UN General Assembly
1963

59. In coming for the first time to this rostrum to address this great assembly of nations in the name of the new Government of Iraq, I wish to reaffirm my country's deep devotion to the principles of the Charter and to pledge its full support to the United Nations in its efforts to promote peace, freedom and human welfare. With our States we endeavour to maintain the closest friendly relations on the basis of strict adherence to the policy of non-alignment. In our region, we are committed to the realization of Arab unity, one of the most cherished goals of the Arab nation. No people has suffered as much from fragmentation and division as has the Arab people, and this present generation of Arabs is determined to overcome all the obstacles and eliminate all the artificial barriers that have divided our people. Our dedication to unity springs from a desire and a yearning deeply rooted in the national consciousness of our people and solidly based on the facts of geography, history and culture which have moulded the Arabs into one nation. Unity for us is not an abstract ideal, but a means for ensuring for the Arab people the full enjoyment of those fundamental rights which give quality to human life.