggle equalled in force all the bombardments that took place during the Second World War? From January to August 1973, from 4,000 to 5,000 tons of bombs per month were dropped on Cambodia, which is the equivalent of six atomic bombs of the type used at Hiroshima. For our part we would contradict that incorrect theory and say that the world has not known peace since 1939. The theatre of war has moved from Europe to the third world, where violencehas at times been extreme. 60. Africa, like Viet Nam, Laos and Cambodia, does not need the "compassion" of those theoreticians and, if necessary, it will take up arms to free itself from the yoke of the racist r~gime of Pretoria and the rebel clique of lan Smith. The peoples of those countries are on a war footing and they are determined today more than ever to recover the land of their ancestors and to determine their own future. The killings at Soweto, Alexandra and other black ghettos in South Africa have only made them stronger. 61. We consider in this connexion that the historic communique of the Council ofMinistersfor Foreign Affairs of the five nordic countries published at Copenhagen on 20 August last is an exceptional contribution to the liberation struggle of Africa. We should like to extend our thanks and congratulations to the peoples and Governments of those countries who have not spared their material, moral and political support to the freedom fighters. 62. My delegation condemns, however, the recent agreement between South Africa and France on a nuclear power station. 63. The international community will assume sole responsibility for the racial confrontation brought about by its own inertia. The fact that some major Powers have paralysed the United Nations gives Africans no alternative 64. No stalling tactics, regardless of how subtle they may be, and no military force can prevent the African peoples from achieving their final goal, namely, the total liberation of the lastbastions of colonialism and racism in Africa. The last vestiges of colonialism will also be uprooted from the continents of Asia and Latin America by their people. 65. Returning to western: Asia, we note that there has been no progress in settling the two crises which have existed there for a number of years, namely, the crisis in the Middle East and the crisisin Cyprus. 66. The situation in the fust case is stalled because Israel refuses to abide by the relevant decisions of our Organization. The Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, created by General Assembly resolution 3376 (XXX), has had no greater successwith the authorities in Tel Aviv. 67. The tragedy which continues to tear Lebanon apart and which indeed is a constant and daily threat to the very existence of that country and its people is one of the tragic consequences ofthe lack of improvement in the situation in that region. 68. Tension is mounting in the Middle East and Israel continues to arm itself feverishly and to strengthen its alliance and military co-operation with the racist and Fascist r~gime in Pretoria. The theory of secure and recognized boundaries advanced by the officials in Tel Aviv is more and more being replaced by that of .secure and defensible boundaries. The establishment of settlements, which has become State policy, is being frantically pursued in the occupied Arab territories. The "Koenig plan" is being hatched; here we have an antisocial plan which advocates a series .of measures' to check the 'growth of the Arab population in the country. 69. The situation in the Middle East remains more explosive than ever. Israel's boasting and untimely outbursts can ignite the powder at any moment. The United' Nations must therefore reactivate the process offmding a settleinent to the Middle East crisis before it is too late. It is above all up to the United Nations to implement the relevant resolutions which it adopted on the question and w~ch established the. framework, namely, Israel'sunconditional withdrawal from all the occupied Arab territories and the restoration of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people. 70. Thislatter question is at the very heart of the Middle East crisis. That is why our Organization believes that the . retum of the Palestinian people to its homeland, which was usurped by international zionism, is the sine quanonfor a settlement. The Committee which was established to that end' at the last session of the General Assembly was unfortunately not able to carry out its mission owing to 71. The other centre of tension in western Asia, Cyprus, continues to be a source of concern to us. Indeed, since the adoption by the General Assembly in 1974 of resolution 3212 (XXIX), no progress has been made in the intercommunal talks which that resolution recommended to the parties and which constitute the most appropriate framework for negotiating a just and lasting settlement of the crisis, that is to say, a settlement that would safeguard the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and policy of non-alignment of the Republic of Cyprus, which our Organization has pledged to guarantee. 72. The five series of talks held under the auspices of the Secretary-General and his Special Representative in Cyprus have not produced any 'significant result. However, the doors are still open to new attempts at a settlement. The praiseworthy efforts that the Secretary-General continues to make to establish a basis for resumed negotiations among the parties should be supported and encouraged by our Assembly. 73. When I spoke a moment ago about South-East Asia, I said that there was only relative peace there. I would add that it will remain precarious so long as that sub-continent continues to be plagued by the abcess of the Korean crisis. This was dramatically revealed by the well-known treecutting incident of August last. It was quite possible that that incident could have degenerated into open hostilities, and our Organization would have found itself involved, even though it has no effective responsibility in the country. Indeed, during this incident the so-called United Nations Command in Korea was receiving its instructions from a third authority and not from our Organization. 74. We must draw a lesson from that. In fact, the United Nations served only to lend its name throughout the Korean war. It is only by making use of this subterfuge that the southern part of the country was turned into a military base for aggression, endowed with a formidable arsenal which even includes nuclear warheads. That is an example of the danger to peace and security in South-East Asia as a result of the tension persisting in Korea, as well as indication of the gravity ofour responsibilities in maintaining the so-called United Nations Command. That is why my delegation believes that its dissolution is imperative, as was decreed by the General Assembly in its resolution 3390 B (XXX), which was not implemented because of the obstruction of certain Member States. 75. The Koreans and the Koreans alone must be allowed to settle their dispute without any foreign interference. The foreign. armed forces now in place there must be withdrawn unconditionally, in order to make it possible for negotiations to resume between the two parties on the basis of the 4 July 1972 joint communique of their Red Cross Societies. 76. As we havejust seen, the international situation once again confirms that the third world is not benefiting from d~tente; its promoters in any case conceived it only for the European continent and related areas beyond the Atlantic. The d~tente held out to us is based more on a balance of terror than on a real political desire to promote peace and true collective security in the world. Because of that, its foundations are fragileand its SC0pe limited. 77. The third world has become accustomed to this cruel reality. That is why the arms race is being frantically pursued. The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons [resolution 2373(XXII), annex] and the partial disarmament agreements concluded thus far have, as we have always said, been· outside the framework of real disarmament, that is to say, general, complete and controlled disarmament. The second round of the strategic arms limitations talks remains suspended and the conference on the mutual and balanced reduction of forces in central Europe seemsto have come to a standstill. 78. As the Secretary-Generalso aptly said in the introduction to his report on the work of the Organization: "Any signiftcant advance towards a system of world order based on collective responsibility will depend upon a degree of disarmament and upon a climate. of confidence, both of which are lacking today." [See A/31/1/ Add.1, sect. V.] No one is any longer deceived and no State any longer believes in the theory of collective security, which nevertheless remains vital for the survival of mankind. That is why increasing amounts are being spent on armaments. 79. Again in the introduction to his report the Secretary- General indicated this when he said: "... whilethe world spends approximately $300 billion a year on armaments, the net flow of official development assistance amounts to some $15 billion 'a year. Resources devoted to the arms race since the end of the Second World Warhave exceeded $6,000 billion)which is roughly equivalent to the 1976 gross national product of the entire world." [Ibid.] That is stupefying! 80.. Vertical and horizontal nuclear proliferation is continuing. TIle "grey" market is expanding daily. The Fascist and belligerent r~gimes, such as those of Pretoria, Taiwan and Tel Aviv, now have nuclear capability thanks to official transactions. The world is living with the spectre of self-destruction, while it must at the same time cope with the most serious challenges in its long history. But the words of the Preamble of the Charter are before us to remind us of the solemn commitments which we have 81. In this connexion we would recommend to the Assembly for assessment and consideration the resolution adopted at the Colombo Conference, in which the convening of a special session of the General Assembly on this question was proposed. [A/31/197, annex IV, resolution 12.] 82. As I said during the general debate last year,4 the insecurity which characterizes the international situation in regard to peace is also, unfortunately, a feature of the world economic situation. The same division exists, namely, the developed world on one side and the third world or the developingworld on the other. 83. More than two years after the sixth special sessionand one year after the seventh special session, which established the bases of a new international economic order to redress the imbalance, no progress has been made in the implementation of the celebrated Declaration and the Programmeof Action on the Establishment of a New International Economic Order [resolutions 3201 (S-VI) and 3202 (S-VI)), which are the basis and the charter of that new international economic order. 84. World-wide inflation, the recession in the industrialized countries and the iniquities of international trade have only widened the gap between the developed countries and the developing countries. Even before the world crisis the developing countries were fmding it difficult to keep up with the implacable needs of development, and now their situation has worsened as a result both of the decrease in their resources and of the reduced flow of the foreign capital necessary for them to maintain their growth rate. According to recent estimates by the World Bank, there has been a zero growth rate, since 1975, in the per capita income in the least developed among the developing countries. 85. The various conferences held for the .purpose of setting up the structures of the new international economic order haveyielded very meagreresults indeed. 86. First and foremost, there has been the North-South dialogue in Paris, or the Conference on International Economic Co-operation, which, had it not been for the ingenuity of the eo-chairmen, would have failed becauseof the differences on the problem of the establishment of a common fund for commodities and the problem of public debt in the third world. Although we recognize that that Conference has some merit, the fact remains that we have no illusions about the results, for we still see no sign of a genuine thaw. . 87. With regard to the fourth session of UNCTAD, held at Nairobi in May 1976, it ended its work, at the eleventh hour, after stormy debates and under the pressure of world 88. I turn now to the. United Nations Conference on .Human Settlements, heldlastJuneat Vancouver. It too was chmcterlzed by a regrettable division between the North andthe South. . 89. Finally, I would refer to the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea,whichdeais With an area unanimously regarded as the common heritage of mankind. Here again we must note that the participant~ at the fifth session were unable to reach any agreement. The intransigent .statements of some delegations reminded us of the famous Berlin Congress of 1885, which made official the division of colonial possessions among the imperial Powers. The paradox of this "1976 Congress", that is, the fifth session of the Conference, isthat the victims of the dividing up of the sea, the common heritage of mankind, are the land-locked and geographically disadvantaged States, including some industl'ialiud countriesof Europe. 90. In this case the division is not based on traditional affinities, but on interests of the moment..Onthe onehand W~ have the coastal States andon the otherthe land-locked and geographically disadvantaged countries. None of the just claims of the latter countries wereaccepted. Actually, they were only asking for the legal confmnation· of a de facto situation ratherthan making new claims. They asked that the convention being drawn up should merely note the right of free access to and from the sea and the right to "xploitthe marine resources in future ~xclusive zones. That request was refused. But the coastal States are about to obtain legal sanction for alltheir newdemands. In orderto bypass the requests of the land-locked and geographically disadvantaged countries,"the spokesmen of the coastal States wentsofarasto offerthem a deal, andwhata deal! There is a flagrant injustice here. The international community cannotassume responsibility for that. 91. Mali, my country, has no problem withits neighbours in regard to itsaccess to and fromthe sea. It hasthe bestof relations with the fraternal States of the Ivory Coast, Guinea and Senegal, w~ch provide all port and transit· facilities without asking anything in return. Butin legislating'forthe future we must, taking into account thelessons of history, adopt a broader view then those who attended the BerlinCongress in 188~.. ~t us not, then, draw up, in the name of the United Nations, legal in~rumentsthat can lead to conflicts between (utllregenerations, when we know that under the· Charter. we are' committed to preserVing those future generations from the scourge of war. 92.. Let us not encourage, throughthe' strengthening of this division, the establishment of a "fourth world", as is desired by some theoreticians who always need something to prophesy about. The accentuation of the division in the world and the confrontation .between groups of interests 93. The fourth part of my review of the worldeconomic situation relates to international economic co-operation. Here againtherehas been no progress. 94. Indeed, there has been a net reduction ill the official development assistance of the induStrialized countries. If the present rate continues, that assistance will be reduced by 1980 to 0.29 per cent of those countries' gross national product, whereas. the Second United Nations Development Decade has established a goal of 0.7 per cent for that period. The praiseworthy financial assistance given by the countries of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting . Countries to the developing countries between 1970 and 1975, amounting to $16 billion, washlSUfficient to make up for the deficiency. 95. Furthermore, the prospects for the fifth replenishment of the resources of the International Development AssOciation {lOA}, a branch of the World Bank which was established to assist in the fmancing of the development of the poorest countries, by means of long-term, interest-free loans are not encouraging because of tho :eluctance of the traditional donors. Indeed, the trendseems to be towards a reduction in contributions whereas, in view of the inflation in the world, fluctuations in national currencies, and the recession, the resources of IDA should beincreasing if the level of action of the fourth replenishment, which will come to an endon 30 June 1977,isto be'maintained in the future. 96. With .regard to the fmancing of the "third window", the World Bank has ·been able to mobilize only 5600 million of the target of $1 bOOon. The International Fund for Agricultural Development, established in November 1914, has not yet been able to start operating because of the lackof resources. 97. 1he picture that wehave just paintedis certainly not a briUia&t one. It contains many shadows which must be eliminated if we really wish to establish the newinternatioIuf corder that we have promised the world. Such an unded:akina,. on which the salvation of everyone depends, is incompatible withthe spiritof exploitation and domination that .guides certainlarge Powers. It isincompatible too with the subjugation of peoples that still persists in Africa, Asia andLatin America. 98. .The new international order, which is composed of a political, a military andan economic aspect,isanindivisible Whole. If it is to be viable it must be based on justice, solidarity, harmony and conectiv'~ security and responsibility. If that new international order is not established, mankind will succumb to confrontation and chaos. No 100. We should also like to congratulate the Republic of Seychelles on its admission to the United Nations and to wishits people successin the building of a new life. 101. The course of this debate and the contents of the previous general political debates in the General Assembly of the United Nations have.made it possible for us to draw the conclusion that the noble principles of 'peace, international security, freedom and independence, equality and co-operation of the peoples proclaimed by the Great October Socialist Revolution. are receiving ever broader support every year. 102. like a sort of political barometer, the general debate reflects the beneficial changes which have occurred recently in international life. The clouds bearing the threat of a new world war have become noticeably less dense. The peoples of the world are in<;reasingly enjoying the benefits of the I.eninist principles of the peaceful coexistence of States with different social. systems, which are being put into effect, as well as the benefits of international detente. The favourable changes in the world are a result of the purposeful and persistent peaceful foreign policies of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and of the Soviet State, of other countries of the socialist community and of allthe progressive forces ofour time. 103. The great interest in the United Nations shown in the new and important proposals of the Soviet Union put forward here by Comrade A. A. Gromyko [7th meeting], member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and Minister for Foreign Affairs of the USSR, is only natural. The concrete actions and measures provided for in those proposals are based on the programme of further struggle for peace and international co-operation and for the freedom and independence of the peoples approved at the Twenty~fifth Congressof the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. 104. The decisions of the Twenty-fifth Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and of the congresses of thefraternal parties ofthe other countries in the socialist community and the document entitled "For peace, security, co-operation and social progress in Europe", adopted by the Conference of the Communist and Workers' Parties of Europe show that the socialist Statesand Communists are in the vanguard of those fighting for peace, freedom, equality, brotherhood and the happiness of all peoples. They have taken initiatives and made constant efforts to 105. As Comrade Leonid. Brezhnev, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, has pointed out: "In upholding the principles of peaceful coexistence, we are fighting for what is dearest of all to billions of people on earth: for the right to life itself, to save mankind from the danger of annihilation in the flames of war. At the same time, and by so doing, we are fighting to ensure favourable international conditions for the promotion of the cause of the social progress of all countries and peoples." 106. The foreign policy of the USSR and other States of the socialist community is in keeping with the interests of all peoples. It has never aimed and does not aim at seeking any unilateral advantages or the establishment of political or any other kind of domination over other peoples or countries. It is a policy of peace and international co-operation, freedom and independence of peoples, which reflects the noble ideals of the most advanced and just social system. 107. It is gratifying that in the course of the general debate the majority of delegations have based their statements on attitudes which are in keeping with the needs.of the times and the United Nations Charter. We hope that this will allow us to adopt constructive decisions and recommendations on a broad range of questions which are being considered at this session as well as to indicate fruitful ways and means of working within the framework of the United Nations in the future. 108. While noting the usuaUyconstructive character of the general debate now under way, we cannot fail to see that the positions of a number of delegations do not indicate any clear approach to the basic problems of strengthening international peace and co-operation and the questions of disarmament which the General Assembly must take up. In a number of cases, under the cover of general phraseology and declarations, attempts are in fact being made to justify aggressors, colonialists and racists, to avoid the settlement of urgent tasks,to substitute certain questions ofsecondary importance and to whitewash their negative approach to the fundamental problems. 109. The interests of all people require that we do everything possible to deepen international detente and extend it to all parts of the world. Important proposals have been made here on specific forms of comprehensive co-operation among States. These proposals are valuable 110. Of primary importance is the proposal of the Soviet Union for the conclusion of a worldtreaty on the non-use of force in international relations [see A/31/243J. The source of this initiative is to be found in the fust foreign policy act of the land of Soviets, namely, the Decree of Peace. Thisinitiative reflects the deeply humane nature of the foreign policy pursued by the Soviet State for almost 60yearsnow. Ill. The ~n!.ft treaty submitted by the Soviet Union asan annex to its proposal stipulates that its participants, including the nuclear Powers, will undertake to refrain from the use or threat of force involving any types of weapon and to refrain from assisting, encouraging or inducing others to use or threatenforce. Theclear-cut articles of the draft treaty take into account existing multilateral and bBateral agreements, the present state of relations among States and the aspiration of the peoples of the world to make renunciation of the use of force an immutable law of international life: ' 112.. The delegation of the Byelorussian SSR urges other delegations actively to join,in the workof defming specific steps to lead to the implementation of these proposals in the interests of the peace andsecurity of the peoples of the world. The conclusion of the treaty on the non-use of force, and its strict observance, would further the solution on a new basis of many important problems on which negotiations are under way, the fulfdment of the cherished dream of humanity to banish war from man's life, andthe realization of the desire of all peoples, in the words of the United Nations Charter, "to live togetherin peace withone anotherasgood neighbours". 113. The Final Act of the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Buropes has laid an excellent foundation for ensuring peace on the contiIient-a continentwhich has given birth to two world wars. This document, which was worked out collectively and has consolidated achievements in the improvement of ili~ political climate, outlined the. long-term prospects for the realistic and responsible conduct of inter-State affairs, particularly in Europe, and, from the standpoint of possibilities, to a greatextent for the solution of problems of'aninternational character. The Final Act prompts States to reduce mternational tensions, to cease military conflicts inthoseareas of the worldwhere they still exist, .and to develop and deepen mutually advantageous andequitable co-operation in'all spheres. 118. Unfortunately, however, as has already beenpointed out by many spe8kers inthe general debate,progress in the . field of disarmament is clearly inadequate. 80m2 States, including two nuclear Powen, are still not parties to the existing treaties and conventions which limitor prevent the arms race. The implementation of the decisions of the General Assembly with regard to the need to produce agreements providing for a general and complete ce'')Ition of nuclear weapOn testing, the elimination of chtimical means of warfare, and"the prohibition of the development S Signed at HeWnkion1 August 1975. 114. Unfortunately, there are certain people in the West who are trying to evade the principles elaborated and the understandings reached at the pan-Buropeen Conference. Attempts have been'made to interpret arbitrarily various 11S. The Soviet Union and other socialist States are strictly observing the letter and spirit of all provisions of the Final Aci; they have put forward proposals designed to implement the understandings reached. at Helsinki. Comrade Brezhnev, inhis interview on Frenchtelevision on SOctober 1976, in which he sea forth the Soviet Union's position of principle on importantinternational' problenls, said, interalia, in connexion withthe Final Act: "As fa.\' as the Soviet Union is concerned, we respect and are carrying out in full the understandings reached at Helsinki. I repeat: in full. The important thing in these agreements is everything conneeted with the strengthen- iJlg of security and peace. But, naturally, we in no way wish to detract from the importance of co-operation in economics, science and teclmology, culture and informa- tion, and in the development of personal contactsandin the implementation of measures ofconfidence." The Soviet Union, as is well knoW,n, has proposed the convening of pan-European congresses or inter-8tate con- ferences on the questions of the protectionof the human environment, the development of transport and energy, in other words, problems affecting the interests of all European States. . 116. The Byelorussian people, a People which knows only too well the terriblecostofwar,andwhich values above all the .benefits of peace, has a vjtal ir.terl;st in thefuU and consistent implementation ofallprovisions of the FinalAct of the pan-Europea.'1 Conference. In Struggling for peace and international security, the countries of the socialist community have a clear-cut objective: not only the outlawing of war, but also the elimination of the very possibility of the outbreak of war,and the elimination, on the basis of international agreements, of the material means of waging war. . 117. ,To the credit of the United Nations there are a number of international treatiesandconventions, IS well ss resolutions, whichtakentogethercontribute to curbing the pace of the arms race, particularly the nuclear arms race, and to confiningit to certain spheres. They also contain a broad programme ot' further measures in the faeld of disarmament. We welcome the completion of a draft convention, agreed on in the Conference ofthe Committ~ on Disarmament, on the prohibition of military or any other hostileuseofenvironmental modification techniClu~s, and we shallseek itsadoption. at this sessi~n ofthe General Assembly-{A/31/27, annex I, ptUtJ. 5J. ' States to agree upon the reduction and elimination of weapons of mass destruction, conventional weapons and anned forces, the reduction of military expenditures and the establislunent of zones of peace. The memorandum proposes effective ways and means of conducting'negotia- tions in order to achieve radical movement in the solution of disannament problems. 120~ In order to make progress towards disarmament, the joint action of allpeace-loving forces isessential in orderto expose and isolate the opponents of disarmament and to create conditions that would preclude the possibility of a new world war. In this respect, we take a very favourable view of the World Conference forthe cessation of the arms race and for disarmament and dcStente, which was heldfrom' 23'to 26'September last at Helsinki. Ofgreat importance is the campaign for the collection of signatures for the new Stockholm appeal of the World Peace Council for the cessation of the arms race and fordisarmament. More than 6.5 million people have signed it in the Byelorussian SSR-that is, practically the whole adult population of the Republic. 121. It may be noted with satisfaction that a positive approach is prevailing in the United Nations asto ways and means of eliminating existing hotbeds of military conflicts. 122; In the Middle East, there is a need for the full withdrawal of Israeli troops from all Arab territories occupied in 1967; the implementation of the inalienable rights of the Arab people of Palestine, including their right to self-determination and the creation of their own State; the ensuring of the right to independent existence and security oeall States which aredirect parties to the conflict; the granting to them of appropriate international guar- antees; and the cessation of the state of war between the various Arab countries and Israel. There is also growing understanding that suchajust anddurable settlement in the Middle East can be ensured by the Geneva Peace Con- ference oa the Middle East with the participation of all parties·concerned, including representatives of the Palestine liberation Organization. 123. With regard to the tragedy which the Lebanese people is suffering asa result of theintrigues of imperialism and zionism, foreign interference in Lebanon must be 124; In Cyprus, whatis necessary isthe implementation of the relevant decisions of the Security Council and resolu- tions of the General Assembly. We shouldtake reasonable account of the interests and rights of both communities in Cyprus and observe unconditionally respect for the inde- pendence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Cyprus andprevent anyattemptsto impose on the Cypriots decisions which arealien to. them. 125. It is the bounden dutyof the United Nations to force those who have engendered conflict or whohave aninterest in fanning the ftmtes of conflict to respect the will of the peace-loving peoples of the world and to observe strictly the United Nations Charter. 126~ Many States quite rightly consider that the proper way of preventing newconflicts is to ensure security on the basis of jQint actions by countries in various regions, including Asia, the largest continent, where over half of mankind lives. Recently, many favourable changes have occurred in Asia. Thevictories of the peoplesof Viet Nam, Laos and Kampuchea have substantially improved the situation in South-East Asia and strengthened the cause of peace andsecurity in this region. 127. The Vietnamese people have realized their cherished dream of the reunification of their State and have pro- claimed the Socialist Republic of VietNam. The delegation of the Byelorussian SSR warmly congratulates the fraternal Vietnamese people on this achievement and wishes them the speediest possible healing of the wounds of war and success in their building of a socialist society. We resolutely support the application of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam for admissionto the United Nations, and we express the hope that no new fabricated obstacles, which have nothing whatsoever to do withthe question of admission to membership in the United Nations, will be created-. 128. Favourable conditions are now being created for the intensification of the st.ruggle for the withdrawal of foreign troops from SouthKorea and for anindependent, peaceful reunification of Korea, that is, the implementation of .General Assembl)' resolution 3390 B (XXX). There are, further,growing demands for the elimination of foreign military bases in the Indian Ocean and on the whole Asian continent. 129; We are witnessing a favourable process of devel-· opment of relations between the Soviet Union, other" socialist States and the countries of Asia aswell asbetween the countries of that region. The United Nations should promote consolidation of security in Asia on the basis of such principles as renunciation of the use of force, respect for sover~ignty and the inviolability of frontiers, non- interference in internal affairs, and development of eco- nomic and other types of co-operation in conditions offull equality andmutual benefit. 130. Anti-imperialist forces and the United Nations are entitled to regard as one of theirachievements the collapse 131. In spite of mass repression and brutal terror, the 135. As we know, there arestillpeople to be foundin the national liberation struggle of the peoples of Zimbabwe, . West who are fond of mischief-making, of looking for Namibia and the Republic of South Africa has entered a 'violations of human rights where none exist. They are I decisive phase. Alarmed by this, and manoeuvring in an inclined not to notice the most flagrant mass violations of alliance with racists and local reactionaries, imperialist human rights in Chile, in the occupied Arab territories, in circles of the West have undertaken active measures to Southern Rhodesia, Namibia and the Republic of South preserve their crumbling positions thereand the interests of Africa. They are not averse to justifying the piratical the international monopolies. By means of very clever actions of the Israeli military against Uganda and the tricksand manoeuvres, theyhave attemptedto dampen the sinister alliance of the South African racists and the flame of the liberation struggle and to splitthe ranksof the zionists. Theyare also advocates of their own and Interna- African peoples and distract their attention from the tional monopolies, which are continuing to derive solution of urgent tasks. Noone should allow himself to be enormous profits from the young independent States and duped by the attemptsof certainWeste.,n Powers to pose as to exploit those peoples who arestilllanguishing underthe udent champions of the elimination of colonialism and yoke of colonialism, neo-colonialism and racism. At the racism nowthat the fmal collapse of colonialism and racism same time, everyone knows that in their owncountries the .has already beendetermined. most urgent social problems arestill awaiting solution, that many elementary human rights areflouted,that corruption and bribery are rampant, and that moral degeneration is eating away at the bourgeois society.. 132.: All the achievements in the. field of decolomzation are a triumph of the joint actions of socialism and all anti-imperialist forces, among which the non-aligned countries occupy an important place. It is pointed out in the decisions of the Fifth Conference of Heads of Stateor Government of Non-Aligned Countries that they regard as their most important duty that of struggling against .imperialism, colonialism, neo-colonialism, racism, llfhvtheid and zionism. The Conference welcomed progress in d~tente and urged that the process of d~tente shouldbe extended to allpartsof the world. . 133. The socialist States consider that progress towards independence and social progress is closely linked withthe implementation of fundamental human rights. They have .evert ~e~n to prid.~ themselves on the degree of the freely guaranteed rights of theirpeoples. In a socialist society, the working people have ridthemselves forever of exploitation and oppression, crises and unemployment, social and national inequality, and illiteracy and the absence of social prospects. They have wide opportunities of access to the treasures of national and world scienceand culture, to all the achievement~ of the humangenius. Everywhere, people are aware of the constant care on the part of society and the State for their health, well-being and secure old age. ~nd'er socialism, people live in conditions of genuine freedom and democracy; they are.sure of the present and of the future; they work with enthusiasm to create a com- munist .society and their liVing standards are constantly rising. The spiritual values and moral health of the people are protected fromevery kind of anti-social infringement or . miainformation. The interests and rights of citizens in our lOCiety are carefuUy protectedby State and governmental bodies, in whose activities the working people participate on alarge acale, u well asby publicorganizations which the people themselves have created. : 136. The socialist States, which have united their efforts in order to bring about accelerated social and economic progress andthe equalization ofthe level of development of the countries members of the Council of Mutual Economic Assistance, are the most dynamic force in the wodd. The high rates of growth of productive forces, the growing efficiency of public production, the constant rise in the people's living standards, demonstrate the tremendous creative possibilities and potential of the socialist system. 137. TheByelorussian SSRhasachieved impressive succes- ses in economic and social development. During the period of the last five-year plan alone, from 1971 to 1975, the national income of the Republic increased 47 percentand the industrial output 64 percent. 138. In expanding their participation in international economic, scientific and technological co-operation the socialist countries are striving for the removal of discrimi- nation and other artificial obstacles in international trade, the elimination ofallmanifestations ofinequality, "diktat" and exploitation in international economic relations. When at sessions of the General Assembly, UNCTAD, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization and other international organizations the developing countries put forward ways of.solVing the fundamental problems of their development, they meet with the under~1anding andneces- sary support of the States of the socialist community, which constantly atrmn in international relations the principles of equality and mutual benefit. This has been fully and cogently stressed in the statement by the Soviet Government on the restructuring of international economic relations.6

I should like to offer our warmest congratulations to Mr. Amerasinghe on hiselection as President of the thirty-fhst session of the General Assembly. We are indeedfortunate in having a person of his eminent stature, wide experience and great ability as our President. It is also a matter of special pride for us that he belongs to a country which is not onlya neighbour ofours but one with which we enjoy commoncultural traditions and close friendship. 141. To the Secretary-General, Mr. Waldheim, I should, like to express our deepadmiration for the impartiality and dedication with which he has been discharging his onerous responsibilities. He is a man whom the international community has come to trust and respect during the nearly fIVe years he has held office as Secretary-General of the United Nations. We hope that he will continue to serve the international community for manymoreyears to come. 142. I should like to express the appreciation of my delegation for the admirable manner in which Prime Minister Thorn of Luxembourg guided the deliberations of the thirtieth session ofthe General Assembly. 143. We are happy to welcome the Republic of Seychelles to our midst as our one hundred and forty-fifth Member. We have no doubt that the admission will add further strength and vitality to our Organization. We now look forward to the admission of Viet Nam and Angola to the United Nations, as both of them fully meet all the requirements of membership. 144. Mr. President, I .have the honour to convey to you and, through you, to all the representatives assembled here today the greetings and good wishes of His Majesty Jigme Singye Wangchuck, King of Bhutan, for the success of the thirty-flfSt session of the General Assembly. 145. 'The most preSlJing and crucial problem facing the world today is the questionof disarmament, not only as a means for relaxing tensions in the world and promoting international peace and securitybut also for the purpose of releasing much-needed resources for development purposes. It is difficult to justify on any grounds the expenditure of astronomical sumsof money on producing and accumulat- , ing weapons of mass destruction, when a substantial percentage of the earth's population is permanently on the verge of starvation. In our view, the development of technology, and ever-increasing expenditure on armaments, is a vicious cycle, whichis leading mankind ever closer to total disaster. One way, and possibly the only way at 146. The other major issue that is agitating the minds of people all over the world at present is the question of southern Africa. Asthe resultof certaininitiatives takenby the United States recently, positive developments have taken place in southern Africa which offer genuine opportunities forjust andlasting,settlementsof the basicpolitical problems affecting the region. We feel that the weight of the entire international community should be placed behind the parties concerned in their efforts to arrive at negotiated settlements. It is our earnest hope that, as a resultof these negotiations, an independentZimbabwe with majority rule will emerge in the near future. We also hope that the minority group will be given a constructive roleto play in the building up of the new State of Zimbabwe. An independent State of Namibia as one unified nation must emerge within a short period of time. The attempts of South Africa to grant so-called independence to Transkei and to create similar "bantustans" need to be roundly condemned by the international community. If conditions of peace and stability are to be created in southern Africa, it is essential that the abominable practice of apartheid in South Africa be abolished forthWith, and a new society created with freedom, equality and justice for all persons, irrespective of race,colouror creed. 147. In the Middle East, old crises and new tensions continue to pose a grave threat to international peace and security. The continuing fratricidal war in Lebanon is a tragedy of the greatest magnitude. Israel continues to occupy Arab territoriesforcibly and illegally. It is our view that the Palestinian questionis at the heartofthe problem, and that there can be no just and durable peace in the region unless Israel withdraws from all Arab territories occupied by it since 1967" and unless the inalienable national rights of the Palestinian people are fuDy restored, including the right to ,return to thelir homeland and establish an independent State in Palestine. Any lasting settlement in the Middle East must also ensure that every State in the region has a right to exist within secure and internationally recognized boundaries. 148. The other area of concern to my delegation is the situation in Cyprus. We fully respect the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and non-aligned statusof the Republic of Cyprus. In our View, General Assembly resolutions 3212 (XXIX) and 3395 (XXX) and Security Couneil resolutions 365 (1974) and 367 (1975) stillprovide a good basis for a just and lasting solutionof the Cyprus problem. We shouldlike to expressour appreciation to the Secretary-General for his tireless and unrelt)itting effortsto bringthe two Cypriotcommunities together for talksunder his auspices in order to fmd solutions to their differences. 149. Nearer home, the Indian subcontinent to which we belong has been an area of much tension and conflict d-.:ring the past fewdecades. Fortunately, thereis a glimmer of hope for the future. In reviewing the regional situation, We hope that the momentum towards peace and co-operation will be maintained and that all countries in our region will make determined efforts to promote friendship, understanding and co-operation in order to realize the goal of a brighter, happier and more secure future for all our peoples. 150. The General Assembly by a vast majority adopted resolution 2832 (XXVI) on the Declaration of the Indian Ocean as a Zone ofPeace. Even after the lapse of five years, we fmd that the Declaration has in no way been respected by the great Powers. It is our view that the presence of great-Power rivalry in the Indian Ocean will disturb the peace and stability of that sensitive zone. We hope that the proposal recently made by the Soviet Union in this regard {see A/3l/232, sect. 7J will meet with a favourable response from the other great Powers. Such a development would go a long way towards making the Declaration a reality, and thereby reduce tension and the possibility of conflict in yet another area of the globe. 151. The world economic system continues to suffer from serious imbalances and growing inequalities. The everwidening gap between the rich and poor countries is still one of the major sources of tensions. and conflicts. It is evident that the present economic order cannot ensure the progress and prosperity of the developing countries. We are all aware that it is not the fluctuations in the market forces which are causing economic stagnation in the developing countries, .but the inbuilt biases of the present economic order itself is to blame. The General Assembly, on the initiative of the developing countries, adopted numerous resolutions during the sixth and seventh special sessions to bring about a new international economic order based on equity and justice for all. 152. We hope that the appeal made by the Headsof State and Government of the non-aligned movement from Colombo will not go Unheeded. During the course of her eloquent address to this august body, the current Chairman 'of the non-alignedmovement, Prime MinisterMrs. Sirimavo Bandaranaike of Sri Lanka, stated: 153. There are further disturbing S!gns on the horizon. The results of the fourth session of UNCTAD,held at Nairobi last May, havefallen short of the aspirations of the developing countries. The negotiations currently being held in the Paris Conference on International Economic Cooperation are not progressing, owing to a lack of political will on the part of the developedcountries. The implementation of the policy measuresembodied in the International Development Strategy is most discouraging, as the developed countries are not fulfllling their international obligations. We are still far from achievingthe 0.7 per cent target set in the International Development Strategy for the Second Development Decade. 154. The Secretary-General, Mr. Kurt Waldheim, in his opening remarks to Habitat: United Nations Conferenceon Human Settlements," pointed out that one third of the entire urban population of the third world livesin squatter settlements; a large percentage' of the people of the le~t developed countries have no water within 100 metres of their houses; and that half of these people are without electricity. Those statistics are not pleasant to hear, but they highlight the pitiable condition in which hundreds of millions of people in the developing countries live. The situation is still worse in the least developed land-locked countries. Apart from other factors, their geographically disadvantageous position seriously retards their development. The international community must look upon the special problems of that category of States with greater understanding and sympathy. I wish to submit in all humility that we need to go beyond mere reaffirmation of basic aims and principles. The ManilaDeclaration provdes a comprehensive and ~ealistic stretegy for action. 155. The fifth session of the Third United Nations' Conference on the Law of the Sea ended on 17 September in New York without agreement. My country has always been of the opinion that a just and equitable new legal order to govern the sea and the ocean floor must take into account the interests of all countries, whether coastal or land-locked.We also believethat a just and equitable law of the sea will play an important role in the establishment of the new international economic order. In the case of the land-locked countries, the right of access to and from the sea and freedom oftransit needs to be safeguarded,for that isvital to their trade and development. 156. A new phenomenon has emerged in recent times which seriously endangers human lives and the safety of international traffic. 1 refer primarily to the phenomenon of taking hostages by seizing aircraft, although other methods have also.been used to take hostages. Surely there 7 See ~eport (.,fHabitat: United Nationr Conference on Human Settlements (United Nations pUblication, Slles No. E.76.IV.7), chap. VII, para. 39. Republic of Germany in thia regard {see A/31/242] deserves the most serious consideration of this Assembly. 157. In conclusion, I wish to say that while there are no easy solutioD! t(V the wodd's problems, a great deal canbe achieved if an nations join hands and work together with pltienceanddetermination, a sense ofvision and,above all, a great deal of courage.

The delegation of the Republic of Guinea- Biuau, which it is my single honour to represent in this General Assembly of the United Nations, welcomes the election of Mr. Amerasinghe to direct our work.' We are pleased to jOiri in the congratulations which have been addressed to him and to the other representatives of Member States who have been elected to serve on the General Committee ofthe General Assembly. We'wish them every success in their mission. No one can have any doubt about the skill, experience and selflessness of Mr. Ameralinghe, who hasconstantly worked forthe fulfJlment ofthe noble principles of the great family of the United Nations. 159. We should also like to pay a tribute to his predeces- IOr, the Prime Minister an,,-( Minister for Foreign Affairs of Luxembourg, Mr. Gaston 'l"horn. Mr. Thorn successfuDy carried out his difficult task in the defence of the supreme andvital interests ofourvarious countries. 160. We should also like to take this opportunity to welcome the Republic of Seychelles to the United Nations. We extend to it our congratulations and best wishes and IllUre it of our fuDest co-operation. 161. It is clear that the workin which the President isnow leading us is very important and that the decisions that we are about to adopt on the problems before uswill not only affectthe immediate future ofthe peoples of the world but will also have an influence on the march of events, on a wQdd-wide scale. 162. On this historic occasion, asthe thirty-first session of the General Assembly or our Organization gets under way; it is a pleasure for me, on behalf of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau and its Council of State, to thank aD the States Members of the United Nations, the Secretariat and the Secretary-General, Mr. Kurt Waldheim, fortheirtireless efforts to ensure the survival of this great international body. 163. I should like to pay a special tribute to that dear-minded and lucid diplomat, who has such a penetrating understanding of the burning international problems of ' the day. Mr. Kurt Waldheim is a great friend of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau and a companion in arms, of the peoples ofthe thirdworld. We wish to express our gratitude to the Secretary-General, who has always placed his competence and devotion at the service of mankind. The people and Government of Guinea-Bissau consider them- 164. The United Nations already has to its credit a number of significant changes which have takenplace in the development of international relations. The prospects for peace in the world strengthen our conviction that people must come together and talk if they are to fulfd the legitimate aspirations of all the countries of the thirdworld to independence and sovereignty. In the circumstances, we must once again reaffirmour position on certain localized events and conflicts which are absorbing all the energies of the peoples engaged in the struggle and obstructing their normal progress towards peace andwell-being. 165. For a clear definition ofthe pressing problems ofthe world whose solutions we have gathered here to seek we must, without delay, but withcourage anddirectness, recall to this Assembly the characterisdc features of the international situation today; the intolerable facts and events which disturb ourexistence andthe lives of our peoples and States. Thanks to the determination of the international community, reason has fmally triumphed in support of the principle of universality, which is one of the fundamental principles of the Organization. 166. In considering objectively the ways and means to be adopted to give effect to ouraction wemusttry to defme a code of consistent, courageous anddetermined conduct for ourselves if our presence here is to have any positive meaning, a meaning that must constantly be renewed, and if those whom we represent nationally and internationally are to be satisfied of our trustworthiness andefficiency. 167. The people of Guinea-Bissau, who for centuries suffered underforeign domination and who,in order to win freedom and independence, fought a longwarthat cost the lives of thousands of their best sons, cannot today remain indifferent to international problems. The commitment of the people of Guinea-Bissau in theirstruggle to bring peace to the territory allows us to affirm that our country will spare no effort and no sacrifice in making its modest contribution to the maintenance of international peace and security, in accordance with the purposes andprinciples of our Organiz~tion's Charter. 168. That is why the people of the Republic of Guinea- , Bissau, now completely rid of colonial domination, resolutely commit themselves on the side of their brothers in southern Africa struggling for national liberation. In our opinion, there can be no development without liberation and, consequently, no guarantee for world peace. It is the duty of all peoples who love peace and justice, in accordance with thevarious resolutions of our Orga.nization on decoloRization, to give effective assistance to the peoples that are still oppressed, in order to hasten their liberation and to struggle by all possible means against those who have still not accepted the objectives which we have set for ourselves. 169. South Africa and Rhodesia, united in their evil scheme to maintain the African peoples under their domination through the disgraceful practices of racial .~crimination _and c!JI<:»D!a1 oppression, arecontinuing with 170. We must therefore make clear our active solidarity with the strugg1ing peoples of southern Africa and stand ready to act at any moment upon their request. The unspeakable massacres of the defenceless populations of Soweto, Johannesburgand Cape Town by Fascistforces are a tragic reminder of the urgent need to ensure the implementation of the resolutions adopted by our Organization against the Governmentof South Africa.No African people, no peace-loving, justice-loving people will ever tolerate the massacre of black populations in South Africa. That is why the Republic of Guinea-Bissau fmnly supports the liberation movement in South Africa in its struggle against apartheid and for social justice, democracy and an end to all racialdomination. 171. The Government of South Africa must not be allowed to continue illegally to occupy and plunder Namibia, that Territory which the League of Nations had earlier placed under its administration. Wl-Jle we hail the earnest efforts of the Secretary-General to bringPretoria to its senses, we must at the same time continue to encourage the United Nations, in particular the Security Council, to p~t an end to South Africa's imposture. 172. The brother peoples of Mozambique, Zambia and Botswana, who are victims of the racist regime of South Africa and of the economic aggression of the lan Smith clique, must be able at an times to count on our sympathy and our effective assistance in the defence of their territorial integrity and the pursuit of their economic development protected from all criminal threats from Rhodesia and South Africa. 173. The Republic of Guinea-Bissau wishes, in accordance with its options and commitments to the people of Angola and their pioneering movement, MPLA, to express its indignation at the refusal to admit the People's Republic of Angola to the United Nations. It is inconceivable that the People's Republic of Angola, already recognized by nearly all the Members ofthis Organization,should not be allowed to participatehere as a funy fledged Member in formulating decisions pertaining to the international community. 174. We are following also with particular 'interest events in so-called French Somaliland, and we reaffirm our solid support for the liberation movement in that Territory. The results obtained for the decolonization of that African Territory are undoubtedly a victory for the Somalipeople. Consequently, a solution must be found in the very near future so that the oppressed people may achieve autonomy and national independence. 176. One of the regions of the world where tension threatening international peace still persists is the Middle East. The critical situation prevailing there is a source of concern, and it is not without anxiety that we have been closely fonowing events. Hundreds of thousands of inhabitants in the area are experiencing untold suffering as the result of these ravaging conflicts. Having most carefuny considered the problem, we recognize' its complexity but we believe,however, that it can be resolved. 177. In order to arrive ata satisfactory and lasting solution, Israel must recognize the injustice it has committed against its Arab neighbours" especially against the people ofPalestine. Israelmust be willingto correct the situation in the area, so as to be able to open a new chapter in its relations with its neighbours.It should fust ofall, and without delay, withdraw from the Arab territories whichit occupied in June 1967 and the territories. assigned to the State of Palestine by the partition plan contained in the resolution{181 (//}J adopted on 29 November 1947 by the General AssemtIy by virtue ofwhich ~e State of Israelwas born. 178. In the opinion of the delegation of Guinea-Bissau, the tension in the Middle Eastwill be fmally dispelledonly if the people of Palestinehavetheir national rights restored to them. Within this framework, the participation of the Palestine Liberation Organization in all efforts to bring about a negotiated settlement of the problem remains the sine qua non of the successof this process. The delegation of Guinea-Bissau wishes to expressits whole-hearted.solidarity with those fighting in the just cause of the Arabs, in particular the Palestine Liberation Organization, the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people struggling for the liberation oftheir usurped motherland. 179. We are focUsing particular attention on the question of Cyprus. We believe that in Cyprus, as in so many other parts of the world, the tension is caused essentially by interference of foreign forces in the domestic affairsof the country. In those circumstances, it is absolutely indispensable, if the situation in Cyprus is t9 return to normal, for allthe foreign forces to respect the resolutions adopted by the Upi~ed Nations-that is, by the General Assembly and the Security Council, respectively-and stop interfering in the domestic affairs of the island. The Cypriot community must be free to determine its own destiny and to preserve the sovereignty and territorial integrity of its country, in keeping with the policy of neutrality and non-alignment. 180. Although we have been gratified to note the success registered in the period that has elapsed in regard to the maintenance of peace and security, we remain concerned by . the problem of an artifiCially .divided Korea. That division creates a threat to international peace and security. That is why the Republic of Guinea-Bissau supports the 182. The Latin American peoples are increasing their action to strengthen their national independence; they wish to recover their natural resourcesand play their proper role in international life. The assertion of their independence requires the immediate liquidation of colonialism in all its forms. To that end, the independence movements in Latin America must be encouraged and supported by all of us, through active solidarity with Panamain its struggle for the full exercise of sovereignty over the Panama Canal. We firmly support the Chilean democrats also. It is our duty to help the peoples of Panama and Chile in their struggle for territorial integrity, independence and the restoration of democracy. 183. Two major problems are ofconcern to the delegation of Guinea-Bissau: what is happening now in Western Sahara and East Timor. 184. It is obvious that since the signing in Madrid, on 14 November 1975, of the tripartite Agreements no solution to the problems of Western Sahara has been found. The Saharan people, who have demonstrated their desire for self-determination, have had no choice but to resort to arms. The situation prevailing today in that part of our continent poses a grave threat to international peace and security. That is why our delegation believes that the urgency of the Saharan problem requires more detailed consideration by the Assembly,in order to avoid the worst. 185. At the time when fascism was overthrown in Portugal, the Frente Revoluciomiria Timor Leste Independente {FRETILINJ 'Yas preparing fmally to assum~ the leadership of the country and the exercise of national sovereignty.But Indonesia, with annexation as its objective, seized that occasion to jeopardize the independence, territorial integrity and future of the country. We are today Witne~g a process designed to eliminate the resistanceof the people of Timor. The delegation of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau therefore urgently appeals to the former colonial Power, Portugal, which has the moral and legal duty to ensure the accession of that country to international sovereignty, to discharge all its responsibilities and guarantee independence for the people of Timor. We therefore specifically request that the problem of East' Timor be considered at this sessionof the Assembly,so that we may fmd solutions that willenable the people ofTimor freely to express their viewson the future of their country. 80//icill; Recoraz 01 the Securiry Council, Thirtieth Year, Supplement lor OCtober, November fznd IHcember J975, document 187. The Colombo Conference of Heads of State or Government of Non-Aligned Countries took note in its Political Declaration {AI311197, annex IJ of the profound changes in the over-all balance of forces in the world as a result of the development of the forces of peace, independence and progress. At the same time, it welcomed the efforts and initiatives to strengthen detente. The Conference stressed that peaceis far from being achievedin the world, because of the persistence of colonialism, racial discrimination and apartheid; imperialist aggression and foreign occupation; and the policy of the big Powers, foreign domination and economic exploitation. Furthermore, the Conference declared that peace is indivisible and that it cannot be reduced to the mere transfer of confrontation from one region to another, nor can it resign itself to the persistence of tensions. Detente will be precarious if it does not take into account the intere.sts of other countries. The Conference stressed also that detente must lead to the dissolution of military alliances born of the cold war. • 188. The Colombo Conference once againemphasized the limited nature of the process of detente, although it did welcome the results of the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe. It drew attention, also, to the close relationship between security in Europe, in the Mediterranean and in the Middle East, and invited the participants in the European Conference to undertake to settle the problems of developmentin the interests of all countries. It is precisely detente that was responsible for placing on the agenda the reorganization of economic relationships in the world. We have to eliminate inequality and discrimination, and effectively guarantee the sovereign right of all States to dispose of their own natural resources. The seventh. special session of the General Assembly called strictly to account those who for centuries have been exploiting the work and resources of others. That session of the General Assembly, followed by the fourth sessionofUNCTAD held at Nairobi, traced a course for the liquidation ofeconomic oppression. That is why the Republic of Guinea-Bissau fmnly supports the claims of the developing and non-aligned countries, a group of which we are an integral part. 189. Having set forth the views of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau on various international problems which are of concern to our Organization, I should like now to make a brief reference to my own country. The Republic of Guinea-Bissau, a member of most international organizations, which has opted for the policy of non-alignment in its struggle for peace and development, is deeply committed to the course of co-operation with all States in the international community without discrimination, except in the case of two States which still pursue the disgraceful policy of apartheid and colonial and Zionist domination. The Republic of Guinea-Bissau has established diplomatic 190. Every deterioration in the international situation is caused either by blows delivered against the freedom and independence of the peoples or by the unbridled armsrace, and that is why we must combine our efforts to consolidate and make irreversible what has already been done for the sake of the independence and sovereignty of all peoples, peaceand international solidarity. 191. In conclusion we should like to reiterate here our firm determination to work tirelessly for the maintenance of international security and our solidarity with those peopleswho are strugglingfor just causes.

We are loyal to the fundamental postulates of international law, one of which is the juridical equality of States, and thus we should like to take this opportunity to congratulate Mr.Amerasinghe on his well-deserved election to the office of President. His election is an acknowledgement of the tradition of culture and the devotion to peace of the country he represents. This election does honour to our world Organization and underlines the effectivene~s of the principle of the equality of States, since it indicates that it is not necessary to possess great economic wealth to ~rve in a leadership role in the United Nationsand its General Assembly. Mr~ Illueca (Panama), Vice-President, took the Chair. 193." For nations such as ours, which do not have abundant economic means, it is encouraging to see that within this Assembly high moral values are respected, because only by recognizing the true and transcendental value of the human person is it possible to foreseea bright future for mankind, which, unfortunately, is hesitantly gropingalongat the present time. 194. We should also like to express our appreciation to Mr.Gaston Thorn, Prime Minister of Luxembourg, for his discretionand hiseffectivenessin guidingthe debatesof the last sessionof the General Assembly. 195. We also extend our praise to Mr. Kurt Waldheim, the Secretary-General,. for the positive action he has taken during the period as is outlined in hisreport on the work of the Organization {A/31/1J, which is before the Assembly. 196. A new Member has come to swell the concert of nat,ons gathered within the portals of this ~orld Organization. We are extremely pleased to welcome the Republic of Seychelles, and at the same time we should like to express our admimtion to the United Kingdom for its strict compliance with international law. By giving autonomy to the Seychelles, the United Kingdom has punctiliously applied the principle of the self-determination of peoples. 197. With due attention we have taken note of the report of the Secretary-General with regard to the maintenanceof peace and international security, which constitutes one of the most outstanding duties of the international body, and 198. This degree of development will be possible only . when it is generally held that any dispute can be settled by means of instruments in which the will of the parties is taken as the decisive positive factor. In other words, the effectivenessof a means of solution does not depend upon the technical or legal tool itself; rather, it flows from the willingness and concurrence of States to contribute to the successof the regulatory system. 199. But if, instead of contributing to the strengtheningof the world body or of regional bodies, Powersare compelled to perfect the means of mass destruction, while law languishes from neglect and repudiation, we can see looming over the future the risk of a conflagration that would imperil the survival of civilizationitself. 200. For those reasons, we believe that the detonation of atomic devices in the atmosphere, underground or under water should be prohibited by a treaty or by conscientious self-limitation on the part of States which possess such weapons. Explosions in the atmosphere pollute with their harmful gases elements which are essential for life, while explosions under water will destroy or make unuseable species which inhabit vast areas within the range of radioactive fallout. Indeed, there is no generalbelief to the contrary. Moreover, experiments of this type can alter ecological conditions, and hence any test which would, intentionally or otherwise, modify the environment should be prohibited. 201. In this connexion, it would seem that the nations which have scarce resources and limited economic and war-msldng potential are the ones looking hopefully to juridical systems for the settlement of disputes. Honduras, through civilized channels, is in the' process of solving its dispute with El Salvador, both countries having agreed to mediation, .the recommendations of which would be 202. If mediation fails to settleallissues, Honduras would be readyto take its case, in all goodwill, to anyother body able to eliminate once and forallanybasis of disagreement or lack of undemanding, andwould comply fully withany ruling, in the case of an arbitration or judicial procedure, both because of the nature of those means and because of the fact that it is the inherentfactor of good faith which mult underlie suchagreements. 203. We are pleased to seeproceeding the talksto end the eXisting dispute over Belize-a Central. American region which, because of its historical andjuridical links with the sister Republic of Guatemala, is foremost in the minds and spirit of justice of the peoples of the Isthmus. Because of everything Honduras and Guatemala have gone through together, Honduras trusts that this time the negotiations will lead to recognition of those rights which Guatemala is claiming. ' 204. There is also a reccmmendation before this OrGanization that the parties coatinuein theirtalksaimed at settling the status.of the Falkland Islands (Malvinas). Any time a dispute is settled, it can00saidthat t'L'.) partyloses because, in any case, what is t"'in8 lStrengthened is Lite juridica~ order, and tlU! in it!Jelf constitutes a ,guarantee for the pt0$~:va:t1on of peace and the harmonious coexistence of States. Hence we wish to take this occasion to express our optimiun for the success of those direct negotiations which, vlith mutual undefil;'tmding based on their long diplomtlltic tradition, are to be undertalc.on by the Argentine' Republic andthe United Kingdom, and weheee that t.'tOSH negotlatiom: vlill culminate in ?ljust settlement for Argentlna. 205. In the S"!IDl1'J spirit of equ.~ty which inspires out fu1ernationw relations, WtI sIDi;erely hope that the negotiations being clU'rierl out tlf the UMdted States and Panama within the framewoJk of mutual respect will yield pollitive ben"fits for both States andthe recognition of their mutual rights. 206.. F~ut while. some Americat! countries ate uying to salve their diffttet.lcel by peaceful means, in other partsof thewodd bUIID;,~g llUtt,Oll1W unleashed byoprJOsing factions ue endangering m~el'n3tio~'lal order. wasting hundreds of thousands of Jives in a sterile holocaust, because on innumerable occasions the ideology of a prevailing regime has flouted basic rights and principles of human conscience, which are recognized by only one form of social interaction: the Western system of coexistence. It isto behoped tlu.t these difficulties will cease so that <L! cirilization, which must face a future of limited physical potential, as indeed the world which surrounds usislimited, will beable to apply its energies and intelligence to meeting the needs" of theint..mediate future. 207. During the course of this year,the fourth and fifth sessions'· of the Third Uniteci Nations Conference on the 208. A concern which mustbeshared by all nations of the world derives from the Malthusian theory that the relendeu rate of population growth will outstrip the rate of food production. Few States have rationally conserved their natural resources; others-the poorest-have frittered them away improvidently. But whatever precautions may be taken, it is certain that there is a growing shortage of food-stuffs, and in a few decades the squalor of hunger will overshadow many horizons,justasthescourge alreidyexists asa Jiving fact in many regions. That is why we musttake collective measures to forestall that evil. Any contribution i.~de to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nation3 will be small in relation to the dimensions ofthe problem, andthe onerelatively untapped reserve, the riches of the sea, must be protected sothat it mayfeedthe progeny of tomorrow. 209. With regard to the item on our agenda {item 80/ which deals with freedom of information, I can announ,ce withheartfelt satisfaction deriving from respect for a right of suchmagnitude, that the Government of my country is f~ny complying with a commitment which, lmides being enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, corresponds to a guarantee rooted in the depths of the conscience. Therefore, this ethical imperative must be strictly observed so that no one,in this dayandage, should be interfered with or persecuted for expressing hia thoughts. 210. Although it does not exist in our country, politicaI terrorism is of great concern to the people of Honduru. The proliferation of such aets in recent yean merits a thorough study of' their causes, and tfu..astic action on the part of States in which terrorists seek refuge, even though those whocommit the transgression maybe identified with the prevailing ideology of the particular country.Theform of mass danger generally~nherent in these actsof terrorism means that they must be considered as a flagrant crime against humanity• 212. The contribution of the United Nations to forging peace has been great, and its efforts at maintaining collective security have been effective. Butan Organization born of a conflagration must adjust its machinery to the experience acquired over 30 years of existence. Thisiswhy Honduras has supported the efforts designed to carry out a new study of its statute: andthose of its subsidiary bodies. There can be no doubt that grave and frequent infractions of the code of coexistence among States do indicate gaps andimperfections whichcould be overcome. The slowness with which infringements of national sovereignty are sometimes dealt with; the possibilities and the subtle untilization of the veto; the fact that some provisions, recommendations and resolutions are not compulsory; the 6mitation and neutralization of the jUrisdiction of the International Court of Justice; and the fact that the Organization cannot take up facts or conflicts, however serious they may be, when they are being studiedby other regional bodies, areallserious impediments to the effectiveness of the Charter and mean that the United Nations organs do not functionasthey should. 218. Once again the Israeli Minister resorted to insulting expressions addressed to members of the General Assembly andto that body itself, and evensaw fit to talk about the dictatorship of a majority, although he lays claim to a democracy in his own country. He wants the General Assembly to endorse Israel's acts of aggression and terrorism or he will attack the Assembly and reject its resolutions. 219. I should like very briefly to shed some light on Egypt's view of certain subjects to which the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Israelalluded in hisstatement beforethe General Assembly yesterday.I would ventureto commence my remarks by speaking about peace, something which Israel claims to defend. . 220. The Minister for Foreign Affairs. of Israel more than . once repeated the word "peace" in his statement. He felt that by so doing he would enforce this idea, but he was unable to distort the views of the General Assembly or of world public opinion in spite of that. The Minister for Foreign Affairs of Israel thinks, perhaps, of peace asIt is construed in Israel. Has he forgotten what he himself referred to in the October 1976 issue of the American review, Foreign Affairs, in which he called for annexation of Israeli-held Arab territories, including a territory which we hold very dear, namely, the Sinai? In this the sort of peace which he wishes to seereign? Is this the sort of peace that he is defending? I would say to him resolutely and unambiguously that there will never be peace between Israel and Egypt so long as our Arab territories remain occupied. TheArabStates willnever give up a single inch of their territory. I hope that this is an adequate reply to the so-called "peace" that was proclaimed yesterday by the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Israel. 213. All this deserves a revision that would really be a proof of goodwill, taking into account the experience gained over 20 years. It would make it possible to strengthen the UnitedNations onceagain while maintaining itspresentorganic and legal structure. 214. Once unswerving confidence has returned to the international sphere the new order will prevail in a collective life free of anguish and ensure a future free of catastrophe for man, who longs to follow a sunlit path brightened by the light of law, which, as Cicero said, frees usasweabideby its principles. 21S~ The tasks before this General Assembly at its thirty-fustsession are of great importance, andgreatare the hopes of the peoples whose trust is placed in this highest forum. We should like to express our desire that decisions may always be taken in furtherance of justice and man's dignity-and we shallcontribute as far aswe canto this-so that within this body the lawof nationswill reachlevels of excellence suchthat heremay be heard the clearest voice of theconscience of mankind. : 221. I should now like to tum to the subject of relations between SouthAfricaand Israel. Despite the fact that these relations have existed for some time, dating from. the creation of Israel in 1948, Israel, challenging world public opinion and particularly. African public opinion, has done its best in recent years to strengthen these relations with South Mrica. There has been a growth in these relations and a strengthening of the relations between the racist systems in South Africa, Israel and Rhodesia. Hasthe Israeli Minister forgotten the Visit of Mr. Vorster, the Prime Minister of the racistregime in South Africa, to his country a few months ago and the statement made by Mr. Vorster that he was veryhappy to seerelations growing between his country and Israel? Has the Foreign Minister of Israel forgotten this unholy alliance between his country andthe racist regimes in various areas? Has the Foreign Minist~r of Israel forgottenthe Israeliweapons whichhave beensoldso lavishly to South Africa in orderto fight against the people of Azania? Has the Israeli Minister forgotten the eo-operation between the tworegimes in order to profit fromeach otller's military experience in their struggles against libera-

We have just heard the last speaker on the list for this afternoo~. The representatives of Egypt, Yugoslavia, India, France, Costa Rica and the United States.of America have asked to be allowed to speak in exercise of their right of reply, and they will be called upon in that order. Members will recall that at its 4th plenary meeting the General Assembly decided that statements made in exercise of the rightofreply would be restricted to 10 minutes.

Yesterday afternoon[22nd meeting], we heardin the General Assembly the statement of the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Israel which contained a number of 222. 1he Israeli doaler is hardly to its credit in this coonexion. TheMinilter for Foreign Affainof Israel should not be proud of this dollier. He should besthave remained silent. This isfurtherevidence of the supportgiven by Israel te the racist regime and itl resort to terrorism. I would ask the Minister for Foreign Affain of Israel to read the report of the Special Committee againL1 Apartheid {A/31/22/ Add.2/, which is before this lession of the General Assembly and which contains data describing the growing relations .bet~n Israel and the racist ~gime in South Africa and the material _istance of various kinds provided by Ilraelto that racist ligime. 223. On the subject of the General Peace Conference, which was alluded to by the Israeli Minister-he accused Ea,ypt of having sabotapd the initiatives that had been undertaken for the holding of that Confereilce-I should like to teD him quiteclearly and to remind the Assembly of certain facts in this connexion. At the time of the victorious October war Egypt was the first State to advocate the holding of a conference at Geneva, on 29 October 1973. The President of the Egyptian Arab Republic made an appeal that sucha conference be heldso that a comprehensive, just and lasting solution could be found to this problem. It wu quite natunt that Egypt Ihould defendthe participation of the P"estine liberation Organizaition in that important conference, because there can be no peace in the Middle East un~ess the fundamental problem, nlJliely, the Palestinian problem is solved. Thus the Genent Assembly adopted its important resolution 3375(XXX), by which it called for the invitation of the Palestine liberation Orpnization to participate on an equal footing with the parties concemed in that conference. Does the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Israel mean that the countries which approved that resolution are plecisely the countries that sabotapd the initiatives for the holding of sucha conference? I hardly think so.I could never believe that lfIUtnf)nt. It is p~cisely the actions of Israel which subverted the peace initiatives for the holding of such a conference. . . 224. The Minister for Foreign Affain of Israel then went on to speak of th~ security felt by the Arab peoples vis-a-vis Isnel and the security wlUch the Arabs wished to achieve in co-operation with Israel. Is it security when thousands of Arabs are day by day expo.ed to the bullets and to the IllJessive acts of the Israeli occupying forces, those forces whi~ expropriated the Arabpopulation? 225•. The PRP,sIDENT (inttrpretation from SptI1Iilh): I . :.polopze for interrupting the speaker. I should like to say ttmt, in accordance with the decision taken by the General Aslembly, statements madein exercise ofthe rightof reply must be limitedto 10 minutes. Thespeaker may eonclude.. 227. I am sure that the General Assembly is accustomed to hearing the usual series of claims and allegations of Israel. Israel is determined to reject the resolutions of this General Assembly, but the Arab States wm never accept such acts, nor wm the General Assembly approve of the actsofIsrael in the occupied territories.

The representatives of Israel have been constantly endeavouring to distort Yugoslavia's policy deliberately and maliciously. This does not surprise us. What else couldone expect from the representatives of a Government which has been violating the Charter of the United Nations, the rules of international law and basic principles of humanity for a number of years and which totally ignores the demands of the vast majority of StatesMembers of the United Nations? 229; The Minister for Foreign Affairs of Israel uttered a gross untruth in his speech when he mentioned Yugoslavia and some other countries as "States whose representatives were the most eloquent in thwarting any effective United Nations action"against terrorism. 230. This Organization is weD acquainted with Yugoslavia's position regarding every form of terrorism. Yugoslavia has always favoured the undertaking of resolute intemational action against terrorism in which the United Nations should play a primary role. Yugoslavia is energetically opposed to all forms of terrorism, both individual and, especially, State terrorism; that isto say,the terrorism practised by the Government of Israel in occupied Arab territories andterritories of other States. 231. It is obvious that by accusing others, the representative of Israel tries to conceal Israel's accusing record of undertaking terrorist actions against its neighbours and the Palestinian people. TheUnited Nations hasrepeatedly dealt with those practices, for which Israel has been condemned many times. 232. It is true that Yugoslavia has been the target of the terrorist activities of some notorious Fascist groups and iridividuals. But I am certain that the representative of Israel knows perfectly weD whothe aforementioned groups and individuals are and who are those who stand behind themand give themsupportand protection. J

The Foreign Minister of Israel stated yesterday that India was among the States which thwarted effective United Nations action against terrorism in 1972.Thatstatementisentirelymisconceived'. It isbased on a mistaken conception of the factual situation.

In his statement this afternoon to the General Assembly, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ugandatried to refute the assertion of the Foreign Minister of my country who, in his statement on 27 September last 16th meeting], valiantly denounced the dangers inherent in terrorism• 235. I wish to make this statement for the record by way of clarification of the Indian position and in reply to the inaccurate statement made by Israelyesterday. 242. I am convinced that if the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Costa Rica had not already returned to my country and were still here in New.York he surely would have made this reply himself. Therefore, in my capacity as Permanent Representative of Costa Rica, I should like to assume responsibility for this reply and to indicate at the outset that I am not motivated by any desire to start an argument with another delegation because, quite apart from what has been said, the incident at Entebbe deserves to be judged by world public opinion essentially on the,basis of the actual events that took place there. Those events are self-explanatory. What occurred at Entebbe can be described by the events that happened there and it would be difficult to imagine any more spectacular incident of international terrorism. If he had not indicated that, the representative of Costa Rica would not have been speaking the truth. .

The French delegation wishes briefly to clarify its position as a result of the statement made yesterday afternoon [22nd meeting] by the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Somalia. My delegation, which has already made clear its position on other subjects, will confine its reply to certain passages in that statement referring to the French Territory of the Afars and Issas. The French Government solemnly recognized the application for independence of that French territory on 30 December 1975. It recalled and confmned its desire to bring that Territory to independence, respecting the principle of self-determination, on 11 February 1976. My' Government did not simply confme itself to affmning a principle: it defmed the ways and means that should be applied. Some of them have already been initiated; I should like to refer to them briefly. 243. A sovereign State such as mine has no reason to feel shame at having expressed its admiration for. the action undertaken by Israel, because that action dealt a death blowto terrorism and did not encourageit. . 237. The French Government has decided that the population shall express its choice in favour ofindependence by a referendum, in accordance with the French Constitution. 'The French Government accepted the visit to Djibouti of a mission of inquiry from OAU, which visited the Territory from 30 April 2 May. 'The French Government facilitated consultations between the various political groups in the Territory, without any exception. On 8 June 1976, those consultations led to the signing of a joint declaration in which the three political entities "declared that they wished for the future State genuine independence and respect for its sovereignty and territorial integrity". On 29 July, that declaration was followed by the election of a new Government Council comprising the representatives of all political groupsin the Territory. 244. The representative of Uganda said, "Who 'knows, perhaps what happened in my country might happen in Costa Rica". I shall reply by citing a fact. In 197J a group of terrorists seized an airplane from a neighbouring country and brought it to the airport. in my country ~ The. group demandedthat certain things be done so that the passengers might be freed. The Government of Costa Rica refused to negotiate. The Civil Guard of my country dealt with that matter and by very va1ia~t action was able to free the passengers. The terrorist group, was put in prison. That action put the terrorists on note of the fact that Costa Rica would never serve as a sanctuary for their actions. Because of our action no similar case has ever againoccurred in our land. 238. 'Those measures and new developments are proof of the good faith and sincere wish of the French Government to lead the Territory to independence in a peaceful and democratic manner in a climate of unity. Can one see here any lack of concrete progress, any deliberate intention to hold up the accession to independence of the Territory of the Afarsand Issas? 245•. Mr~ IDRlS (Indonesia): I apologize for speaking at this late hour but my statement will be very brief. The Foreign Minister ofGuinea-Bissau referred to East Timor in his statement and I should 'like, to put on record the Indonesianview on this question. : 239. The next stages are well known: the French Government will present to the next sessionof Parliament a bill on the organization of the referendum on the independence of the Territory; that referendum will be held during the first months of 1977, after revisionof the electoral rolls. 246. I should like to remind him that the right of self-determination was exercised by the people of East Timorin a manner oftheir own choosing and in conformity with their own traditional system and. institutions. Subsequently, on 17 July this year, the people of East Timor decided to become independent through integration with the Republic of Indonesia, a decision which my country 240. France pledges itself to respect the decision of the people of Djibouti, which will become an independent 248. Mr. BENNE'IT (United States of America): I rise with repet, and admittedly in considerable perplexity, to offer a briefreply to certain remarks made by the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Panama to the General Assembly this morning {23rd meeting}. Let me make twoor threepoints to clarify this matterfor the Assembly. 249. The Foreign Minister of Panama hastoday attacked the President of the Umted States and the President's principal opponent in our current electoral campaign. He ha alsoa«ackedthe credibility of the Secretary of State.It is diffICult for my delegation to perceive howsuch attacks OIl United State5 leaden can enhance the prospects for IUccellful conclusion of the effortsto revise existing treaty arrangements regarding the Panama Canal. 250. In his remarks this morning the Foreign Minister of Panama associated the Panama Canal talks with current efforts underway to bring about a settlement of southern African questions. Let me emphasize here that the Secretary of Stateof the United Statesisdetermined to continue his negotiations in view of achieving majority rule in southern Africa, and enlUring the acceptance of the principles of non-discrimination and political equality. My delegation has been disappointed that the Foreign Minister of Panama, or anyone else, would cast aspersions on those effortsofthe United StatesSecretary of State. 251. TheUnited States Government iscommitted, andhas been for I long time, to working out a treaty with the Government of Panama to revise currentarrangements with respect to the Panama Canal. This very morning's newspapen carried the announcement that the United States and Panama have agreed to resume negotiations within the lie"t two weeks on a new treaty. The integrity and commitment of the President of the United States and his Secretfd)' of Stateare thus oncemore demonstrated by that announcement, made in the middle of a busy political CII1)paign. . 252. Mr. KINENE' (Uganda) (interpretation from SptmiJh): The statement just made by the representative of' Costa Rica isthe bestconfmnationpossible ofthe fact that that representative is merely a spokesman for the Zionists ;' in this Assembly. That is precisely what the Minister for Foreign·Affairs of my country said when hewas exercising his rightto reply to the malicious allegations of the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Costa Rica at the startofthis session of the General Assembly. The statement of the representative of Costa Rica demonstrates to what extent that countryisinvolved withthe Zionists. 253. The delegation of Uganda once again is unable to fmd any apologies for the spokesman of the Zionists. We hope that in the near future 'We shall be able to here the

I Iistene~ with attention to the statement-just made by the representative of France in exercising the right of reply, in which he referred to remarks made by the Minister for Foreign Affairs of my country in his statement before this august Assembly yesterday afternoon. These remvks in turn referred to the remarks made by the Minister for Foreign Affairs of France ~ hisstatement of 29'September{9th meeting}. 255. When the Minister for Foreign Affairs of France spoke ot what he preferred to call the "French Territory of the Afan andIssas",hestated: "France is engaged in a process that will lead in a democratic manner to independence, if"-and I underline "ift'-"such is the wish of the population." {Ibid., para. 117.} 256. It was because of that unexpected statement by the Minister for Foreign Affairs of France, which castdoubtas to whether or not the population of the Territory wished independence, that the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Somalia found it diffICult to let these remarks pass without comment. The fonowing is what he .had to say in this respect: "The desire of the people of the Territory for independence and freedom has been established beyond any doubt. •• Questioning the desire of the people of the Territory for independence at this stage can only, therefore, be cOnsUued as an effort to mislead public opinion and thereby retard the fulfilment of the just .aspirations of the people of FrenchSoma1iland." {22nd .meeting,para. 19·7.} 257.· We wish to recall ·that, in its resolution 3480 (XXX), the General Assembly calledon France "to grantimmediate and unconditional independence" and "to create the necessary conditions in order to accelerate the process of independence." 258. The Assembly of Heads of State and Government of OAU, at itnhirteenthsesdon, heldin Mauritius in Junethis year, madeasimilar call on France andurged it to proceed as soon asposaible to settlethe problems of nationality and the reform ·of·electoral lists with a view to organizing the referenduni befo~the endof 1976. 259. My Government's concern is motivated not only by the French Minister's remarks which I have just quotedbut also by the lack of tangible .progress in creating the necessary conditions favouring the acceleration of the process of independence, as called for in General Assembly resolution 3480 (XXX). 260. The dismantling ofelectrified barbed wire and mme fields, the discontinuance ofrepressive.measures, the release of political prisoners, the retum to their native landof the 261. It is my Government's earnest hope that France will put an' end to the present climate of uncertainty and proceed to the creation of the necessary conditions by removing all obstacles, some of which I have just enumerated. My Government again pledges its unreserved cooperation in moving towards that objective. 262. Mr. ARAUJO· (Guinea-Bissau) (interpretation from French): My delegation deeply .regrets having to speak at this late hour but, because of the statement made by the representative of Indonesia, it deems it necessary to make thefollowing statement: 263. My country was one of the first to recognize the independent State of Timor. That recognition was not ,an emotional gesture; it was based on elements which we considered andstillconsider to be correct. 264. It should be recalled here that during their struggle our people had to face up to a number of threats. True, there were military threats; but there were also threatsof a constitutional nature.At a certaintimewewere no longer a colony but a province. Now, we note that East Timor is also considered to bea province, a province of Indonesia. 265. It is unacceptable that a constitutional camouflage should deprive our Organization of the right to continue to examine in depth a case which is an unfortunate one and which is now characterized by continuedresistance by the people of Timoragainst what we consider to bean act of aggression. 266. That is what motivated the words and the appeal of the Minister for Foreign Affairs of my country.We reafflrm themand we ask the Organization to continue to examine the question of Timor so that all possible light can be thrown on thisunfortunateaffair. '

The representative ofthe United States,our good friend Mr. Bennett, made a statementherein exercise of his right of reply in which he defendedthe two candidates for the presidency of the United States. 268. We do not know whether Mr. Bennett is a Democrat or a Republican, but he shows a good example of the fact that the United States applies various standards in the international community.. We must carefully analyse that fact: Among those standards is the so-called bipartisan policy, and in the case of Panamait is quite obvious that that bipartisan policy hasa differentstandard. 269. The Assembly will recall that a few weeks ago the United States Secretary of State, Mr. Kissinger, invited all the representatives attending the Third United' Nations Conference on the Law of the Seato a reception,.where he made a statement. He said, "We have a package deal to negotiate. This package dealconforms to a bipartisan policy of the United States. There are some who think that after 270. In the case of Panama, the negotiators have not met since May. This morning, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Panama described the sad position today, in which inflexibility is being practised against a small country that has been negotiating for 12yearswith the UnitedStates,under three successive Administrationl;~ successively Democratic and Republican, without any solution's having been found to the Panamanian problem. 271. In describing that situation to the Assembly this morning, our Minister for Foreign Affairs was inviting the international community and the just and wise public opinion of the United Statesto become thoroughly familiar with the suffering,.the agony, the anguish'of a people that has a thorn buried in its.heart, and in the heart of its territory. 272. That is the situation, Mr. Bennett. If there is a bipartisan policy in the UnitedStates-and wearetold that it is represented here by distinguished persons from both Parties-fhen it should be applied in tlie case of Panama too. 273. We could speak here for hours and hours about the suffering of the Panamanian people at a time when a so-called "gold roll" existed for persons of the white race and a so-called "silver role" for persons of the black race; when there were cemeteries for whites and cemeteries for blacks; when part of our territory was occupied and no compensation was paid to us for our land. We couldinform the Assembly that the Panama Canal is not the result solely of Panama's geographical position; it functions as a result also of the waters of the Chagres River. Indeed,the Canal is a river canal that was made by channelling a Panamanian river. We have to pay the United States to purify our own waters so that they can be usedby our people in theirown land. That is the painful situation that we described here today. And when we say that there is a similarity between the situation in southern Africa and the situation in Panama, we do so because it b the truth. Indeed, great discrimination is still practised in our country. Those who visit Panama and the Isthmus, Which, as Foreign Minister Boyd said, should be a reflection of hemispheric relations, become very well aware of the true situation, which is an untenable situation and a COn8t1l1t source of tension and conflict. 274. In 1964, after some bloody events, my country broke ()ff relations with the United States; that was when Mr. Johnson was President of the United States and Mr. Chiari was President of Panama. Why didPanama break off relations with the United States? Because aggression had been committed against the people of Panama on their own land, because the glorious weapons of the United States had been directed against innocent civilians-and when such weapons are directed against us, we have only our blood to shed in defence of our freedom. We have really come to the end of our patience. My country's Foreign Minister put a question;perhaps the interpretation into other languages was not perfectly clear. The question was addressed to the United States delegation, It was this: 275. Since mentionhasbeenmadehere ofthe Ford-Carter debate, I must say that not a single Panamanian has ever had. the intention of offending either of those two distinguished North Americans. On the other hand, what offends us Panamanians is seeing Mr. Ford and Mr. Carter engaging in a competitionto seewhichof them is morelike someone whom they themselves have called irresponsible, that is, Ronald Reagan. That is the feeling of the man in the street. Why? Because wein Latin America knowthat there still exist very painful remnants of the cold war between the United States and the Soviet Union; there still exist some absolutely anachronistic situations-such as that ill Panama-resulting from the myopic policy of the United States, our neighbours on the same continent. And I must note that the United States is our client just as we are its client-for Latin America represents the third largest market for the UrJted States, after Canada and Western Europe;·and we are among the eountries of Latin America that buy the most from the Umted States, Yet this deplorable, insulting, reprehensible situation continues. That is whatwewishto stresshere. 276. I want to state in all sincerity and with allfrankness that we shall continue to raise this question until an end is put to this colonial situation which. has no reason for existing in this era. 277. I would conclude by stating that the delegation of Panama is pleased that Mr.Bennett has said that the negotiations will continue. But we want those negotiations to follow the proper path, the path of an honourable, solemn and sacred commitment made by the United States in the eight-point declaration, the .Tack-Kissinger declara-

I am speaking again not because we wish to pursue an argument with another delegation, which would be unnecessary, but rather to reply to what wasjust saidby the representative of Uganda because I believe his remarks undermine the standards of conduct and respect usual among representatives to the United Nations. In his statement he used offensive terms which truly do harm to mycountry and to hisdelegation alike. " 280. The representative of Uganda utilized that terminology surely because he really does not understand existing circumstances in my country. I should like to assure him that both the Costa Rican delegation to the United Nations and the Government of Costa Rica are authentic spokesmen for the people of Costa Rica. On the international level we have always been the spokesmen for our people;with our very enlightened tradition of support for noble and just causes, we have fought against colonialism, discrimination and the violation of human rights. We have always been militantly on the sideofjust causes. That has been the result of the true mandate that the Costa Rican people has always given to the Government of Costa Rica and it is something no one here shouldquestion. 281. Fortunately, because of that mandate,my country is Iivil1g under a system of freedom and genuine democracy. The people are consulted periodically, and a Government is elected which thus governs on behalf of the people. Most fortunately we have not fallen into the disgrace of having Presidents for Life. The meetingroseat 7.25p.m.