S/PV.2105 Security Council

The Council will now consider the report of the Committee on the Admission of New Members concerning the application of the Commonwealth of Dominica for admission to membership in the United Nations [S/l 29.561. 4. In paragraph 3 of the report, the Committee recommends to the Council that it should have recourse to the provisions of the last paragraph of rule 60 of the provisional rules of procedure pursuant to which the Security Council would immediately present its recommendation to the General Assembly. If I hear no objection, I shall take it that the Council. wishes to depart from the time-limits set forth in the penultimate paragraph of rule 60. S. In paragraph 4 of the report, the Committee recommends to the Council the adoption of a draft resolution on the application for membership of the Commonwealth of Dominica. In accordance with the procedure followed on previous occasions, I propose that the Council should first proceed to the vote on that draft resolution and that those who wish to speak do so thereafter. If I hear no objection, I shall take it that that procedure is acceptable to the members of the Council. I shall now put the draft resolution to the vote. A vote was taken by show of hands. T7rze draft resolulion was adopted unanimously. 1

I shall request the Secretary-General to transmit this recommendation to the General Assembly.

I would start by expressing the thanks of my delegation to the representative of Gabon for the skill and dexterity with which he handled the difficult period as President of the Council last month. 8. I also take this opportunity of welcoming you to the presidency, Mr. President, particularly since you represent a country with which mine has such close and friendly relations. I am confident that your most pleasant task in what looks like being a busy month in the Council will be to preside over our discussion of the admission of Dominica as the 15 1st Member of the United Nations. 9. My delegation was delighted to support the draft resolution which we have just adopted. We shall be very 1 See resolution 442 (1978). 11. The United Kingdom, for its part, has given its full support to the aspirations of the people, and the Government of Dominica under their Prime Minister, Mr. Patrick John, to proceed to full independence. On the occasion of independence on 3 November 1978, which incidentally was the anniversary of the month in which Christopher Columbus actually sighted it, my Government agreed to a sizeable financial and aid package, comprising project, technical and budgetary assistance. 12. The Commonwealth of Dominica, with its population of 80,000 will be, on the confident assumption that its application for membership is successful, one of the smaller nations represented here in the United Nations. Nevertheless, with its rich social, ethnic and linguistic mixture, its fascinating, if turbulent, history and its long preparation for full nationhood, we are certain t!lat Dominica has a useful part to play in the Organization. We look forward very much to Dominica’s admission in the near future.

Let me begin, Mr. President, ‘by saying how happy we are to see you occupying the presidency for the month of December. The term of the Federal Republic of Germany in the Security Council will end with the termination of your presidency. It is indeed the most effective and memorable way in which you end the term of your country’s role in the Council. 14. I should also like to say how grateful we are to the representative of Gabon, your predecessor, who conducted the business of the Council with exemplary skill and efficiency. 15. The delegation of Kuwait supported the admission of Dominica to membership in the United Nations. It is a 16. My delegation would like to express its sentiment of congratu!ation to the young applicant-Dominica-on the attainment of its independence. It couples this congratulation with the warmest expression of welcome to Dominica as the newest Member of the United Nations. We are certain that Dominica will do its best to promote the implementation of the goals and purposes of the Charter of the United Nations. The emancipation of any people from colonial rule is a triumph for the Charter, and in this spirit Kuwait appreciates the meaning of the independence of Dominica. 17. My delegation hopes that in the not-too-distant future, the State of Palestine will be admitted as a Member of the United Nations. This should be done along the line of General Assembly resolution 181 (II) which called for the creation of a Palestinian State. It is an irony of llistory and fate that more than 3 million Palestinians, active, productive, creative and ancient as they are, and with a historical land of their ancestors, are denied their right to have a State. It is painful and indeed unpardonable that a permanent member of the Security Council is not in favour of the right of the Palestinians to have a State of their own. Be that as it may, my delegation is convinced that one day the Palestinians will have their State, no matter what the Israelis and their supporters think of that.

Mr. President, I should like first of a!1 to tender to you my sincere congratulations on your accession to the presidency of the Council. The French delegation is particularly happy to see the Ambassador of a great country, the Federal Republic of Germany, which is a friend of ours, directing our work during the month of December. Your experience and your talents will be most helpful to us, and you can be assured that in the difficult task you are about to undertake you can count on the complete co-operation of my delegation. 19. I should like also to address our gratitude to Ambassador N’Dong of Gabon for the remarkable manner in which he conducted our deliberations during the very delicate and heavy period of November. 20. The Security Council has just recommended unanimously to the General Assembly that the Commonwealth of Dominica should be admitted to membership in the United Nations. We gladly join in this recommendation. Since Dominica has fulfilled the conditions which are required and has undertaken to respect the provisions of t!le Charter, the French delegation, in accordance with its constant position, could not but express support for its admission. 21. The admission of Dominica to the Organization will bring us even closer to the aim of universality to which we 22. The French delegation concludes by tendering its sincere felicitations to the Prime Minister of Dominica and his Government and wishes to assure them that France is prepared to enter into relationships with his country in every field in a spirit of co-operation and friendship. I want to express to the people of Dominica our warm wishes for their happiness and prosperity. 23. Mr. CHEN Chu (China) (interpretation from Clzinese). Mr. President, first of all I wish to congratulate you on your assumption of the presidency of the Security Council for the current month. 24, On 3 November 1978, the Commonwealth of Dominica proclaimed its independence. On 21 November, it applied for membership in the United Nations fsee S/12942/ and declared its acceptance of the obligations contained in the Charter. The Chinese delegation considers that the Commonwealth of Dominica is qualified for membership in the United Nations according to the relevant provisions of the Charter. We fully support its application, and we are in favour of the Security Council recommending to the General Assembly the admission of the Commonwealth of Dominica to membership in the United Nations. 25. Over the past four centuries, the Dominican people, carrying forward their glorious tradition of combating imperialism and colonialism, have waged a prolonged and valiant struggle against colonial rule and finally won the brilliant victory of attaining national independence under the leadership of His Excellency Prime Minister Patrick John. The Chinese people as well as the people of the rest of the world rejoice in it. This once again shows that countries want independence, nations want Iiberation and the people want revolution, and that this has become an irresistible historical trend of our time. 26. On the occasion of its independence, the Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Dominica solemnly declared the readiness of the Dominican people to rely on their own strength in building their country and to continue to support the struggle of the developing countries. We sincerely wish them continued new successes in their just cause of defending national independence, developing their country and safeguarding peace and security in the Caribbean area. 27. On 3 November, Hua Kuo-feng, Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China, sent a cable to Prime Minister Patrick John expressing warm congratula-

Mr. President, since this is the first occasion under your presidency that I have had an opportunity to speak, I should like to commence by expressing the pleasure of my delegation in seeing you in the Chair and upholding the higlr honour of the office, particularly since you, like we, arc leaving the Council in a few weeks. It is particularly significant that you should be our presiding officer on this occasion. 29. I should like also to express appreciation to Ambassador N’Dong for his magnificent work in the month of November. I am sure it is an experience that he will remember for a long time and we are all duly gateful to him for the contribution he made. 30. My delegation is pleased to join with others which have spoken in extending warm congratulations to the Commonwealth of Dominica on the occasion of its application for admission to membership in the United Nations. In this, the final month of our current membership on the Council, we are particularly pleased to welcome Dominica, a fellow member of the Commonwealth, as the newest Member of the United Nations. For a number of reasons we take a particular interest in the admission of Dominica. We have had a long history of involvement in the Caribbean in general and with Dominica in particular. Since 1961 we have assisted the Government of Dominica in developing its economy and have provided special assistance in such fields as school construction, water development, port development and agricultural projects. WC look forward to continuing and expanding these close and friendly relations with Dominica both within the traditional spheres and now within the United Nations and other international organizations. It is with great pleasure, therefore, that my delegation has supported the draft resolution recommending that the Commonwealth of Dominica should be admitted as a Member of the United Nations.

We would congratulate you, Mr. President, for having assumed for the second time the very responsible duties of President of the Security Council. The burden borne by the President is certainly not an easy one to bear. It is noble, however, and most responsible. Bearing in mind your experience, we are sure that all the questions which will come before the Council will be resolved constructively in a manner useful to the United Nations and to the authority that it will exert. 32. On behalf of the Soviet delegation I should like also to express our sincere thanks to the representative of Gabon, the President of the Council for November, for his 34. It is easy to understand the legitimate wish of this new State from the very first day of its independent existence to become an active participant in the life of the world community and to become a full-fledged member of it. We note with satisfaction the statement of the Prime Minister indicating that the Commonwealth of Dominica accepts the commitments of the Charter and solemnly pledges to fulfil them. 35. The achievement of independence by Dominica on 3 November last was an important success in the struggle to implement the rights of peoples to self-determination and national independence. It is a further step towards the complete and final elimination of the colonial system. 36. The Soviet Union, true to its policy of principle of supporting the struggle of colonial peoples for their freedom and independence, warmly welcomes this event. On the day of the declaration of independence of the Commonwealth of Dominica, the Soviet Government sent to the Prime Minister of that country its sincere congratulations and its wishes for the progress and well-being of its people along the path of independent development. In the telegram from the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR, Mr. Kosygin, the following was stated: “The Soviet Government, consistently following its policy based on the principles of equality and self-determination of peoples and supporting the development of friendship and co-operation among all States, declares by this message its recognition of the Commonwealth of Dominica as an independent and sovereign State and expresses its readiness to establish diplomatic relations with it.” 37, The delegation of the USSR wishes to take this opportunity to congratulate the newly independent State and people of the Commonwealth of Dominica on the affirmative decision taken by the Security Council on the application of Dominica for admission to membership in the United Nations and wishes them peace and Success in their national development. 38. Mr. N’DONG (Gabon) (interpretation from French). Mr. President, allow me first of all to extend to you the congratulations of my delegation upon your assumption of the presidency of the Council for the month of December. We are all the more gratified because your great country, the Federal Republic of Germany, and my own, the Republic of Gabon, maintain relations of friendship and co-operation in all areas. In view of your great experience in international affairs, your qualities as an outstanding Our Organization, which in resolutions adopted by its various bodies has always supported the right of colonial peoples and countries to independence, can only rejoice at seeing a new Member add to its ranks. 40. The people of the Commonwealth of Dominica, which has had great experience in the administration of public affairs, has shown in an exemplary manner that it is able to abide by the provisions of Article 4 of the Charter of the United Nations, which stipulates the following: “Membersitip in the United Nations is open to all other peace-loving States which accept the obligations contained in the present Charter and, in the judgement of the Organization, are able and willing to carry out these obligations.” The recognition given by many countries to Dominica clearly demonstrates, furthermore, that this peaceful country fulfils all the conditions required in law and in international usage. 41. In its application for membership, the Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Dominica has solemnly declared that his country accepts all the obligations embodied in the Charter, is in a position to comply with them and undertakes to do so. Therefore my delegation is fully convinced that that country not only has shown its faithfulness to the principles embodied in the Charter but has also expressed its determination to ensure their implementation in all circumstances. In welcoming the Commonwealth of Dominica, the United Nations can therefore congratulate itself on having in its ranks a Member State that will resolutely support the struggle for peace, international security, understanding and friendship among all the peoples of the world. 42. The United Nations, being an amalgam of States large and small, powerful and weak, where each and every one makes its contribution for the welfare of all, should, therefore, in a spirit of understanding and co-operation, proffer every assistance and friendship to newly independent States and welcome them warmly to its fold. 43. It is for all these reasons that my delegation supported with special pleasure the draft resolution we have just adopted aimed at enabling Dominica to become a Member of the United Nations. This will make it possible for the Organization thus to take a further step forward in its long march towards universality. 51. The application of the Government of Dominica for admission to membership in the United Nations has obtained the unanimous support of the membership of the Council, which has decided to recommend to the General Assembly that Dominica should be admitted. We wish to express our gratification at an act that strengthens the principle of self-determination of peoples and contributes to the universality of the Organization, faithful as we are to our traditional policy in defence of these principles, We are truly gratified to see the disappearance of the last vestiges of colonialism on our continent and we applaud the initiatives of the administering Power designed to provide assistance to the new independent State. 45. I should like also to take this opportunity to thank the representative of Gabon, Mr. N’Dong, for having so ably and (competently guided the work of the Council in November. 52. Venezuela has long maintained relations of co-operation, friendship and neighbourliness with Dominica and wishes to express here its satisfaction at the admission of this new country to membership in the United Nations, in the full exercise of all rights and in the acceptance of all the obligations set forth in the Charter of the United Nations for all sovereign States irrespective of their population, their size, their political, economic or social system or the race or creed of their inhabitants. 46. ,4fter the admission of Solomon Islands to membership at the current session of the General Assembly, we are witnessing today another significant event as the Security Council is approving a recommendation to admit to the United Nations the Commonwealth of Dominica, a new State which achieved its independence on 3 November of this :year. The delegation of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic was pleased to support the recommendation of the Council in regard to this application, recognizing the inalienable right of all countries and peoples to self-determination and independence in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and the historic Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peop’les. In so doing, it also noted the statement of the Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Dominica to the effect that Dominica accepted the obligations contained in the Charter and solemnly undertook to fulfil them. 53. My country, whose coasts are washed by the same seas as those of Dominica, share the same ideals of independence, development and democracy, and in this connexion we extend a most cordial welcome to this new sisternation, which has now entered the community of free States of the Caribbean and the international community represented by the United Nations.

Mr. President, the delegation of Bolivia wishes to express its satisfaction at seeing you assume the presidency of the Security Council for the month of December. Your outstanding qualities as a diplomat and international figure as well as your Government’s position in the field of international relations-a Government which has always been ready to co-operate in the solution of problems besetting the world and in contributing to the progress of developing countries-bear witness to the effectiveness of those services which will be all the more valuable as it seems difficult to find just and equitable solutions to problems entrusted to the Council by the international community. In view of the ever cordial and close relations existing between our two Governments and peoples, it is hardly necessary for me to reiterate our desire for co-operation. 47. The admission of the Commonwealth of Dominica at the thirty-third session of the General Assembly as the 151st Member of the United Nations is one of the steps along the road to the final liquidation of the colonial system. Domimca’s declaration of independence has turned a new page in the life and history of the people of the Commonwealth of Dominica. On this occasion the Czechoslovak delegation wants to offer its sincere congratulations to them and to wish them peace and success in the many-sided development of their country.

I thank the representative of Czechoslovakia for his kind words to me and to my country and with regard to the relations between our two countries. 55. I also wish to express the gratitude of my delegation for the excellent work done by the representative of Gabon, Mr, N’Dong. His sagicity and diplomatic tact enabled him to conduct our work in a climate of serenity and a patient quest for solutions to some of the most controversial issues before the Council. We extend to him the expression of our admiration and gratitude. 49. Miss LOPEZ (Venezuela) (interpretation from Spanish): Mr. President, allow me to congratulate you on behalf of my delegation and to congratulate your country, the Federal Republic of Germany, upon your assumption of the presidency of the Security Council. We reiterate our 57. We are also gratified to learn that Dominica, on joining the Organization, will become another member of the Latin American Group, which thus will bc enriched not only in numerical terms but also by reason of the virtues of the Dominican people, whose history is so similar in many ways to that of other peoples in our part of the world.

I thank the representative of Bolivia for the kind words he addressed to me and to my country with regard to the good relations between our two countries.

Mr. President, as this is the first time that I have had an opportunity to address the Security Council, I look forward to your indulgence. 60. The delegation of Mauritius extends to you and to your country its warm congratulations on your assumption of the presidency of the Security Council for the month of December, The Council will surely benefit from your great experience and know-how in steering its course in the right direction during the difficult days looming ahead. 61. As is well known, Mauritius has never failed to support and to work actively for the independence of countries ever since it was admitted as a Member of the United Nations. It therefore has given Mauritius, as a member of the Security Council, immense pleasure in recommending the admission of Dominica as a full-fledged member of our world-wide Organization. We look forward to the actual admission of Dominica-which will certainly receive the official sanction of the General Assembly-when we shall have an opportunity to welcome warmly the Commonwealth of Dominica. 62. As a member of the Security Council, Mauritius takes special pride in welcoming this historic event, since it is to be remembered that, when the United Nations was created, the Organization had only 51 Members and therefore Dominica is the 100th Member to be admitted to the United Nations since its inception. We warmly welcome the delegation of Dominica, extending to them our sincere congratulations on their independence, and we express to them our full co-operation. Our congratulations go also to the United Kingdom which has a remarkable recorcl in the process of decolonization in the best spirit of the universality of membership and in accordance with the principles of the Charter.

The United States is pleased to support the application for admission to membership in the United Nations of the Commonwealth of Dominica. This State, which attained its independence on 3 November this year, is certainly to be welcomed in the 65. We have noted with pleasure the peaceful and responsible manner in which Dominica attained its independence. We are confident that this achievement demonstrates that the Government and people of Dominica are prepared to shoulder their responsibilities in the world and that they share the principles that guide us here in the United Nations: to establish a world of peace, justice, and prosperity.

Mr. President, please also permit me to congratulate you on your assumption of the presidency of the Council. I do not need to repeat that your efficiency and proficiency in dealing with matters both in the United Nations and in the deliberations of the Security Council are revered by members of the Council and by Members of the United Nations. The visit of your Chancellor to my country recently was a high-water mark in the relations between our two countries. 67. At the same time, I should like to extend, through you, the profound appreciation of my delegation to the representative of Gabon, my brother and friend, Ambassador N’Dong, for the skilful manner in which the affairs of the Council were conducted during the tnonth of November. 68. My delegation is indeed happy to support the resole tion recommending to the General Assembly the admission of the Commonwealth of Dominica as the 15 1st Member of the United Nations. As a member of the Commonwealth, Nigeria is indeed gratified to welcome another member within the Organization. 69. Here I would wish to recall that Nigeria-as I hop will be the case with Dominica-became a member of the Commonwealth because it believed in certain values, values that have transformed the colonial system which pervaded our history for the better part of a century on the basis of self-determination, independence and equality of peoples, of races and of nations. That is what keeps the Common. wealth going, and it is a tradition which we hope will extend beyond colonial possessions into the wider field of international relations, particularly as regards the British, and I congratulate them on the peaceful transition of Dominica to statehood. 70. I also hope that the Commonwealth of Dominica will benefit immensely from the fruits of statehood occasioned 71. As more and more countries and peoples become independent and join the United Nations, my delegation cannot but recall that a number of States, particularly in my part of the world, are still held in colonial bondage and racial domination. We refer in this instance to Zimbabwe, Namibia, and the settler colonialism in upzrfkeid South Africa where the rights of peoples are still seriously threatened and circumscribed, partially or totally, and their legitimate yearnings for freedom and independence trampled with reckless abandon. However, we find consolation in the fact that both history and time are on the side of justice and that freedom may take long to achieve but will certainly arrive. It may even have to be reached by a bloody path, but it will arrive in the end. Four million people-the whites-cannot continue indefinitely to dominate across racial lines 30 million people in southern Africa, no matter the odds and notwithstanding the manoeuvres of certain vested interests bent on the preservation of the current unacceptable ~tut~s quo in that part of the world.

I thank the representative of Nigeria for his statement and for the kind words addressed to me and to my country regarding the relations between our two countries.

Mr. President, my delegation and every one of us extends to you our warm congratulations and sincere good wishes on your becoming President of the Securi,ty Council for this month. As your neighbour during the last two years, I have observed you without any inhibitions and have found in you certain qualities which are ideal for the office of a permanent president of the Council, if such an office were to be created. The Council is indeed fortunate in having you preside over it twice in your two years. I am sure that, with your customary efficiency, you will organize the various critical situations in the world in such a manner that we have no meetings after 23 December. 74. My delegation was pleased to listen to the British representative’s romantic introduction to the admission of Dominica to the United Nations. This is yet another occasion for congratulating the British Government for having carefully groomed one of its fomler colonies for independent statehood. 7.5. One more of the discoveries of Christopher Columbus will come home to roost now in this crowded United Nations. We will be very happy to welcome Dominica, and we wish this new State a happy future in what is rapidly becoming the “town meeting of the world”, as the United Nations was once called by an American observer. The admission of Dominica will also strengthen the forces of the Commonwealth, as tactfully pointed out by the British representative.

I thank ttle representative of India for his most generous words addrcsscd to the presidency. I can only hope that there will be no change in the Charter-that members of the Council can continue to share this office among themselves. 78. The next speaker is the representative of El Salvador, whom I invite to take a place at the Council table and to make his statement.

I have asked to be called upon not only as representative of El Salvador but also in my capacity as Chairman of the Latin American Group, in order to express the gratification of the representatives of the Latin American and Caribbean countries at the decision of the Security Council to recommend to the General Assembly Dominica’s admission to United Nations membership. 80. Dominica is one of the islands in the Leeward and Windward group, which in turn are part of the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean Sea. It was discovered by Christopher Columbus on Sunday, 3 November 1493, in the course of his triumphant second voyage of discovery-a voyage that was not devoid of difficulties or perils-across the stormy waters of the Atlantic, during the famous expedition sponsored by the Catholic monarchs of Spain. The fact that it was a Sunday and that the Spanish equivalent of Sunday is “domingo”, and that doming0 and Dominica are two words which etymologically evoke the name of the Lord-that is, of the only God of those of us who profess the same religion as King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella-prompted the discoverer to give the island the name it now bears, together with the English word “Commonwealth”. 81. Certainly one of the most beautiful of the Windward Islands, Dominica was a French possession until 1763, and then passed to the British Crown, with which it has been associated, like the other islands hi the group, since 1967. 82. Having achieved its independence little more than a month ago, Dominica has knocked on the door of the United Nations in order to join it as a Member State. 83. The resolution unanimously adopted by the Council recommending to the General Assembly the admission of that State is eloquent proof that the doors of this house are open to that small and young State belonging to the American community-a peace-loving country ready to respect and to comply with the purposes and prknciples enshrined in the Charter and to co-operate in the work of the world Organization. We are convinced that the recommendation will be welcomed by the Assembly and that Dominica’s admission will be approved by consensus. 84. Meanwhile, I wish to voice my thanks for the unanimous decision and to convey the fraternal congratulations of the Latin American Group to the Prime Minister @ii The PRESIDENT: The next speaker is the representative of Trinidad and Tobago, whom I invite to take a place at the Council table and to make his statement.

Mr. President, 1 S~OU~C~ like first of all to thank you and the other members of the Council for inviting me to address the Cmllcil during its consideration of the application of the ~ommanwealth of Dominica for admission to membership in the United Nations. I wish also to state that the dclcgalions of the Bahamas, Barbados, Grenada, Guyana and Jamaica have requested to be associated with the remarks which I am about to make. 88. We wish to join the others who have spoken here today in welcoming the Council’s decision just taken to recommend to the General Assembly that the Commonwealth of Dominica should be admitted to membership in the United Nations. In doing so, I hasten to add that the delegations on whose behalf I speak are not seeking to detract from the sentiments that were so eloquently expressed by the representative of El Salvador when he spoke as Chairman of the Latin American Group for the current month. We fully endorse all that he said on behalf of the Latin American Group, of which we are, of course, members. 89. The peoples of Dominica and their neighbours in the Caribbean for whom I speak have been linked over the centuries by historic& political, cultural and economic ties. In recent times our relationships have deepened through involvement in various regional institutions which are aimed at promoting the economic and social development of all the peoples of the Caribbean. Our respective Governments look forward to a further strengthening of these bonds of friendship with the peoples of Dominica. 90. The accession of the Commonwealth of Dominica ta sovereign independence on 3 November this year was the outcome of the freely expressed desire on the part of the people of that Territory to exercise their inalienable right to self-determination and independence in accordance with tl\e Charter of the United Nations and General Assembly resolution 15 14 (XV). We welcome the fact that this transition to independence took place peacefully and in accordance with long-standing arrangements for the tennination of the island’s status as a “State in ass::ziation with the United Kingdom”. 91. We recognize, however, that the people of Dominica, like tile peoples in the other Caribbean territories, will continue to face problems inherent in small island developing countries. We firmly believe that assistance from the former administering Power and other Governments, as well 92. The positive contribution of the Government and People of the Commonwealth of Dominica to the devel. opment of the Caribbean has been widely acknowledged. We are therefore convinced that the United Nations itself will be further enriched by its membership. Our Govemmerits look forward to increasing and mutually beneficial co-operation with the Commonwealth of Dominica, not only at the regional level but also now at the universal level. We are accordingly confident that the General Assembly will consider favourably the recommendation of the Security Council which has just been adopted regarding the admission of the Commonwealth of Dominica, thereby bringing the Organization one step closer to the goal of universal membership.

The next speaker is the Minister of Labour of Barbados, His Excellency Mr. Donald Blackman. I welcome him and invite him to take a place at the Council table and to make his statement.

I wish to thank the Security Council, through you, Mr. President, for having generously afforded me the opportunity of speaking on behalf of Dominica whose representative could not be available at this time to respond to the very warm and impressive welcome that has been accorded its application for admission to membership in the United Nations. 95. The representative of Dominica would have been deeply interested in the nutshell accounts of Dominican history with which the Council was regaled this afternoon. He would have craved the Council’s indulgence to effect some emendations to the historical accounts that were rendered here. In discussing the vicissitudes of Dominican history, he would have quarrelled politely with the view expressed here that Dominica was discovered by Christopher Columbus. He would have pointed out that there were human beings, to wit the Caribs, with a long, rich cultural tradition who inhabited Dominica for centuries before the date when Christopher Columbus is alleged to have set eyes on Dominica. 96. Also, the representative would have been pleased to witness the transformation, almost miraculous, undergone by certain representatives here because I recall vividly the occasion on which my country was deeply involved in having the General Assembly adopt resolution 32/186 of 19 December 1977, in which aid was requested, through the United Nations and the specialized agencies, for the West Indies Associated States, including Dominica. At that time there were some countries represented here today which looked askance at such a resolution; indeed, some rePresentatives wondered whether it was possible for the People of Dominica to think as independent human beings. 97. I am therefore particularly gratified at the euphoric statements that have emanated from those countries which were sceptical about the fitness of the people of Dominica 98. Again, I thank the Security Council for the unanimous recommendation that it has made to the General Assembly. 99. We in the Caribbean believe that this is one long step forward towards the elimination of colonialism in that region. I believe there are more areas in need of decolonization within the Caribbean than in any other region of the world. We look forward to the day when all the other countries now wallowing in a state of colonialism will be admitted with the same graciousness and charm as Dominica has been today. We look forward to the day when even Dominica’s imperialist neighbours will see fit to depart and let their respective client States take their places here as dignified national entities. 104. A former British overseas territory, Dominica has been associated with the European Economic Community. We hope that, as a member of the Caribbean Community and Common Market, Dominica will soon accede also to the LomC Convention and will thus maintain its close relations with the European Community. 105. We extend our best wishes to the people and Government of Dominica on their future role as a Member of our world Organization-the 100th since the founding of the United Nations. :lOO. The PRESIDENT: As there are no further speakers, I shall now make a statement in my capacity as representative of the FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY. 101. We are pleased to welcome Dominica as the 15lst Member of the United Nations and as the thirtieth independent State in the American region. Dominica’s iadmission to the United Nations will strengthen the ‘universal role of the Organization, just as its independence will further stability in the Caribbean. 106. As PRESIDENT of the Council, I note that the list of speakers has been exhausted. Before concluding this meet. ing, please permit me to make a suggestion to the members of the Council. My country will leave the Council at the end of this month and, in spite of all the warm compliments that members of the Council have made to the presidency, I should like to recall that there is a rule in the provisional rules of procedure that does not really permit such congratulations. Perhaps in the future members of the Council could adhere to that rule. 102. The Federal Republic of Germany was one of the first States to recognize Dominica under international law through a message of congratulation from the Federal President which was delivered by a special envoy on the day of independence. The meeting rose at 5.05 p.m. 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. 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