UN General Assembly
1959

8. We do, indeed, have solid reasons for our optimism in vast sections of the world. But is there a climate of optimism in the Middle East? Assured voices in this Assembly hall have interpreted the comparative calm prevalent there as a reason for optimism. I wish my voice were one of them. But I cannot feel assured when I know that such thinking is wishful. Too many unsolved problems in the Middle East threaten the peace of the world. 9. Where are we to find optimism in the Arabian peninsula when colonialism continues its aggression? The leaders of Oman are being oppressed; the Omani people dispersed; their homes destroyed — all this for no crime committed by them, unless the demand for freedom and self-determination is a felony to be punished by death and the destruction of property.