UN General Assembly
1961

53. The existence of military bases is directly linked to the sovereignty of the State in which they are established. If a State decides, in the full exercise of its sovereignty, to allow military bases to be installed on its territory, that is its own affair; that does not impair its independence in any way. If, on the contrary, the bases are installed in a State against its will, that is obviously an infringement of its sovereignty. The principle is therefore simple. It is in the light of this fundamental rule that all the problems connected with military bases should be solved. 54. In my opinion the question of Bizerta should not have led to a conflict. From the time the Tunisian Government clearly expressed its desire to have the Bizerta base evacuated, there should have been no difficulties in respect of the principle of its evacuation. 55. That is why the Government of Senegal, at the very outset, stated its position on the matter in an official communiqué couched in the following terms: