S/PV.1858 Security Council

I have received a letter from the representative of the Netherlands in which he requests an invitation to participate in the Security Council’s discussion of the application of Surinam for admission to membership of the United Nations. 2. In accordance with the relevant provisions of the Charter, I indent with the consent of the Council, to invite the representative of the Nertherlands to participate in the Council’s discussion, without the right to vote. At the invitation of the President, Mr. Kaufjnann, Netherlands) took a place at the Security Council table.

The Security Council will now consider the report of the Committee on the Admission of New Members concerning the application ,bf Surinam for membership in the United Nations, A vote was taken by show of hands. The draft resolution was adopted unanimously. ’

In accordance with rule 60 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure I shall immediately request the Secretariat to transmit this recommendation to the General Assembly. 8. A number of representatives have asked to speak after the vote and I shall now call on them.

It is, I believe, most appropriate in this month, December, regarded by many of a particular religious persuasion as a month of good cheer, that you, Ambassador Ivor Richard, the representative of the United Kingdom, should be President of the Security Council. Your good humour, your candour, your flair for the cut and thrust of the parliamentary style, are qualities which have been much in evidence both in this Council and outside it. We are confident that this Council will benefit greatly from the exercise by you as its President of those and your other .cohsiderable talents and skills; I extend 10. I should also like to pay a most warm tribute to Ambassador Malik of the Soviet Union who guided our deliberations in November. It was a month during which we spent many long, arduous but productive hours in the cause of peace. In all of our discussions, the wealth of his experience, his geniality and his skill were major factors. We are indeed indebted to him and thank him most sincerely. 11. Guyana greets with particular joy, the decision of this Council to recommend to the General Assembly, the acceptanre of Surinam into the membership of the United Nations. 12. Under any circumstances the action the Security Council has just taken in unanimously recommending to the General Assembly &he approval of Surinam’s application for membership of this Organization would be warmly welcomed by my delegation, and by the delegations of the Bahamas, Barbados, Grenada, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, which wish to be associated with the sentiments I express in this regard. 13. The completion of a further stage in the progress of the United Nations towards universality, coupled with the achievement of independence by yet another State which has experienced the degradation of prolonged colonial domination, represents the fulfilment of principles deeply cherished by us all and for which we have strenuously fought in this and other forums. 14. But the occasion is, for the countries of the Caribbean, one of truly singular satisfaction, and one which makes this meeting particularly rich in historical significance for us. For we share with Surinam, a country within our region, a profundity of identification rooted in a certain similarity of culture and the common harrowing experience of colonialism. 15. My delegation, in particular, considers itself deeply honoured in having had the privilege of participating in the Council’s decision. The pleasure has been of an especially intense kind. Surinam now joins us as an independent State in the north-eastern corner of South America. My country’s joy at this auspicious development was conveyed in the following message sent to the Government of Surinam by my Prime Minister, Mr. Forbes Bumham: “On the occasion of the independence of Surinam, it gives me great pleasure on behalf of the Government and people of Guyana and in my own name to send to you and the Government and people of Surinam, fraternal congratulations and best wishes for the progress and prosperity of your nation. “We are happy to welcome Surinam in the Councils of sovereign nations and share with you the joy of this independnt nation. We wish you every success in the years ahead and look forward to working closely with you at the bilateral, regional and international levels as we seek for our peoples universal acceptance of our right to social and economic justice in an atmosphere of peace and tranquillity.” 16. The bonds that link Guyana and Surinam, to which my Prime Minister made reference in his mes- ’ sage, go far beyond those of mere physical contiguity. My country and Surinam form part of that area of South America-the Guianas-which served as a refuge and a haven for Ameridians from the Antilles and beyond who sought to escape the onslaught of an expanding European imperium. From the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries when that imperium embraced our shores, our two countries were subject to rule from a common colonial source before they assumed their separate political and geographical identities at the end of the Napoleonic wars in Europe in the early part of the last century. In a very real sense, to glimpse the past of Surinam is to see much of the history of my own country. And these inextricable ties are reinforced by the historical experience of an identical colonial pattern of development-a plantation economy based on slave labour, which was succeeded by an induced migration of indentured labour from the East. 17. The colonial pattern, as in Guyana, did not however go unchallenged in Surinam. The history of Surinam in the eighteenth century bears eloquent witness to the spirited and heroic resistance of men and women who would not accept the condition of serfdom and inequality. The will and determination of those fighters were never to be overcome by the colonial Power and inevitably they received recognition of their independence. Today those heroes stand forth to the nation as a pioneering symbol of an implicit nationalistic consciousness which demonstrated an impressive resistance to absorption by the officially-sanctioned colonial model. 18. Guyana has followed with close. interest the disciplined progress of our eastern neighbour towards independence. After the conclusion of the second World’ War, the growth of nationalism led to the proclamation on 29 December 1954 of the Charter of the Kingdom of the Netherlands by which Surinam 19. May I, at this point, however, acknowledge the contribution of the administering Power towards Surinam’s independence. The Netherlands has for some time now provided a worthy example to other colonial Powers by the manner in which it has encouraged indigenous participation in the administration of the affairs of the Territory and co-operated in the process of decolonization of Surinam. 20. There was a time when the countries of the Caribbean were the prized objects of competing European colonial Powers obsessed with the profits garnered from the production of sugar. So prized were so-called possessions in the Caribbean that in 1667 the Dutch considered that they had struck a good bargain when they exchanged much of what is today Manhattan for Surinam. The Caribbean for a long historical period has often been seen through the distorting and romanticizing lens of the “Discovery”, of fabled and dashing adventurers, of the kaleidoscopic patterns of military and naval clashes between colonial Powers and shifting colonial domination. But behind the romance lies the grim reality of a dehumanizing experience, which the people of the Caribbean have survived with admirable fortitude and determination. Colonisliam in the Caribbean has left a legacy of poverty, deprivation and exploitation. Surinam is linked to the Caribbean by the intimacy of this common experience. 21. Today, however, the Caribbean peoples are in the process of reshaping their own political and economic structures. Surinam now joins us as an independent nation. We look forward to close co-operation with it in the future. 22. It has been a happy thirtieth anniversary for the United Nations. This year has been a fruitful one for the decolonization process. Our Organization has so far admitted as members, Mozambique, Cape Verde, Sao Tome and Principe, Papua New Guinea and, only last month, the Comoros. It is now the turn of Surinam, the second country on the South American continent to become independent since the 23. We salute the entry of Surinam into the United Nations. It represents that harmonious heterogeneity and fiersity so cnaracferistic of this hipere, where no single country or group of countries can claim a monopoly of cultural or spiritual values which set them apart and make them the supreme, special and unique representatives of the society of the new world. 24. Surinam comes to us rich in the melange of its cultures, a veritable microcosm of the international community. This fact, I am sure, will enable Surinam to make a significant contribution to this Organization, whose primary goal remains the achievement of an international society truly based on equity and justice.

Mr. President, my delegation wishes to join the preceding speaker in congratulating you on your assumption of the presidency of the Security Council for the month. We are certain that under your wise guidance our task will be made easier, and my delegation -wishes to extend to you our most complete support for success in your important duties. 26. My delegation does not wish to miss this opportunity to pay a sincere tribute to and express our appreciation of the work done by the President who preceded you, Ambassador Malik of the Soviet Union, thanks to whose efforts the Council was able to deal with very difficult questions last month. 27. To proceed to the item before us, my delegation wishes to place on record its deep satisfaction with the resolution, to the adoption of which we contributed by our vote, in which this Council recommends to the General Assembly the admission of Surinam to membership in the United Nations. 28. While it is true that that my delegation has felt similar satisfaction whenever we have voted in favour of the admission of new Members, in this case our satisfaction is all the greater because Surinam belongs to the American continent and its birth as an independent nation means that yet another State is added to the region to which the country I represent belongs. 29. The characteristics of a small, developing country will unite the destiny of Surinam with that of the 30., ‘It is in these circumstances that, when the admission of Surinam is decided upon, we of the group of Latin American States will welcome the youngest nation of our continent with whole-hearted friendship. We are confident that that country will strive for ,and contribute to the aims of the group with the same clear-sightedness and responsibility as’ the other nations that joined us earlier. 31. It only remains for us now to welcome the coming entry of Surinam to the United Nations and to wish it every success in its independence.

Mr. President, at the outset I wish to express to you the warm congratulations of my delegation and my own best wishes on your assumption of the high office of President of the Council for this month. I am confident that your extensive knowledge of the Organization and your dynamic contribution to it will prove most beneficial to the Council in the fulfilment of its important responsibilities. My delegation assures you that it will extend its full co-operation to you, Mr. President. 33. I wish also to pay a high tribute to Ambassador Malik of the Soviet Union, our retiring President, who, with long experience in this Organization, presided during the month of November with dignity and humour over-the Council’s deliberations on the most delicate and complex problems, such as the questions of the Western Sahara and the extension of the mandate of United Nations Disengagement Observer Force. We’ all acknowledge that the Council has benefited from his presidency. 34. The delegation of Japan joined with utmost pleasure in the unanimous adoption of draft resolution S/11891, under which the ‘Security Council has decided to recommend to the General Assembly the admissions.of Surinain to the United Nations. 35. On this auspicious occasion I wish, in the name of my delegation, to extend most sincere congratulations to the Government and people of Sprinam on the Council’s .action, by which it has expressed its full confidence in the new State. 36. My delegation-warmly welcomes the accession of Surinam to full sovereignty as an independent State, which took place on 25 November last. We are very pleased to see that this new State has acceded to independence in a peaceful and orderly manner under the leadership of Prime Minister Henck Arron. We wish to pay a tribute to the leaders of Surinam for the statesmanship they have demonstrated in their efforts to maintain national unity and harmony. At the same time we wish to express our profound appreciation to the Government of the Kingdom of the 37. In our examination of the application of Surinam for membership we have taken note with satisfaction of the declaration in which it pledged itselfto carry out the’ obligations of the Charter incumbent upon Member States. We have no doubt whatsoever that Surinam is a peace-loving State and is able and willing to carry out the obligations it will assume when it is admitted to membership. This judgement has been happily confirmed by all members of the Council in their unanimous decision. 38. I had the honour of visiting Surinam in March 1974. I was greatly impressed by the dynamic vitality of its people and their continuous efforts to achieve economic and social development. My visit convinced me that they will have a,prosperous future. ‘39. With this personal experience in mind, I hope that the General Assembly during its current session will decide unanimously to admit Surinam to the Organization as the 144th Member State. 40. My country is confident that the admission of Surinam will have the further advantage of bringing the United Nations a step nearer to one of its most valuable goals-namely, true universality of membership-and will’contribute to the further strengthening of the United Nations. 41.) The Government of Japan took pleasure in recognizing Surinam on 25 November, the very same day it became independent. In its congratulatory message the Government, of Japan extended its warmest congratulations to the Government of Surinam on its independence, and expressed the hope that diplomatic relations will ‘be established as soon as possible. 42. Surinam has a great potential for economic and social development. We have confidence in the nationbuilding capacity’of its people.. We extend every good wish to them for their national unity and continued progres+ The Government and people of Japan ardently desire’ to promote -friendship, goodwill and close co-operation with the Government and people of Surinam, both within and outside the United Nations. I need hardly add that my delegation looks forward with pleasure to Surinam’s contribution to the work of the United Nations and the peace and stability of the region.

On 25 November the Republic of Surinam, another new-born State in Latin America, freed itself from a several-centuries-old colonial rule and achieved national independence. 44. On the. occasion of the proclamation of the independence of the Republic of Surinam, Chou 4 / I 45. Now the Republic of Surinam has applied for admission to membership in the United Nations. The Chinese delegation holds that, in accordance with the relevant provisions ofthe United Nations Charter, the Republic of Surinam is qualified for membership in the United Nations. We fully support its application and we are in favour of the Security Council’s recommending to the General Assembly the admission of the Republic of Surinam to membership in the United Nations. 46. We believe that upon its admission to membership in the United Nations the Republic of Surinam will make positive contributions to the realization of the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter, together with all the other justice-upholding Member States;

Mr. President, please accept my apologies for the absence of Mr. de Guiringaud, who is unable to be here for reasons beyond his control. Hence it falls to me to offer my congratulations to Mr. Malik, who discharged his duties as President at a very busy time with his customary skill, and to congratulate you, Sir. When Mr. de Guiringaud has the opportunity, he will offer you both his congratulations personally. -48. The delegation pf France was happy to vote in favour of the admission of Surinam, since the applications was an expression of the will of the population of that. country. We have no doubt that, having received the unanimous support of the Security Council, the application will also be given that of the General Assembly. 49. France was one of the first to take into account the coming accession to independence of Surinam by expressly stipulating, when it adhered to Protocol II annexed to the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America,‘, that, with the full assent of the administering Power, it intended to extend the scope of that adherence to territories which would later become parties to that Treaty. In supporting the application for admission of Surinam, France is also acting in accordance with the wishes expressed by the Netherlands, an allied and friendly European country and a member of our Economic Community. We are pleased to see the friendship which unites the 5 j 50: In conclusion, the French delegation wishes to express to the Republic of Surinam and its Prime Minister, Mr. Henck Art-on,. best wishes for the prosperity of its Government.

I should like, Mr. President, before turning to the matter on our agenda, to pay my sincere respects to you and to convey to you the good wishes of my delegation on your assumption of that office. We look forward to working under your leadership, which we know will be firm and marked with. flexibility and political flair, which will assist us in ,dealing with the very difficult questions before us. We pledge to you, our full co-operation. . 52. We should like also to extend warm thanks to Ambassador Malik, the outgoing President. When he took office I ventured into a field which I had hitherto shunned-that of prediction. I was safe. I knew of his great experience and his wisdom, and they were qualities of decisive importance, together with his angelic .patience,: in guiding the. Council through the .heavily-scheduled month of November. Our sincere thanks and respects go to him. 53. During the autumn we have had the privilege of having several applications for membership in our Organization on the agenda of the Security Council. My delegation welcomes this further opportunity today of taking part in the decision of the Council to recommend ,for membership the newly independent State -of Surinam. ‘54. My .Govemment recognized the new State on the day of its independence a week ago. We find its application for membership to be fully in accord with the requirements of the Charter and we have therefore supported with pleasure the resolution containing the recommendation of this Council to the General Assembly to admit Surinam’ as a Member of the United Nations. Surinam’s admission will mark yet another step towards the attainment of the desired goal of universality of the Organization. Twenty years ago the General Assembly decided to remove Surinam from the purview’ of Chapter XI of the Charter, since that Territory, through new constitutional arrangements, had achieved full internal self-govemment. The new constitutiqnal status of partnership on the basis of eQtiality with the Netherlands was the result of long negotiations between the two countries and -was approved by the democratically elected Parliament of Surinam. After many years of experience in managing its own affairs, the people of Surinam has now taken the last step on the road to 55. My delegation would like to pay a warm tribute to the Government of the Netherlands for its essential contribution to this process. Sweden cordially welcomes the delegation of Surinam to the United Nations and my delegation looks forward to co-operating closely with it in the years to come, convinced that it will make an essential contribution to the work of the United Nations.

May I, Mr. President, at the outset congratulate you on your assumption of the presidency of the Council for the month of December. The friendly relations existing between our countries make it easier for me to say how happy my delegation is to see you presiding over our important meetings. More significantly, only a few days ago my President was in your country on a State visit. The success of that visit and the warm reception he received wherever he went clearly demonstrate the close relationship existing between our two countries. 57. Added to that are your personal qualities of leadership and statesmanship which assure my delegation in advance that we are in good hands. 58. To your predecessor, Ambassador Malik, I should like to pay a tribute for the laudable manner in which he effectively conducted the affairs of the Council in the month of November. November was certainly one of the months in which important decisions of the Council were taken. It was also a month that witnessed protracted consultations that sometimes meant that meetings .had to be held during weekends and members had to work late into the night. That we managed to take such important decisions is to the credit of your predecessor, whose skill, experience and energetic drive are beyond question. 59. It is perhaps sad that the United Republic of Tanzania will not be a member of the Council when Ambassador Malik again assumes the presidency of the Security Council. I use the word “perhaps” advisedly, for, in all frankness, I must say that considering the experience we have accumulated and the fact that, during his presidency, Ambassador Malik made sure that we worked every weekend, with one exception I believe, and that we worked day and night, I believe that, from a personal point of view, it would not be all that lamentable to miss his next presidency. 60. It is the greatest pleasure now for me, on behalf of the Government and people of the United Republic of Tanzania, to extend a warm welcome to the application for membership in the United Nations of the Republic of Surinam. Its entry into the Organization will be yet another logical culmination of the struggle of the peoples for freedom, independence and human 61. In welcoming the Republic of Surinam, we note with satisfaction that its entry-which now is only a matter of time-marks another milestone in the decolonization of the entire Caribbean and Latin American subcontinent. My Government maintains very close and friendly ties with the countries of that region. It is our earnest hope that the independence of Surinam and its eventual membership in the United Nations will increase the determination of the peoples of the Caribbean in their struggle against the last remnants of colonialism in that region. 62. We have taken note with pleasure of Surinam’s declaration accepting the obligations contained in the Charter of the United Nations. In this regard, we hope the entry of Surinam to the United Nations will reinforce the ranks of all peace-loving Members in the United Nations upholding the principles of the Charter. 63. Similarly, we look forward to the active participation of Surinam in the work of the United Nations and within the non-aligned movement, and to co-operating and working very closely with the delegation of that country. 64. It is worth recalling that we have in the past had the honour of welcoming a delegation from Surinam in my country. Those bonds of friendship which have carried us this far have left rich dividends to form the basis for everlasting ties between our two peoples and countries. It is our intention further to strengthen our relations with the people and Government of Surinam. By voting in favour of the resolution we have just adopted, my delegation wished only to cement the friendship existing between our two Governments and our two peoples. 65. Before concluding, I should like to pay a special tribute to the Government of the Netherlands, the administering Power, for its positive co-operation in the decolonization of Surinam. There is no doubt that that positive attitude on the part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands has ensured that Surinam’s emergence as a new nation has not in any way affected the ties of co-operation and friendship between Surinam and the Netherlands. Rather, it has paved the way for a more meaningful and dynamic relationship of friendship based on equality, mutual respect and mutual benefit. 66. Mr. TCHERNOUCHT’CHENKO (Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic) (interprerurion from Russian): Mr. President, the delegation of the Byelorussian SSR would like to join in the congratulations which have been addressed to you on your assumption 72. My delegation is very pleased at the unanimity shown by our Council in supporting the draft resolution in paragraph 4 of document S/l 1891 recommending the admission of Surinam for membership in the United Nations. This admission falls within the framework of the implementation of the principle of the right of colonial peoples to independence solemnly affirmed by our Organization. It also crowns with success the just struggle of the people of Surinam for freedom. Finally, it is the happy outcome of the slow process of the historical and political development of that territory, which led to its independence on 25 November 1975. 67. The delegation of the Bvelorussian SSR was very pleased to vote in favour of the resolution [382 (197.5)3 which has just been adopted, recommending that the General Assembly admit Surinam to membership in the United Nations. The application of this young State to be accepted for United Nations membership is in accordance with all the stipulations in Article 4 of the Charter of the United Nations. 68. The process of the complete abolition of colonialism is remorselessly moving on to its culmination. This is clearly shown by the fact that, in this year, in the territories of seven former colonies, young independent States have grown up. At the same time, it should be pointed out that since 1960, when, on the initiative of the Soviet Union, the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples was adopted, this is the largest number of new sovereign States proclaimed in a single year. Mozambique, Cape Verde, Sao Tome and Principe, Papua New Guinea and the Comoro islands have already joined the Members of the United Nations and today, the Security Council has recommended that one further State, Surinam, which has quite recently been freed from colonial domination, be admitted to membership in the United Nations. However, before the process of the complete liberation of all countries and territories from colonialism can be concluded, a great many difficulties and complexities still remain. Imperialism and racism are trying to impede this process and to make it impossible, particularly in Africa, for changes to take place which would considerably strengthen the progressive forces. 69. In conclusion, the delegation of the Byelorussian SSR takes this opportunity to congratulate the people of Surinam on achieving its independence and to wish the people of Surinam success on its road to independent statehood.

Mr. President, before I start my statement, I should like to express to you my own and my delegation’s most sincere and warmest congratulations on your accession to the very important post of President of the Security Council for the month of December. My delegation which is fully aware of and appreciates your eminent skills as a diplomat, and your human qualities is confident that our work will be successful under your enlightened guidance. We wish to assure you of our complete co-operation. 73. We particularly appreciate the manner in which the Government of the Netherlands has discharged the lofty responsibilities entrusted to it concerning that former Territory. The admission of Surinam thus confirms the aim of universality of the United Nations, of which the United Republic of Cameroon has been and remains a convinced advocate. 74. We are happy to welcome Surinam to our Organization and certainly later to the great family of’ non-aligned nations. We wish to assure it at once of our support and co-operation.

Mr. President, may I welcome you to the presidency and say that we look forward to the exercise of your robust parliamentary skill and your objectivity in the month to come. Let me also thank the retiring President of the Council for the skill and patience and general good humour with which he guided the Council through some arduous days. 76. With respect to the agenda item before us, my delegation concurred wholeheartedly in the recommendation of the Council’s Committee on Admission of New Members on the membership application of Surinam. We warmly support and endorse Surinam’s application for membership in the United Nations. 77. Surinam’s achievement of independence is a tribute to both the dedication and the capacity of Surinam’s duly elected laders, and also to the progressive policies and administration of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. 78. Surinam has a long history of democratic traditions and has enjoyed a large measure of self-govemment since 1954, Its Legislative Council has been in existence for more than 190, 110 years to be exact. 80. Surinam’s rich natural -resources, the variety of agricultural production which Surinam’s fertile soil makes possible, and Surinam’s commitment to liberal trade policies are convincing evidence of Surinam’s excellent prospects for continued economic development. 81. Surinam begins its existence as a new nation and approaches membership in the United Nations with the advantage of first-hand experience in this Organization and in other international bodies. Representative designate, Henricus Heidweilier, has played an active role at the United Nations for a number of years as a member of the delegation of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Surinam is fortunate that it will be represented by a man of experience and proven capacity. 82. The United Nations and Surinam have a long record of warm relations dating back to 1790, when the first United States Consulate was established in Paramaribo. Our relationship, in fact, goes back much further than that, of course. It will be remembered that in the old days, before either of us was independent, before we had exercised our right to selfdetermination, an interesting territorial exchange took place under terms of the Treaty of Breda in .1667. That Treaty was not without effect on the history of both our nations. In the intervening years, economic and commercial exchanges and shared experiences have all combined to strengthen our mutual respect. 83. On 25 November 1975 the United States welcomed Surinam as a sovereign State to the family of nations and to the community of the Western Hemisphere. Surinam. has now announced its support for the principles of the United Nations. My Government believes Surinam will be a valuable and productive new Member of this Organization. 84. My delegation would like at this time to express to the representative of the Netherlands, Ambassador Johan Kaufmann, our admiration for the exemplary role which the Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands has played in the emergence of Surinam as an independent State. 85. In closing, I wish to convey to the Govemment and people of Surinam the warm greetings of the Government and people of the United States, and our best wishes for the future. It is the sincere desire of the United States to co-operate cordially and fully with Surinam as a sovereign and independent nation and as a’Member of the United Nations. 87. I wish to take this: opportunity to express our deep appreciation and admiration to your predecessor, my good friend Ambassador Yakov Malik, for the tact, courtesy, energy and intellectual and physical alertness he displayed from the first to the last day of November. His steering of our craft both day and night was flawless, and I do not hesitate to say that his name is connected with new initiatives and decisions the result of which will, I believe, be of some historical significance. 88. Once again this year we had on our agenda an application for membership by a newly independent country; and, acting on the basis of its rules, the Security Council has just taken the unanimous decision to recommend Surinam for admission as the 144th Member of our Organization. That is a happy event at which we all rejoice. 89. My delegation is particularly glad to welcome to the United Nations a new State of the Southern Hemisphere with which Italy has many and strong ties. In that connexion I should like to recall that distant day of the year 1499, when Amerigo Vespucci-who gave his name to the entire continent of Americamoored in the waters of Guyana and the first European set foot on its shores and explored parts of what is now Surinam. Nearly five centuries after that day, we see the people of Surinam taking,‘with just pride; their place among the members of the South American family. 90. We have on our ‘part followed with friendly interest the history of Surinam, and especially the progress made more recently on the road towards the final date of 25 November last. With all that in mind, my delegation voted whole-heartedly in favour of the drat resolution just adopted. In so doing, jointly with the other members of the Security Council, we felt we were taking a further step towards the fulfilment of the idea of the universality of our world Organization. We now look forward to establishing here with, the representatives of Surinam fruitful co-operation inspired by the main purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter. 91. We feel that in the case of Surinam a new example of the peaceful acquisition of independence 92. In conclusion, the Italian delegation would like to extend its warmest congratulations to the independent, sovereign State of Surinam and to its people. To its leadership we convey our best wishes, trusting that it will face its many and complex tasks with greater confidence and sense of responsibility as a result of its new status. 98. The Security Council has just adopted the draft resolution in paragraph 4 of document S/ 11891, recommending to the General Assembly that Surinam be admitted to membership of the United Nations. During. the meeting, held this morning, of the Committee on the Admission of New Members, we expressed our great admiration for the application for admission made by the Government of Surinam. It was therefore with deep satisfaction that we noted .the unanimity with which that Committee asked the Security Council to recommend to the General Assembly the admission of that new State to the United Nations.

I should like first, Mr. President, to associate myselfwith those representatives who have extended. congratulations to you on your assumption of the presidency of the Security Council for this month. I am confident that the Council will benefit from your wisdom and experience in the conduct of its work. At the same time, I should like on behalf of my delegation to express our deep admiration to your predecessor, Ambassador Malik of the Soviet Union, for the excellent manner in which he discharged his duties and responsibilities as President of the Security Council. 99. The legitimate satisfaction felt’by my delegation is based on the many ties between the people of Surinam and the people of ‘Mauritania, ties which neither time nor distance has altered. 100. The entry of Surinam into the United Nations, while bringing our Grganization closer to the achievement of the goal of universality that it has set itself, will at the same -time, enable the Governments of Surinam and Mauritania to strengthen the ties to which I have referred, in the evident interest of the two countries. I should like at once to assure the representatives of Surinam that we are fully prepared to work together with them in the United Nations in the defence of the noble ideals underlying the Organization’s activities. Meanwhile, I welcome them to the United Nations. 94. The Security Council has unanimously adopted a resolution recommending to the General Assembly the admission of Surinam to membership of the United Nations [382 (1975)]. Iraq warmly welcomes the admission of Surinam to the United Nations and regards it as a significant step towards the liberation and independence of all the colonized peoples and Territories. And, surely, the admission of Surinam to the United Nations will strengthen the principle of the universality of membership of the United Nations. I

I should like ‘first to congratulate you, Sir, on your assumption of the responsible post of President of the Security Council and to wish you success in that post. Indeed, I had occasion to address some wishes to you ‘in that connection yesterday when I adjourned the last meeting of the Security Council held under my presidency. I should like also to express my cordial gratitude to all those colleagues in* the Security Council who have addressed kind words to me in connection with my presidency of the Council for the month of November. 95. Iraq sincerely wishes the people of Surinam success and prosperity and looks forward to friendly and fruitful relations with that people and its Government.

I should first like to extend to you, Mr. President, my delegation’s warmest congratulations ‘on your accession to the presidency of the Security Council for this month. We Mauritanians who have had the privilege of working with you for what will soon be more than a year know from experience that your outstanding talents as a statesman and diplomat have always contributed to the success of our work. That is why we are confident that under your presidency the work of the Security Council will be crowned with success. 102. The admission to the United Nations of each newly independent State that has only recently thrown off the fetters of colonialism is always a joyous event. Whenever it occurs, the United Nations takes a further important. step, first towards the full and complete abolition of colonialism in all parts of the world, in pursuance of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, adopted 15 years ago on the initiative of the Soviet Union and with the active support of the non- 97. I should like to state too how much we appreciated the way in which the representative of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics carried out his responsibilities as President of the Council last month. Thanks’ to his wisdom, his experience and his fairness, the 103. The Soviet delegation was pleased to support the recommendation of the Security Council to admit the Republic of Sui’mam to Uiiitecl Nations membership. The achievement of independence by the people of Surinam is a new and important step towards wiping from’the face of the earth the last unsightly blemishes of colonialism. As members know, one of the principles underlying the foreign policy of the Soviet Union is its constant and resolute fight for the speedy abolition of the vestiges of the colonial system and the rendering of comprehensive support to those peoples who are struggling for their national freedom and independence. 104. In supporting the admission to membership in the United Nations of the Republic of Surinam, the Soviet delegation believed that the application of Surinam to be admitted to the United Nations was in full accord with the requirements laid down by the United Nations Charter. We would voice the hope that this new member of the United Nations will make its worthy contribution to the activities of the Organization. 105. In a congratulatory telegram from the President of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union, Mr. Kosygin, addressed to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Surinam, Mr. Henck Arron, on Surinam’s independence day, the following statement: “The Soviet Government, on the basis of its unchanging policy of equality and friendship among all States regardless of their social systems and guided further by the principle of self-determination of peoples, hereby states that it recognizes Surinam as a sovereign and independent State, and also expresses its readiness to establish diplomatic relations with the new State. “I express the hope that between the Soviet Union and Surinam relations of friendship and co-operation will develop to the benefit of the peoples of our countries and in the interests of consolidating universal peace.” 106. The delegation of the Soviet Union would like to take this opportunity once again sincerely to congratulate the Republic of Surinam, its people and its delegation to the United Nations on the occasion of their proclamation of independence, and to wish the people of that country good fortune and progress on their road to independent existence and development.

I call on the representative of the Netherlands.

Mr. President, first I should like to thank you and the other 109. My delegation is particularly pleased to see this meeting chaired by you, Mr. President, represending the United Kingdom, a eotmtry which, in view of its own history and indeed in view of its involvement in some of the history of Surinam, fully understands the significance of this application for membership in the United Nations by Surinani. I should also like to express the sincere appreciation of my delegation and of myself to Ambassador Malik who during the month of his presidency gave valuable assistance to my delegation in connexion with the preparation of the application of Surinam. 110. I also wish to put on record my deep gratitude and that of the Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands for the very kind words which all members of this Council have said today about my country. 111. As members of this Council know, Surinam has been an equal and autonomous partner in our Kingdom ever since the Charter of the Kingdom of the Netherlands entered into force on 15 December 1954. As a consequence, when the Government and the people of Surinam decided in full freedom to opt for complete independence, the Netherlands Government whole-heartedly co-operated in achieving that aim. 112. Thus, Surinam became an independent and sovereign nation on 25 November of this year. My Government is pleased that this important event took place this year, the thirtieth anniversary of the United Nations. Although a long historic relationship has now ended, the Kingdom of the Netherlands looks forward to maintaining close ties of friendship with the newly independent nation. Needless to say, our new relationship will find concrete expression in various ways, including wide-ranging co-operation in the economic and technological fields. 113. In conclusion, I wish to thank the Council and all its members for the decision taken today. I can assure the Council that the unanimous adoption of the draft resolution recommending to the General Assembly that Surinam be admitted to membership of the United Nations is warmly appreciated by the Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

I should now like to make a brief statement in my capacity as representative of the UNITED KINGDOM. 115. May I start by thanking all the representatives on the Security Council who have said such kind, generous and undeserved things to me this afternoon. May I also express again my appreciation to the representative of the Soviet Union for the way in which he conducted our affairs during the month of 116. It gave ‘my Government particular pleasure to vote in favour of Surinam’s admission to the United Nations. I should like to reciprocate the kind words addressed to my country by, the representative of the Netherlands. We do indeed understand the significance of Surinam’s application for membership. For many centuries the territories of Surinam and what was then British Guyana were administered by our two countries, and we were, so to speak, temporary neighbours on the South American continent. That period is now firmly behind us. But we remain neighbours and partners of the Netherlands in the European Economic Community. We are also associated, following our joint signature of the LomC Convention, with many newly independent countries in Africa, the Pacific and the Caribbean, including Surinam. We are delighted at these developments and we look forward to working together with the independent Republic of Surinam, both through the institutions provided for by the Lome Convention, and of course in the provision of assitance through the European Development Fund. 117. But my own country’s links with Surinam go back very much further. The long period of colonial rule from which Surinam has just emerged began, as perhaps did that of many other countries, when an Englishman, a Lord Willoughby, established a settlement there is 1651. I am told that in 1667 a Dutch fleet conquered the territory. When peace was signed between Britain and the Netherlands that same year, the treaty provided for the exchange of Surinam with the city which was then called New Amsterdam ------ 118. Surinam now joins those former dependent Territories on the American continent and in the Caribbean area which have achieved independence. It will, I am sure, have a great deal to contribute to the deliberations of the Latin American and the Caribbean countries. I am sure, too, that it will equally contribute to the co-operation with its neighbours which the future well-being of the area requires. My Government looks forward to working in close conjunction with the Surinam delegation at the United Nations. We shall follow its progress as an independent State with the keenest sympathy and goodwill. 119. In conclusion, may I express my Government’s appreciation both to the Government of Surinam and to our partner, the Government of the Netherlands, at the successful outcome of their recent negotiations, of which the application before us today is the witness. The friendly relations between the two countries are a tangible reminder of the co-operation and the sense of partnership which they have created and which we believe this Organization is designed to promote. The meeting rose at 5.05 p.m. Notes I See Resolution 382 (1975). * United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 634, No. 9068, p. 282. . -. i _ . _ . . - ‘. .’ ._; . . . . . . HOW TO OBTAIN UNITED NATIONS PUBLICATIONS United Nations publications may be obtained from bookstores and distributors throughout the world. Consult your bookstore or write to: United Nations, Sales Section, New York or Geneva. COMMENT SE PROCURER LES PUBLICATIONS DES NATIONS UNIES Les publications des Nations Unies sont en vente dans les librairies et les agences depositaires du monde entier. Inl’ormez-vous auprk de votre libraire ou adressez-vous 6 : Nations Unies, Section des ventes. New York ou Genhe. KAK IIO;IYWITh NIAAHKH OPI-AHN 3A4NEI OWbE~HHEHHhIX HAIWR COMO CONSEGUIR PUBLICACIONES DE LAS NACIONES UNIDAS Las publicaciones de las Naciones Unidas esdn en venta en libretias y casas distribuidoms en todas partes de1 mundo. Consulte a su librero o dirijase a: Naciones Unidas, Seccih de Ventas, Nueva York o Ginebra. Litho in United Nations, New York 00300 : 82-61202~December 1983-2.200