UN General Assembly
1960

56. It Is pointless to congratulate our peoples on their accession to independence when the congratulations go hand in hand with subtle manoeuvres designed to hinder the normal exercise of their national sovereignty. The freedom dearest to our hearts Is the freedom of exercising our independence; it Is (I say it at the risk of repeating myself) the freedom of exercising our independence freely, the freedom which promotes and does not hinder the normal conditions for exercising the functions of national sovereignty. 57. We appeal to the sentiments of justice of all nations, urging them to undertake the effective defence of Congolese legality. The men who are in the Congo will pass from the scene; the Congolese people and the Republic of the Congo will remain. We must not commit an act which will go down in history as a source of reproach on the part of future generations in the Congo and elsewhere towards those who today are responsible for international life.