A/37/PV.83 General Assembly

I call on the representative of Ecuador to introduce the draft resolution.

I have the honour to submit for the consid- eration of the General Assembly draft resolution A/37/L.36, sponsored by all the countries of the Western hemisphere as well as by Equatorial Guinea, Italy, the Philippines, Portugal and Spain, 'on the observance of the quincentenary of the discovery of America, commemorating an event which is perhaps the most significant in world history. The represen- tatiVe of the Dominican Republic, which took the initiative in this matter, will also be making a statement on the subject. 3. It can be said that, barely five centuries ago, the fact that this pl~net was round was confirmed and the American continent began to emerge in the world as then known, giving rise to a complete reappraisal of values in the history ofmankind, which thus entered the modern era. It can also be said that at the end of 500 years of universal 9resence, unresolved problems remain among the American peoples, as proved by the agenda for this session of the Assembly. 4. The historical event referred to in the draft reso- lution, namely, the arrival in America of the -three Spanish caravels, under the command of the visiopary and determined Admiral of the High Seas Christopher Columbus, in San Salvador in the Bahamas of today, formerly known as Bajamar, was a decisive step in evolving an overall picture of our planet. 5. On the other hand, the "discovery" in its turn represented a stage in the whole chain' of explorations .and voyages, studies and beliefs which had taken place in oceans and countries. The world as conceived by the Babylonians and Phoenicians, the voyages ofthe Egyptians and the Romans, and the Atlantis of the Greeks, right up to the voyages of the brave Vikings such as the Norwegian Eric the Red, who visited North America, the mythical voyage of the Irishman Saint Brendan, whose name- is commemorated in so many places in our America, the voyages of Marco Polo, the Asian migrations and the voyages between the Pacific and Polynesian continents: all of that cul- minated in the fascinating adventure of Columbus in . the unknown seas. Thus, what is known as the "dis- NEW YORK covery" was a meeting of history and geography of tremendous consequences for humanity. 6. Spain's role in the discovery was decisive in the year during which the political, although not the cul- tural, presence of the .Arab peoples ceased in the Iberian peninsula, a year in which stress was laid on the humanism-also universal-of the European Renaissance. Examples of Moorish art brought by the Spanish ships survive among the Latin American peoples in architecture, decoration, science, poetry and in the language itself. 7. Furthermore, it was not just a matter of a "dis- covery", a word derived from Europe and maintained by tradition, out of respect for historians and custom. An even more important aspect was the encounter between two worlds: the new world immediately began to make its contribution in the form of civiliza- tions, peoples and climate, distinctive and diffel'ent products, and opportunities which opened up further horizons both for the Americans themselves and the Europeans, and the nations of other continents. 8. In the same'way, our peoples in the Americas, by a gmdual revelation of their mystery and their ages of evoRution for the enlightenment of the Western world, brought the multiplicity of their civilizations, such as the Aztec, the Inca and the Maya, with personalities like Montezuma and Atahualpa, the last Inca of Quito, and the contributi.on of. the Caribbean peoples, the North American peoples, the Quitus and the Andean Chibchas, the Guarani and Araucanian Indians' and the other peoples of South America. But beyond the exploits of Balboa and Magellan, there were the Philippines, before we were at last to complete the circling of the globe anc; discover the western route to China and India. 9. Thus began a new stage in the history of the world, one marked, it is true, by wars and injustice, but also by achievements in law, science, art and progress, in search of ever more equitable ways of coexistence, right' up to the present day, the day of international law, ofthe United Nations and ofplanetaryexploraticm. 10. The spiritual traditions transmitted to the peoples ofAmerica from overseas civilizations merged with the contributions of our world to the culture and well- being of the human race, and we thus form part of the great treasure represented by the cultural and· artistic heritage of cur time, which is becoming increasingly inter~ependentand univers~l. 11. The adventure of Columbus's voyage had the effect of determining the true form and dimensions of the earth. But the goal of the Admiral-a visionary and a genius, as is shown by the fact that inspiration could prevail even over the established scientific and ecclesiastical opinion of the time-was precisely that of reaching Asia by the western route of Europe. A/37/PV.83 25. The inhabitants of our island of Santo Domingo feel very proud that in its heartland are deposited the remains of the illustrious navigator Christopher Columbus, who.wrote in his diary about the beauty of its mountains, its valleys and its woods as "the most beautiful land upon which human beings have ever laid eyes". The island of Santo. Domingo was also the place to which he sent his son Diego as the first Viceroy of the West Indies; thus was established the first viceroyalty on American soil; and we still preserve in all its splendour the fortress in which he resided. 26. An idea that at one poin~ in history attracted great attention and universal enthusiasm was the con- struction in our country of a monument to that 3.2. It is important to recall that the arrival in the New World of the three Spanish caravels under the command ofChristopher Columbus and their dropping anchor at the island of San Salvador on 12 October 1492 was a collective exploit, in which the main actors were Spain and the peoples with which there then began f.l fruitful human, cultural and political exchange that was to bear mature fruit in the centuries to come. In celebrating the quincentenary of the discovery of t~on of the whole of America, and then in the crossing of the Pacific Ocean to the Philippines and the cir- cumnavigation of the planet. 34. Therefore it can be said, as stated in the preamble to the draft resolution we have before us, that the arrival of the three Spanish caravels in the New World, under the command of Admiral Chris- topher Columbus, constituted Ha decisive step towards the achievement of a clear conception of our planet". 35. The undeniable primacy of the Spanish nation and Crown in this discovery should not, of course, lead us to adopt a rigid or monolithic view of history. The vast enterprise of the discovery and colonization of America should be understood by us in terms of the diversity and relativity represented by the humanist Christianity of the Renaissance. 36. As His Majesty the King of Spain said, when he was invested with the degree of Doctor honoris causa of the University of San Marcos, referring to the Hispanic world: "We are one world, the world of the language and culture we have created together down many centuries, that comes from Greece, from Rome, from Christian tradition, from Jewish and Muslim contributions, from the whole ofthe very rich history of America, fragmented until it came together with the history that came from Europe, in an original and now indivisible creaHon of mutual historical cross-fertilization." 37. Recognition of the differences involved in the diversity of the peoples that make up our fatherland is perhaps something that is followed with the greatest of interest by the Spanish both in America and in Spain itself. In this sense, the mingling of blood, a fundamental element of the Latin American heritage, must be ,defined not only as a biological and cultural fact, the fruit ofcenturies ofcoexistence, but as a result ofthe intermingling ofdifferent creeds, races and ways of life. The great historic Spain which we are all descended from is the eternal enemy of all racism and can take pr.ide in the mingling of bodies and spirits. It would be over-simplistic to conceive of Latin America as the result of two components-the indigenous and the Iberian. In the .t1rst place, we are dealing with a vast continent of great internal variety. The indigenous component found by the discoverers of the New World was absolutely heterogeneous from both the racial and cultural points of view. For their part, the peoples that came from the Iberian peninsula, although they brought with them a more homogeneous 41. This diversity within the common Hispanic origin is what has resulted in the most mature fruits of Latin American culture, whose predecessors had already marked out important steps in the world of arts and letters. Specifically, in the literary field we can point to the publication of very important works that have ach}~ved universal and unanimous recognition, thus handing back to Western culture the torch kindled by a Garcilaso or a Cervantes. 42. The unifying link and the vehicle of this culture is Spanish, our common language. The dignified Spanish language arose .among the stones of a vast plateau with distant horizons, was enriched and softened in the mouths of men who people thick forests, high mountain ranges and mighty r~vers, peo- ple who today number some 300 million. 43. I have referred so far to what I consider to be fundamental characteristics of the Hispanic phenom- enon-identity of race, culture and language-'but I should like to refer here-, if only briefly, to the fact that, on the basis of historical and cultural links, Spain has sought to articulate a new policy which seeks, in the b~tter service of our respective peoples, the achievement of concrete results and the setting in motion of living and working realities. This policy is designed to bring about concrete forms of co-opera- tion, both 'bilateral and multilateral, and to develop all the existing possibilities not only in the cultural field but also in the commercial field and in the field of scientific, financial and technological co-operation. 47. To the traditional celebration of 12 October, which every year commemorates the discovery of America, there is now added, with the celebration of the quincentenary of the discovery, a new and impor- tant milestone. We therefore regard it as a very happy initiative that from now on we ~hould include this itt~m on the agenda of the General Assembly and, in ac:cordance with paragraph 2 of the draft resolution, request the Secretary-General "to prepare the appro- priate observances ... so that the United Nations and those Member States most directly concerned may co-operate in a dignified commemoration of this great event" .

The Italian delegation is particularly happy to support the draft resolution con- cerning the celebration of the quincentenary of the discovery of America, an event which, as the preamble indicates, represented a decisive step towards the achievement of a clear conception of our planet. The draft resolution rightly reminds us· that the discovery made by Christopher Columbus represented the climax of an era of travels and explorations led by many nations. 49. No one can ignore the great contribution made by Italy to that daring and fruitful activity, and par- ticularly to the exploration of America, through its great navigators. Together with Christopher Colum- bus, I wish to mention here, Amerigo Vespucci, who gave his name to this continent, Giovanni Caboto, 85. By virtue both ofgeography and of sharing these common ideals, the United States is proud to be a sponsor of draft resolution A/37/L.36, calling for a celebration of the historic arrival of Christopher Columbus on American shores. We are also confident that this draft resolution can be implemented within c..vailable resources.

As members are aware, the representative of the Philippines, on behalf of the sponsors, has requested that action on draft resolu- tion A/37/L.36 be postponed for a few days. Could we be more specific? Would it be possible to take up the draft resolution by 3 December at the latest? 87. Mr. del ROSARIO CEBALLOS (Dominican Republic) (interpretation from Spanish): We should 90. Mr. de PINIES (Spain) (interpretation from Spanish): My delegation was somewhat surprised that some of th£ representatives who spoke after me re- ferred to previous expeditions to this continent. We have never denied that there were such expedi- tions, nor do I think that historically it is possible to do so. What we are trying to co~.memorate here is the ()uincentenary of the arrival of' Christopher Columbus on these shores and the fact that the new arrivals left settlements, brought about a merging of races and established the first universities, the first cultural centres and the first churches. 91. I do not know what has been left on this con- tinent by the peoples of Ireland or ofIceland. It is very possible that we may find some remains at certain sites, but up to this point the only thing that I have found from Ireland, with all due respect, is the well- trained police force in New York City and some distinguished Irishmen who belong to the Irish Ameri- can and European communities. As for Iceland, I do not know what its people has ~eft behind, but what is not acceptable to my delegation is for anyone to say that we came here to set up colonies in the pejorative sense, which some representatives have tried to imply by their applause. 92. Spain did not send its people to establish any colonies in the sense referred to by the United Nations, that is, in terms of decolonization. The Spanish peo- ple came here to merge their race with the indigenous people of this continent. The proof is that in Latin America there are completely mixed peoples produced by the mixture of the Spanish and indigenous peoples, whereas in the other part of the American continent, to the north, there was no such mixing of races. 93. I should like to remind all these gentlemen that the flrst proponents of decolonization as con- ceived 160 years later, in resolution 1.$14 (XV), came from the countries ofthis continent, which rose against Spain because Spain was under occupation at that time. We feel very proud that they rose up against foreign domination and formed themsdves into true nations. These countries, some 20 or 21 in number, were the pioneers ofdecolonization at the beginning of the nineteenth century and the fathers of decoloniza- tion in the twentieth century. The decolonization of the African and Asian continents had already had its pioneers in all those countries with which my country, among others, feels a bond of brotherhood. Thus, when they refer to the mother country, we too refer to the same mother country, which was their motherland as much as ours. That is why today we call ourselves brothers, and that is the justification for the submission of the draft resolution by the Latin Ameri- 101. Today, in this Hall, 157 countries are rep- resented, while at the time when this Organization was founded there were only 51 Member States. Of those 51,. at least 24-if my memory serves me well-signed the Charter. On the basis of the positive vote of those 24 countries now sponsoring this draft resolution, 157 countries are now here represented because we opened to them the doors of decoloniza- tion. These countries of Africa, Asia and Caribbean America are here because it was we who were the founders of this OFganization, so we cannot allow that it should be used demagogically and ironicalll! in speakung about friendly and brotherly countries.

Spain, not content with the greatness that it had given to the Old World, wanted to augment that greatness and share it with humanity, broadening its natural frontiers and exporting a new language, the eternal word of the ideas ofLatin Ameri- cans. It taught America to know, to love and to be- lieve in the same God; and in mingling with the ethnic strains of the new continent, the Spaniard created a vigorous race whose culture now influences the ideas of the New World and the. Old. 103. The discovery of America marked a fun- damental change in the history of mankind, and to deny this is almost like denying the light of day. We Latin Americans are hurt when some doubt i3 cast on the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus. Spain, as the colonizing country, left so much to Latin America; in particular, it never tried to destroy the ethnic strains of the Latin American continent. The achievements obtained by America because of Spain are too many to mention. We therefore consider that the mockery offered here on certain aspects of the matter is highly inappropriate.

In order to avoid any misunderstanding, I should like to emphasize, as in- deed I tried to do in my statement, that I had no intention ofcausing any offence to the countries which sponsored the draft resolution or to detract in any way from the importance of the voyage of Columbus or, indeed, the desirability of commemorating his voyage suitably. Ireland has too high a regard for Spain itself, for Latin America and for the countries of the Hispanic tradition generally to do that. I would therefore emphasize my sincere hope that nothing I s~id in a light-hearted way in referring to earlier voyages or legends be taken as offensive by the sponsors of the draft resolution. .

My delegation cannot fail to express its sur- prise and disappointment at the words that were used here today against draft resolution A/37/L.36, which my country sponsored. I have taken note of the statement just made by one of the delegations which 106. We also consider it surprising that the critics we heard here failed to appreciate the meaning of our draft resolution. We are not trying to make any great historical pronouncement; quite the contrary, what is attempted here is to extol a series ofcommon values, a public dedication to a common origin of which we are all proud and, finally, a body of supreme values ofwhich we are all proud and which we practise.

I wish to associate myself in what I am going to say with all my col- leagues from Latin America who have spoken and also with the representative of the .Philippines, who so eloquently referred to this significant event. But I should like to stress one thing: we cannot deny that Christopher Columbus demonstrated that the world was round, because up until that point it was believed to be flat. This was on 12 October 1492, when the three Spanish caravels arrived in the New World. This had never been demonstrated, and if the Irish or Nordic navigators visited the northernmost part of the New World, it was never demonstrated until Christo- pher Columbus did so, not by the very advanced universities of the time nor by Eric the Red nor by the Irish-if, indeed y they did visit ~he New World they never knew quite where they were. These are the facts.