Mr. President, on behalf of the Norwegian delegation, I have the great honor to congratulate you on your election as President of this Assembly. I can assure you of the full co-operation of my delegation in your important task.
237.	In the introduction to. his report on the work of the Organization, the Secretary-General raises the following question: how is the United Nations responding to the formidable challenges that face the nations of the world, and in what ways can its performance and capacity be improved? I would like to take up this issue from the viewpoint of a small country which considered its membership in the United Nations a corner-stone of its foreign policy.
238.	When we consider the tasks and challenges confronting the world community today, there are two basic considerations that stand out: the one is the gravity and the magnitude of the tasks ahead; the second is the urgency involved.
239.	Such fundamental problems as the arms race, the population explosion, the gap between the rich and the poor, the scarcity of resources, global inflation, pollution, food crises and so on, indicate the magnitude and scope of the tasks facing the world today. These problems are of concern to all nations because they concern mankind's possibility for survival.
240.	The second main consideration is the time factor. Time is not on our side, and the question is whether or not we have sufficient time to cope with all these problems before they become truly unmanageable. What we need is a new sense of urgency and new approaches for common solutions of the many new tasks. What we need is international action and international management of mankind's common problems and tasks.
241.	In this connexion, I would like to stress the importance of the international conferences that have taken place or are to be held this year under the auspices of the United Nations. Last spring the sixth special session of the General Assembly, on raw materials and development, was held. The World Population Conference has just been concluded. The Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea had its first session in Caracas this summer and will resume next year. The World Food Conference is about to be opened.
242.	Those and other international conferences are important milestones in the work of the United Nations. Decisions have been taken. Declarations of principle and programs of action have been adopted. But more important still is the follow-up of these decisions, and, unfortunately, the conclusion must be drawn that so far the follow-up of the International Development Strategy for the Second United Nations Development Decade, as well as of the decisions taken at the sixth special session of the General Assembly, has not been marked by any strong sense of urgency. The efficient implementation of these decisions will require sacrifices from big and small States alike, and not least from those countries whose economy has recently been strengthened considerably as a result of improved terms of trade.
243.	For its part, Norway is committed to participate to the best of its ability in the efforts to promote increased global economic and social solidarity. We attach special importance to the Special Program in favor of the most severely affected countries, and we would earnestly hope that this Program will gain wider support and be fully implemented as soon as possible.
244.	The United Nations will have to play a central role in the implementation of declarations and pro-grammes of action already adopted at these various conferences. But here again we are faced with the question raised by the Secretary-General, how can the United Nations discharge its responsibilities? That question will undoubtedly be an important item on the agenda for the special session of the General Assembly to be held in 1975. There is, however, one aspect of this issue that I would like to comment upon today, and that is: how can the idea of collective economic security and solidarity best be realized within our present institutional framework? How can we best co-ordinate and direct the wide range of ongoing activities in the economic and social fields? This poses the question of the future role of the Economic and Social Council.
245.	In the Charter a unique role in the promotion of economic and social progress and development has been entrusted to the Economic and Social Council. The question is, however, whether the Council's working methods today are fully adequate to deal effectively with the many important tasks attributed to it. Subsequent to the recent enlargement of its membership, the Council is more representative of the world community than before. However, we ought to consider how we can make the Council more efficient and increase its importance in order that the United Nations would be better equipped to deal with economic and social problems. Here I have in mind not only the long-term development problems but also acute economic crises, as well as emergency relief operations.
246.	More frequent participation of cabinet ministers in the sessions of the Council is one possibility. An alternative and one more in line with my thinking is to transform the Council into a body in permanent session, that is, some kind of security council for economic and social affairs. For Norway, which hopes to beep me a member of the Economic and Social Council again as of next year, the question of how to strengthen the Council will be a central issue in the months ahead.
247.	Also in the field of international disaster relief and longer term relief assistance, there is an urgent need for increased efforts with a view to improving efficiency and co-ordination. Much remains to be done, and the measures taken so far have not always yielded the expected results. The world community must give increased priority to disaster relief.
248.	As a State Member of the United Nations, Norway has considered it an important task for the Organization to develop a more suitable system and machinery for dealing with violations of fundamental human rights. We have repeatedly had the experience that Member States invoke the principle of non-interference in matters within their domestic jurisdiction when attention is drawn to violations of human rights. However, such violations concern the world community as a whole and have a negative influence not only on relations between individual nations but also on the international climate in general. That is the reason why we have worked for the creation within the United Nations system of a post of High Commissioner for Human Rights.
249.	We have recently received an increasing number of reports of torture and brutal treatment of prisoners in various parts of the world. The United Nations must now give increased priority to this question. By creating an alert world public opinion and by working systematically within the structure of the United Nations, we must seek to ensure that the individuals are effectively protected against torture and other gross violations of human rights. In this connexion, I would like to pay a tribute to the work carried out by Amnesty International and the campaign against torture which that organization has launched.
250.	At a time when the world is confronted with very serious economic and political problems and when the need for global and regional co-operation is greater than ever before, we experience in all our countries and in all parts of the world & trend back to bilateralism and increased nationalism in inter-national politics. This is not in the interest of any country. It is, however, first and foremost, the small countries which will suffer from such a development. This trend towards bilateralism is perhaps even more pronounced in matters of peace and security. Here, however, the situation is fundamentally different.
251.	Under the pressure of the modern weapons of mass destruction, a rapprochement has developed between the great Powers, as well as a common effort to co-operate in order to limit the arms race and prevent local conflicts from developing into a direct confrontation between themselves. It should, of course, be in the interest of all countries to support this development. Whether we like it or not, the question of peace and war will to a large extent remain the responsibility of the super-Powers.
252.	Nevertheless, this development confronts us, the smaller countries, with a dilemma. On the one hand, we are vitally interested in and dependent upon the continued detente aid co-operation between the big Powers. On the other hand, we are not interested in this co-operation taking forms that could undermine the international system of co-operation or hamper the efforts to build a world community based on the United Nations.
253.	We, the smaller countries, cannot escape this dilemma, either by automatically accepting everything the great Powers have agreed upon or by a priori condemning this co-operation or this agreement simply because we have not been consulted. What the great Powers are doing is developing a common conception between themselves of how peace can best be secured. This is necessary; but the smaller countries must also develop their conception of how the world community should be organized, and this should not be in opposition to the great Powers and their co-operation but should form a necessary supplement and act as a necessary corrective to the co-operation between the great Powers.
254.	This conception, or the task of the smaller countries, must therefore lie in working for a strengthening of international co-operation through the United Nations which will secure international peace and at the same time make it possible to achieve the necessary peaceful changes in the political, economic and social structure of the world. And in working for this, we the smaller countries have a common interest, regardless of our geographical location, whether we are rich or poor and irrespective of political or ideological differences. Part of this small-Power conception must also be to tie the great Powers as strongly as possible to the United Nations and encourage them to make full use of the Organization. It is only through constructive interaction between the small and the large countries, and through the use of the United Nations machinery, that the potential of the Organization to meet the challenges of our time can be developed.
255.	The current session of the General Assembly has on its agenda a number of important political questions of current interest, such as those of Cyprus, the Middle East, disarmament and the situation in southern Africa. The Norwegian delegation will come back to some of these questions during the consideration of the respective items on the agenda. I shall therefore limit myself here to some brief remarks on these subjects.
256.	The situation in Cyprus continues to be a source of concern and anxiety. However, we can now discern certain trends in the negotiations between the leaders of the two communities on the island which give reason for some optimism. We hope that in the longer perspective these may lead to real negotiations with a view in achieving a just and lasting solution based on respect for the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Cyprus. Such a solution can be obtained only by peaceful means and not by military force.
257.	As I already mentioned, the Norwegian delegation will in a later statement discuss disarmament problems on a broader basis. However, today I shall stress the importance which my Government attaches to the earliest possible cessation of all nuclear tests and to the need for the problems of nuclear proliferation in connexion with tests for peaceful purposes to be considered seriously now in the United Nations or in the Conference of the Committee on Disarmament in Geneva. I would also underline the importance of the continuing efforts by the United States and the Soviet Union to reach agreement on further limitations in the field of strategic weapons systems.
258.	This year we welcome Bangladesh, Grenada and Guinea-Bissau as new Members of the Organization. This brings the United Nations even closer to fulfilling the principle of universality, a principle which Norway considers to be of the utmost importance.
259. The admission of Guinea-Bissau is also a manifestation of the encouraging developments with regard to the abolition of Portugal's colonial rule in southern Africa. I should like to express the deepest appreciation of my Government for the important decision taken by the Portuguese Government to prepare, in conformity with the principles of the Charter of the United Nations, for the rapid and peaceful achievement of self-determination and independence by the peoples in the colonies.
260.	In South Africa, Rhodesia and Namibia, the white minority regimes continue to suppress the African populations and to violate fundamental human rights. As far as Norway is concerned, we shall fully apply the sanctions which have been decided upon by the Security Council against Rhodesia. We shall also continue strictly to observe the arms embargo against South Africa and to work for intensified international pressure against oppression and racial discrimination in these areas
261.	It is only natural that the international energy situation and its financial and economic implications will be a main theme in the debate during this session of the General Assembly. Several speakers have already stressed the gravity of the situation. It goes without saying that the Norwegian Government is also most concerned about these problems, and that has relevance to the dual position in which Norway finds itself.
262.	On the one hand, Norway, as part of the industrialized world is greatly dependent upon stable supplies of energy being ensured to other industrialized countries at manageable prices. On the other hand, Norway, as an emerging net exporter of gas and oil, is preoccupied with the same, problems, such as the pace of exploitation and national control over natural resources, as the other producer nations.
263.	In view of this dual position, my country has an obvious national interest in avoiding confrontations and crises between producers and consumers, and we shall to the best of our ability contribute to solutions that can ensure a sound international economy and take due account of all legitimate interests, in particular the needs of those developing countries dependent upon imports of oil.
264.	Finally, I should like to stress how important it is for the further development of the world community that we arrive at a comprehensive solution of the many outstanding questions related to the law of the sea. As a major shipping nation, as a producer of oil and gas from the continental shelf and, first and foremost, as a nation whose coastal population is overwhelmingly dependent upon the resources of the sea, it goes without saying that my country attaches great importance to the need for reaching international solutions to these problems as soon as possible.
265.	The Norwegian Government had hoped that it would have been possible during the first session of the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea to reach agreement on certain basic principles for a package solution. Well, the Conference did not succeed in this. Nevertheless, we noted with satisfaction that the first session of the Conference succeeded in creating a good basis for further negotiations next year, which we hope will succeed in achieving a comprehensive convention relating to the law of the sea.


Mr. President, those who have addressed this Assembly before me have ably expressed their congratulations to you on your unanimous election as President of the twenty-ninth session of the General Assembly. Allow me, nevertheless, to add the cordial greetings and congratulations of His Majesty King Sobhuza II, the Government and the people of the Kingdom of Swaziland.
2.	Your distinguished career as leader of your great country, Algeria, and your well-known and tested experience in international affairs are qualities that eminently make you suited to preside over the deliberations of this Assembly, convened as it is for the first time since the sixth special session, of which your country was the initiator and in which it played a very important role.
3.	My delegation is confident that the deliberations of this Assembly under your able guidance will succeed and contribute towards removing the obstacles that lie in the way of peace, justice, progress and international understanding.
4.	The onerous duties of your high office, Mr. President, were efficiently discharged last year by your predecessor, the representative of the Republic of Ecuador, Mr. Leopoldo Benites.
5.	The maintenance of international peace and security, by efforts to harmonize the actions of nations through the Organization, is one of the principal aims of the Charter. In this regard, my delegation warmly welcomes the newly independent States of Bangladesh, Grenada and Guinea-Bissau into the fold of free and sovereign nations. The admission of these three new Member nations, in the view of my delegation, is a silver lining in a sky overcast with clouds of dubiousness about the universality of this supreme body.
6.	The serious thing for the United Nations is that problems of world peace, justice and progress, to the solution of which this Assembly rededicated itself at the twenty-fifth session, have not diminished. Our world has no shortage of problems. It is constantly being terrorized by war and local wars, division, oppression, poverty and hunger, inflation, unemployment, decline in production, social demands and financial shortages. All these are with us left, right and center, and are sprouting all over the globe, like thorns in the flesh. Even before the recent increase in the price of oil and other commodities, the world economy was in a state of disorder. World-wide inflation and monetary instability are the major causes of that disorder.
7.	Although the industrialized world experienced a remarkable economic growth during recent years, the developing countries never really participated in this development. In fact, their terms of trade constantly deteriorated, causing balance-of-payments problems and slowing down economic growth. At the same time, the relative magnitude of official development assistance declined.
8.	The recent increase in oil prices and in the cost of essential products such as fertilizers, insecticides and base chemicals has aggravated the problems immensely. Already part of the world? s population is experiencing severe food shortages, and every effort should be made to increase world agricultural output.
9.	Now that even the developed world is experiencing acute balance-of-payments deficits and unacceptable inflation rates, the dangers of increased monetary stringency, even higher interest rates and a general economic recession are imminent. Imports of primary commodities, most of them supplied by developing countries, will fall, with the ensuing effect on prices and export receipts.
10.	My delegation sincerely hopes that a solution will be found whereby capital may be recycled from the strongest world economies to the weakest. Whatever solution is found, it is essential that the resistance rendered to the less developed countries be equivalent to the loss incurred by them and that such assistance be given on concessional terms in order not to increase further the financial burden of the recipient countries.
11.	In this connexion, my country attaches great importance to the co-ordination we expect will be achieved as a result of holding the sixth special session of the Assembly, and we look forward to reaping the/ benefit of the establishment of a new international economic order, which we trust will not become a dead letter to be found in the archives of this Organization.
12.	Finally, my delegation feels that the difficulty in controlling the world-wide activities of multinational companies justifies examination by this Assembly. Although their provision of capital and know- how is important for the development of the less developed world, questions on the equal distribution of benefits and power remain.
13.	With the independence of Guinea-Bissau, with the restoration of the rights of the people of Mozambique which will soon lead that country to complete independence and with the blueprint for Angola's independence now a reality, Africa has moved closer to its main goal of territorial freedom and unity. My delegation views the installation of the transitional Government led by the Frente de Libertasao de Mozambique [FRELIMO] in Mozambique as a good sign for peace in southern Africa.
14.	The disturbances in Mozambique that followed the historic Lusaka Agreement between the FRELIMO leadership and the Portuguese Government were unfortunate and uncalled for. The Lusaka Agreement itself, seen in its true perspective, is a brilliant victory of the vision and diplomacy of all those who have contributed by their sacrifices to the liberation of Mozambique. To Africa, the Agreement is an unmistakable prelude to the complete decolonization of the African continent.
15.	The recent attitude of the Portuguese Government in facing up to the truth about the rights of people of their former Territories, particularly their right to self-determination and national independence, should inspire all peace-loving people of the world to cooperate in closing honorably the rather soiled pages of the history of Portugal. In this regard, my delegation joins those States which have called on the Angolan nationalists to close ranks and work for the immediate independence of their country on the basis of majority rule.
16.	We in Swaziland sincerely hope for and look forward to a speedy solution of the political dilemma in Namibia. The people of Namibia, like any other people, are entitled to self-determination to allow them to achieve complete independence and majority rule. Swaziland's policy remains strongly that of non-interference in the domestic affairs of other States. But this policy is irreconcilable with any form of denial of fundamental human rights.
17.	We have all of us, as Members of the United Nations, collective and individual responsibility to engender proper respect for the authority of the Organization, so that the brotherhood of men can be a practical reality in our world. All African States uphold the policy of good neighborliness, .and one would rightly assume that all desire to practice it. Racial and discriminatory policies militate against fundamental human rights and the establishment of fruitful and normal relations between men.
18.	The settlers' regime in Rhodesia should learn the lesson of Portugal and settle for peace with the majority. My delegation is of the opinion that the British Government which, after 10 years of illegal rule in Rhodesia, is still responsible for that Territory is able and equipped to transfer power to the people of Zimbabwe. So long as the privileged minority is allowed political power, it will not voluntarily give it away. Yet self-determination is vital for the survival of Africa and independence a necessary base for its unity. All Africa must be free in order to unite.
19.	In the unfolding panorama of the Middle East an uneasy calm still reigns. Attempts to secure and to confirm true national sovereignty for the Arabs as well as for Israel are being hindered by disharmony, suspicion and mistrust. These are human attitudes attitudes of one State towards another, attitudes of one racial group towards another attitudes of one power bloc towards another. Nevertheless, all of us should have long realized that in the Middle East, we as human beings are faced with one fundamental need, that is, for peaceful coexistence in that area so that the potential resources, both human and natural, could be harnessed to create a climate for a new society that should "learn war no more".
20.	Peace in the Middle East has become a national issue for all of us, for the survival of an international society is inherent in reciprocity and interdependence of nations. The absence of peace in the Middle East means the absence of peace in the world. It is in this spirit that my delegation would like to express appreciation and admiration to all the parties concerned in the Middle East conflict for showing human understanding and seeking a solution through negotiation. We admire also the diplomatic efforts of the leaders in that area in co-operating with those of the United States and the Soviet Union in bringing about better prospects for peace. All men of good conscience who value human life are encouraged by these prospects of lasting peace in that war-torn zone.
21.	Nor is the Middle East the only area of an in-creasing gravity that threatens such world peace and security. The continuing failure to reach a lasting solution in Cyprus through the apparatus set up by this Assembly is now an obvious handicap to the people of Cyprus in dealing with their own problems in their own way.
22.	The fabric of national unity is being woven in countries still divided and torn by conflicts, and a pattern of national existence is being developed, but not with ease. In the spirit of non-alignment, my delegation applauds these processes and in no circumstances will it take any action that could be seen to prejudice their fuller development.
23.	The Kingdom of Swaziland believes that the people of Cambodia are capable of solving their problems without outside intervention, and we maintain that they need the necessary encouragement from this Assembly to do so. This principle is equally applicable to North and South Korea in the present circumstances.
24.	My delegation would suggest, in connexion with the Korean question, the following: (a) that the Secretary-General institute a special commission to find out what it is that bars South and North Korea from their declared desire to peacefully unite their country; (b) to ascertain whether, in the event of the withdrawal of the United Nations Command, hostilities would not escalate into another major war.
25.	Mankind today is not only faced with the question of achieving and maintaining world peace; it is not only faced with the problem of ending local wars, it is not only faced with the dilemma of improving the conditions of life for millions of human beings who now suffer from dire poverty, disease and hunger. Mankind today is also faced with the danger of self-annihilation. The world must achieve complete disarmament in order to re-channel human and material resources to those areas that will bear fruits of meaningful human fellowship for peace and progress.
26.	In this regard, the Swaziland Government will continue to support efforts towards declaring the Indian Ocean as a zone of peace. I wish to repeat what His Majesty's Government said on this matter in this very Assembly only two years ago:
"The area of this [the Indian] Ocean, up until recently not regarded as a sensitive military zone, is becoming a target for the less peaceful attention of some Powers. The nations that rightly regard the Indian Ocean as being on their own door-step have no nuclear designs or any other hostile ambitions in the area. They are in the forefront in seeing that other Powers regard the Ocean in a like manner. Unless the seas and oceans of the world come to be regarded as areas of peaceful and economic development only, un-peaceful usage will become more and more difficult to stop."
27.	It is common knowledge that all the big Powers and North Atlantic Treaty Organization [NATO] members have pledged themselves to "save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind". The scars of slavery, the wounds of colonialism and exploitation, are still all too fresh and painful to us Africans. Therefore, we view with great concern the military buildup in the Indian Ocean by the superPowers and the military alliance of NATO members. Our continent should not be made a battlefield at a time when we are trying to rebuild it from the ashes of colonialism.
28.	Finally, the Organization, despite the glaring ineffectiveness inherent in it, has many attributes. One of these is that it has the ability to talk and has been talking for the last 28 years. Talking to each other is a rare gift to man; but as we talk let us listen not only to other people talk; let us listen also to ourselves, so that together, as sons of man, we can rise to heights of freedom, justice, peace, happiness and prosperity to realize peace and security in our time. This can happen if the representatives here present see to it that the deliberations of this Assembly, in the circumstances of our troubled times, search for the highest common factor in peace efforts rather than elegant equations in resolutions.


Mr. President, I wish first of all, on behalf of the Albanian delegation, to congratulate you whole-heartedly upon your unanimous election to the post of President of the twenty-ninth session of the General Assembly. It gives us especial satisfaction to see the work of this session presided over by the representative of Algeria, a country with which the People's Republic of Albania has such close and friendly relations.
115.	It is the second time that the General Assembly has met this year. This session is being held at a time when throughout the world many new events have taken place and continue to take place, giving rise to a number of grave problems. The Albanian delegation, imbued as always with the desire to make its modest contribution to positive progress in the work of the General Assembly, would like to express the views of the People's Republic of Albania and its Government on a series of questions which, in our opinion, deserve special attention.
116.	The events of this year have shown still more clearly the fact that the world is going through a process of swift and dynamic development. The fundamental contradictions of our times are continually worsening and the many contrasts which exist in the various parts of the globe are increasing also. Freedom, independence and the sovereignty of freedom-loving States and peoples, their development and progress are constantly threatened and endangered. The policy of aggression and expansion, of oppression and violence, of exploitation by imperialism and social imperialism has acquired even greater proportions. The unbridled arms race, the growth of military budgets and the preparations for war are continuing without interruption. Aggressive fleets and military bases fill the seas and oceans.
117.	The aggravation of the economic and financial crisis which has shaken the capitalist world has increased the difficulties of the world economy and international economic relations. The efforts of industrialized countries to make the developing countries bear the brunt of this crisis have further worsened the present international situation. The confrontation between peoples the exploited working masses of the countries that want to live in freedom and independence, on the one hand, and the imperialist forces, first and foremost the United States and the Soviet Union, on the other continues to worsen.
118.	The imperialist and colonialist Powers, particularly the two super-Powers, call on all people to open their doors to them, to allow their economic and political interference, because this allegedly will help to create harmony among nations and to further the progress of mankind. But they wish to keep privileged positions for themselves, and ask that independent States give up their right to equality and sovereignty in international relations. The two super-Powers are, in fact, attacking national sovereignty by identifying it with a narrow nationalism. In short, they want others to admit that the world can find peace only if it is dominated by them.
119.	The United States of America and the Soviet Union speculate a great deal about watchwords such as "peace", the "inevitable interdependence of States", "the need to avoid upheavals in the world balance of peaceful coexistence" or "general Nowadays they spread the idea that peaceful peoples and States, the developing countries, cannot do without them, without their aid, without their loan, without their cadres or their technology; that these countries will not able so develop their own natural resource  freely or independently. They go so for as to threaten cut off this "aid", these "loans", to stop supplying machinery. They threaten them with famine and poverty.
120.	As the leader of the Albanian people, Comrade Hoxha, has said: "The two super-Powers, the United States and the Soviet Union, who are engaged in the preparation of the hot war, try by their allegedly generous aid to enslave others, to place them in their economic and political claws, to bring them into their sphere of influence and to colonize them."
121.	The peoples are beginning to understand better and better the hegemonic designs of these superPowers and they resolutely oppose their neo-colonialist practices. They are determined to strengthen and protect their sovereign rights; day by day they oppose more courageously the pressures and blackmail that are being brought to bear on them and continue their independent development.
122.	The security and safeguarding of independence and full national sovereignty are indispensable factors in the progress of each nation and each State and the establishment of true peace and stability in the world. Events show that in present conditions everyone is affected to a greater or lesser degree by the aggressive hegemonic policies of the two superPowers. There is no country or region in the world which is not affected by the threats, the blackmail, and the interference of the United States and the Soviet Union, their conflicts and the bargaining carried on between them. The existence of aggressive military alliances and closed economic blocs, participation in those alliances and those blocs, the establishment of military bases and foreign troops on territories of other countries, military maneuvers near the borders of other States, agreements in which certain parties take the lion's share, and so on, greatly undermine the sovereignty of many States. Thus, the struggle for the defense and strengthening of national sovereignty acquires primordial importance. It has today become the common cause of all freedom-loving countries and peoples.
123.	The successes which many countries have obtained in the achievement of their rights, in their struggle against imperialism, colonialism, neo-colonialism and hegemony show that each nation, even the smallest, when it is resolved to defend its national interests, can face the enemies of its freedom, however mighty or powerful they may be, and overcome them.
124.	The people of IndoChina are still resolutely engaged in their just struggle against the American imperialist aggressors. The Arab peoples have shown on the battlefield that they can triumph over the Zionist imperialist aggression and that they have the forces and other means necessary to regain their rights. The struggle of the African peoples against colonialism, neo-colonialism and racial discrimination has taken on renewed vigor. The developing countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America have become an important force on the international scene and are playing an active role there. In Europe too and in other parts of the world, a number of countries have risen up with increased strength against the policy of diktat and intervention in their internal affairs.
125.	The sixth special session of the General Assembly, on the problems of raw materials and development, the work of the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea, held at Caracas, and the work of the World Population Conference held at Bucharest were a further expression of the determined efforts of a number of countries, particularly developing countries, to defend their sovereign rights, to affirm their legitimate rights over the seas and oceans, and to become the real masters of their natural resources in order to place them at the service of their own development and progress and to solve by themselves the problems involved in increasing the material and cultural well-being of their peoples.
126.	We greatly appreciate the firm support which the People's Republic of China, that powerful socialist State, is giving to the struggle for liberation waged by the peoples against colonialism and neocolonialism; we appreciate, too, the support that country is giving to the efforts of various countries to defend and strengthen their national independence and its valuable contribution to the cause of the peace and stability of Asia and of the rest of the world. Pursuing a foreign policy based on principle, the great People's Republic of China has become an important positive factor in the present evolution of the world and a determined opponent of the policies of hegemony of the two super-Powers.
127.	The events of this year show that there are many obstacles and difficulties in the way of the achievement of the rights and aspirations of the peoples. Not only do past conflicts and disagreements remain unresolved, but new hotbeds of tension and war have been created, as can be seen by the recent events in Cyprus.
128.	The United States and the Soviet Union, by simultaneously competing and co-operating with each other, are trying to maintain the status quo in the areas which they have already divided into zones of influence; to establish a balance acceptable to them in the areas where they have not yet been able to do that; and to extend their political, economic, military and ideological sway.
129.	Those two super-Powers base their policy of hegemony on the force of arms, on pressure, on interference in internal affairs, on intrigues and plots. They often talk about not resorting to force in international relations, and they have made that phrase the leitmotiv of many official agreements and acts; they speak of disarmament but in fact they continue the arms race; they constantly engage in military maneuvers and displays of force near the borders and coasts of other countries; they strengthen their aggressive blocs and try to take military bases and ports away from other States. Like monsters, their fleets plough the Mediterranean, the Indian Ocean and other seas and oceans, seriously threatening the freedom and independence of independent coastal countries.
130.	The two super-Powers cynically try to arrogate to themselves the right to do what they please and to establish their presence everywhere in the world, to move about freely wherever and whenever they please. The United States ruling circles and the heads of the Pentagon openly state that the United States cannot accept any reductions in its defense budget because it must remain a first-rank military Power and its military potential must remain greater than that of all the others.
131.	On the other hand, the Soviet leaders and their marshals and admirals, with their slogans of "defense of the national interests of the Soviet Union" and "the Soviet Union's political role as a world Power", do not hide the fact that their country must increase its military power and use it as a diplomatic means of intimidation and dissuasion.
132.	The two super-Powers have made a system out of secret diplomacy. The summit meetings between the United States and the Soviet Union and the secret agreements concluded between them, including those concluded in July this year, continue to cast a sinister shadow over the world. Side by side with the deep contradictions that divide them, their hegemonic collaboration has been further strengthened.
133.	Despite the noise they are making in an attempt to create the impression that Europe is about to become a region of peace and tranquility, the truth is that real tension and many contradictions exist in that continent and that a large number of its problems remain unsolved. And there the interests and aims of the two super-Powers intersect, for they wish at any cost to make Europe accept a complete division into spheres of influence.
134.	Recently, the United StL ,s has been openly exerting pressure on its Western European allies to stop their attempts to take action without the guidance and control of the United States. The Washington Conference on energy problems, the meetings convened to approve the Ottawa Declaration, and so forth, are typical examples of the ojbstinacy and arrogance of the United States in its efforts to make its partners obey and accept United States hegemony. The Soviet Union, for its part, through the Warsaw Treaty and the Mutual Economic Aid Council, has doubled its efforts to achieve the complete economic, political and military integration of the countries within its sphere of influence. Its aim is to limit even more their independence and sovereignty and to turn them gradually , one after another, into kinds of federate republics.
135.	For a long time now the Soviet Union and the United States have been boasting about the "benefits" that the carrying out of their plans for so-called European security would bring to the peoples of
Europe. But behind these plans are concealed the designs of the two super-Powers to legalize the status quo and strengthen their spheres of influence in Europe, which is contrary to the true interests of the European peoples and of peace on that continent. The People's Republic of Albania is firmly opposed to that kind of security because it would merely increase the insecurity of Europe.
136.	In order to achieve the foregoing objectives the two super-Powers, with a great clamor and all kinds of promises, organized the Conference on so- called European security. But it is already clear that the maneuvers and pressures to which the super-Powers have resorted have not achieved the expected results. The length of the sessions of that Conference and the constant interruptions of its work show that there are many contradictions. A large number of Governments have even felt great disappointment, and they are now much less interested in the Geneva negotiations.
137.	In the Vienna negotiations on the so-called reduction of military forces and arms in Central Europe, the two super-Powers have tried to reach agreement on the number of troops and of armaments that they must maintain in Europe to support their policy of hegemony. The peoples of Europe are not at all interested in a symbolic reduction of American and Soviet forces; they want all those forces to be withdrawn from the countries where they are stationed. Experience has shown that such negotiations are a hoax. On the one hand there is talk about peace and stability in Europe and the reduction of forces and weapons, and on the other the Soviet Union and the United States are intensifying their arms race and building up their military arsenals in Europe, constantly brandishing their weapons and exerting pressure on certain European countries to let them use the territory and air space of those countries for their military forces; finally, under the cover of "friendly" visits they seek to establish their war fleets in the ports of those countries. While discussions go on in Geneva and in Vienna, the Soviet Union keeps sending division after division to eastern Europe and constantly engages in troop maneuvers and movements, creates new military posts and so on.
138.	Why is all this happening? Could it be because the European countries cannot live without American and Soviet protection? No, the peoples of Europe want to be free and sovereign. Thus it is important for them to be increasingly vigilant and to harbor no illusions as to the policies -of the two superPowers. The European people cannot expect their security from the two super-Powers. They will obtain it only through constant struggle against the enemies of peace and security in Europe.
139.	This year the expansionist policy of the two super-Powers has created thorny situations in different parts of the region of the Balkans and the Mediterranean. This has brought a further increase in tension in that region and in Europe .
140.	The painful events that have recently occurred close to the Balkans, on the island of Cyprus, as well as the dangerous and regrettable consequences and complications that accompanied them, show the evils that can come to the Balkan peoples from the hegemonic policy of the United States and the Soviet Union, which engage in intrigue, intentionally create problems, and .arouse hostility among peoples and States and fan its flames, in order to achieve their own designs. They give the best proof of the justice of the words of the leader of the Albanian people, Comrade Enver Hoxha:
"The Balkans have never by themselves constituted a powder keg. If they were so in the past, it was the fault of foreigners who held all the means of detonating the explosion. And it is they who want it to be so again. It is the duty of the peoples of the Balkans to take their swords and cut through all the fuses, so that peace and security may truly be established in the Balkans."
141.	'We believe that peace and stability in the Balkans can be served and national interests defended by developing friendly links among the peoples of the Balkans, by creating an atmosphere of good neighborliness between the States in that region of the world, and by firmly opposing the attempts of the two super-Powers to penetrate as deeply as possible into that area both politically and economically and to establish military bases and free passage for their troops. The "friendship" which either one of the super-Powers offers to any country of the Balkans has many dangerous consequences for its freedom and independence and for peace in the Balkans.
142.	The events in Cyprus today cannot be dissociated from the greed of the imperialist Powers and first of all of the United States and the Soviet Union. American imperialists have organized the bloody events in Cyprus. They have thrown those people into fratricidal war in order to turn that country into a North Atlantic Treaty Organization [NATO] base. They have always sought to use the island of Cyprus as a spring-board for their policies of aggression and expansion in the Mediterranean, in the Middle East and in other areas.
143.	Soviet social-imperialists, who have hegemonic designs in the Mediterranean and the near East, have hastened to take immediate advantage of the troubled situation in Cyprus and have warmed their hands at the fire that has been lit there. If we listen to the declarations 6f the Soviet Government, we might think that Government is the most ardent and sincere defender of the interests of the people Of Cyprus and of peace and tranquility on that island. But the Soviet social-imperialists cannot conceal their real designs and their hypocritical role in the events in Cyprus. The Soviet Union is encouraging quarrels and dissension, Its main concern is to take advantage of the situation to create bases for its warships, to penetrate further into the Mediterranean, the Adriatic and other regions of the world, and thus to fulfill an old dream of Tsarist Russia. This is the aim of its efforts to arrogate to itself the full powers of a State guarantor of the independence of Cyprus and to convene an international conference On Cyprus, efforts which are as dangerous for the just solution of the problem and for peace and stability in Cyprus as the various maneuvers and Offers made by the United States.
144.	The Albanian people, who nourish sentiments of friendship for the peoples of Cyprus, Greece and Turkey, and who are sincerely concerned to achieve true peace and security in the Balkans and the Mediterranean, is opposed to any foreign interference in the internal affairs of the Cypriot people, and to any action which would further complicate the situation in that country. The interests of the Cypriot people require first and foremost that an end be put to the interference of the United States of America and the Soviet Union in. the internal affairs of that country, as well as to their attempts to take advantage of the situation created there to carry out their aggressive plans in the eastern Mediterranean.
145.	Cyprus must be free and independent. The territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Republic of Cyprus must be respected. The Greek and Turkish communities must solve their problems' themselves, without foreign interference, on the basis of a guarantee .of coexistence with equal rights, iti perfect harmony and understanding, as is required by their common interests.
146.	The events in Cyprus show even more clearly the grave danger of the presence of American and Soviet military bases and fleets in the Mediterranean for all the peoples and States of that region. Today more than ever it is urgently necessary for the peoples and countries of that area to act resolutely to compel the United States and the Soviet Union to withdraw their war fleets from the Mediterranean.
147.	We hail the efforts and resolution of the Arab people to achieve their lofty national aspirations. In the October 'war against the Israeli Zionist aggressors, they have scored an important victory. During that war the heroic vitality of the Arab people, their strength and unity in combat stood out more clearly than ever before; proof was given us that the Arab people are able to vanquish the aggressor on the battlefield and that the key to the achievement of their legitimate claims is truly in their hands.
148.	The United States and the Soviet Union strive to give the impression that great changes have taken place in that area and that, under their patronage, the problems of the Middle East will soon find a solution. But facts disprove these allegations. None of the causes of the explosive and tense situation in the Near East has been eliminated. The danger of new aggression on the part of Israel against the Arabs is still a reality. Israeli Zionists who live in occupied Arab territories once again state their aggressive claims for annexation; they threaten the Arab people and constantly renew their provocations. All the events that have taken place since the October war the intensification of rivalry and of Soviet-American collaboration in that part of the world, and the new tactics and machinations on the part of the Washington and Moscow diplomats- show that the two super-Powers want at all costs to achieve their former objectives in the Middle East, to transform partial solutions into a permanent status quo, to divide the Arabs and to refuse the Palestinian people their national and legitimate rights.
149.	Given this situation, it appears clearly that the problem of the Middle feast has not been brought closer to a true solution. We cannot build peace in that part of the world by sacrificing the rights of the Arab people. One cannot resolve the problems of the Middle East by sacrificing an entire people, the Palestinian people. We must restore to the Palestinian people, who have been fighting heroically for so many years, all the national rights that were snatched from them. The People's Republic of Albania and the Albanian people continue most strongly to support the just struggle of their brothers the Arab peoples and of the Palestinian people against the imperialist-Zionist aggressor for the restoration of their sovereign rights.
150.	The situation in IndoChina is still very disturbing. The Albanian people and its Government firmly denounce the continued aggressive policy of the American imperialists against the VietNamese people, and their military engagement in South Viet Nam as well as the systematic provocations committed by the Saigon clique against the liberated areas and the barbaric crimes perpetrated against the population of South Viet Nam. We support the struggles of the VietNamese people for the full realization of their lofty national aspirations and the just positions and demands of the Government of the Democratic Republic of Viet Nam and of the Provisional Revolutionary Government of South Viet Nam that the Agreement on the cessation of war and the restoration of peace in Viet Nam be strictly respected. The Provisional Revolutionary Government is the sole genuine representative of the will and interest of the people of South Viet Nam. It alone has the right to speak on their behalf. The discriminatory attitude vis-a-vis that Government which the United States has imposed upon certain international bodies must be rejected and come to an end. The United States must cease all interference in the internal affairs of the VietNamese people.
151.	In Cambodia, the United States, with its economic and military assistance, tries to keep alive the Lon Nol clique, which has gone into hiding in Phnom Penh and in some other villages hemmed in by the hatred of the Cambodian people fighting for its freedom.
152.	The Cambodian people, firmly resolved to continue its armed struggle to the end, has rejected the deceitful offers of the Phnom Penh clique for a cease-fire as well as the schemes for "peaceful negotiations" thought up by the United States, for whose realization the Soviet Union is striving too. In order for peace to be brought to Cambodia, the United States must immediately put an end to its criminal aggression and interference in the internal affairs of the Cambodian people, it must cease its assistance to the puppet clique of Phnom Penh and must leave the Cambodian people free to manage its own affairs.
153.	The Royal Government of National Union of Cambodia, with its Head of State, Samdech Norodom Sihanouk, is the only lawful Government of that country . It has been affirmed as such in that country and on the international level. It is the only Government vested with the right and necessary power to represent that country in foreign affairs and in international organizations. Albania and 32 other countries last year submitted a draft resolutions requesting that an end be put to the grave injustice being done to the Cambodian people, that the representatives of the Royal Government of National Union be invited to occupy their legitimate place in the United Nations and in the other United Nations bodies, and that the Phnom Penh clique be excluded from them since it represents nothing. We hope that most Member States, acting in conformity with the law and with the facts of. the case, will see to it that the General Assembly puts an end to this abnormal situation and that the Royal Government of National Union of Cambodia will have its legitimate rights restored in the United Nations.
154.	The General Assembly must also, without delay, adopt a decision on the evacuation of all foreign troops stationed in South Korea under the flag of the United Nations, thus putting an end to overt intervention in the internal affairs of the Korean people. The further maintenance of American troops in South Korea has increased tensions on the Korean peninsula. The United States has arbitrarily dictated the division of Korea into two parts. It continues to support and encourage the puppet regime in Seoul in its oppression of the people of South Korea* and in its constant provocation of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The Korean people has long asked that foreign troops leave its territory forthwith, and it is fighting to achieve a lofty national aspiration the reunification of its homeland.
155.	We support the constructive efforts of the Government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to find an independent solution to the Korean problem. The People's Republic of Albania rejects the continued presence of aggressive American troops in South Korea under the flag of the United Nations. Those troops must be evacuated from South Korea, and the Korean people must be free to settle its own affairs without any foreign interference. We denounce the conspiracy designed to perpetuate the division of Korea into two parts.
156.	The Albanian delegation believes that the adoption of the draft resolution in document A/9703/ Add;3 at this session would put an end to the inadmissible attitude that the United Nations has held for many years now with regard to the Korean people. That would eliminate one of the main obstacles to the independent reunification of Korea, and would contribute to the reduction of tension on that peninsular .
157.	The Albanian people and Government will continue their 'solidarity with the just struggles of the peoples of Angola, Mozambique, Azania, Namibia, Puerto Rico, Northern Ireland and so on, to achieve freedom, independence and national liberation from colonialism, neo-colonialism, racial discrimination and apartheid. We warmly greet the people of Guinea-Bissau, which has crowned with victory its lengthy struggle against the Portuguese colonizers, which lasted for so many years. We welcome the Republic of Guinea-Bissau* a young, independent State, into the United Nations, and we hope that the peoples of Angola and Mozambique in their struggle for freedom will very soon achieve their aims. The victories they have won in that struggle once again show that the eradication of the odious system of colonialism is an inevitable historical process. Albania: will always strongly support the struggle of the countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America against imperialism and hegemony, plundering and exploitation - by foreign capitalist monopolies, in order to win and to safeguard their rights, so as to strengthen the sovereignty of their States.
158.	The Albanian people will soon celebrate the glorious thirtieth' anniversary of the liberation of their homeland and the triumph of our people's revolution. The liberation of Albania from the foreign, Nazi and Fascist yoke on 29 November 1944, which resulted from the heroic struggle of the Albanian people, is the greatest victory of our history:
159.	During these three decades, despite our great lack of progress, a legacy of our past, and the very difficult conditions created by different imperialist and revisionist enemies^ ,our people, guided by our Labor Party and under the leadership of our beloved comrade Enver Hoxha, has been able to weather every storm and to overcome all kinds of obstacles and difficulties and has advanced resolutely and constantly along the path of socialism.
160.	In the first place through its own strength, and thanks to its self-denying work, our people has achieved radical changes in all spheres of life and has completely changed the physiognomy of the country. Albania, which was a backward agricultural country, is rapidly becoming an industrial and agricultural nation. Global industrial production in Albania is today 86 times as great as it was in 1938, and 3.5 times greater than in 1960. In four days our industry now produces as much as it produced in a whole year in 1938. Our global agricultural production is approximately four times greater than it was in the days before liberation. Under popular leadership; the gross national product has increased eleven fold. Albania has achieved total electrification throughout the country. The old taxes of all kinds have been abolished, and health and medical services are now free of charge. Education, science and culture have made great advances on the past and one out of every three persons now goes to school.
161.	The People's Republic of Albania has unceasingly and resolutely pursued a foreign policy based on high principles. The foreign policy of socialist Albania has been in the past and continues to be quite clear; it is a defense of liberty and national independence. It has always been and remains at the service of the cause of peoples struggling to defend their national sovereignty and independence, and in favor of self-determination and the establishment of- international co-operation truly based on equality . Thanks to this just policy the international position of Albania has constantly grown stronger. We have today sincere friends and many sympathizers on all continents. The relations of steadfast militant friendship and close brotherly co-operatiOn between the People's Republic of Albania and the People's Republic of China grow stronger and more firmly consolidated day by day. The People's Republic of Albania has friendly relations with a large number of countries, and has normal diplomatic relations with 66 States and is ready to establish such relations with other peace- and freedom-loving countries-on the basis of the well-known principles of mutual respect, sovereign equality and non-interference in anyone's internal affairs and of mutual benefit.
162.	The People's Republic of Albania, in. future also, will be a resolute fighter against imperialism and social imperialism and will remain an element of peace and stability in the Balkans and in Europe, and it will make its contribution to the defense of the cause of the peoples, of peace and of general security.


On behalf of the Government and the people of Argentina, I should like first of all solemnly to express in this august Assembly our most profound solidarity with our sister republic of Honduras and its people in these hours of trial and sorrow. The Government of Argentina has already taken the necessary steps to bring Honduras evidence of our moral support and of our specific material help in order to contribute with our means to the alleviation of so tragic a situation, which we all feel as if it were our own. On this very day, aircraft of our air force are leaving for that sister republic, carrying the first aid which we can offer in these hours of tribulation. We have also committed ourselves to delivering 5,000 tons of wheat, or its equivalent in flour, to meet the first needs of the population which has been the victim of the catastrophe.
55.	The President of the Republic of Argentina, Mrs. Maria Estela Martinez de Peron, has called the Ambassador of Honduras to Argentina to her office, so as to make available to our sister republic all the assistance that it may need. I trust that all countries represented here will also be mobilized so as to help the Republic of Honduras.
56.	It is a most happy coincidence that as I address this General Assembly, our debates are now being guided by an illustrious representative of the great nation of Mexico, with which my country maintains the most cordial and brotherly ties of friendship.
57.	The election which has conferred on Mr. Bouteflika the lofty position of President of this session of the General Assembly not only implies recognition of his personal qualifications and his ability as a representative of the great nation of Algeria but is also a tribute to the vigorous policy which that country has been developing with the non-aligned countries.
58.	Thus, a personality of the third world is today responsible for guiding an Assembly which faces problems of vital interest to mankind. Among them we emphasize in particular the quest for means that will make it possible from many directions to approach that international understanding and that meeting of minds that we all desire and advocate. To extend the area of peace, to lessen the gulf between the developed and the developing countries and to bring dignity to man constitute the main challenges that the world must answer in order to achieve its objectives of understanding and unity.
59.	At last year's session [2139th meeting] I emphasized that I was representing a people which by an overwhelming electoral majority had just definitely identified itself with the ideals of social justice, economic independence and political sovereignty. Since then, Argentina has made substantial headway along this course, consolidating its successes and adopting a far more positive political personality in the community of nations. In faith and serenity Argentina has whole-heartedly and without reserve embraced the cause of mankind, which is the real cause of the twentieth century, devoting its greatest efforts to the individual and collective well-being of the people. At the same time, it has maintained its historical traditions, which allow it the rather exceptional privilege in the world today of granting equal rights to all men throughout the world who wish to live in our land, without distinction of race or nationality.
60.	In the past year, the Republic of Argentina suffered the great loss of its leader, Juan Peron. Great statesmen live on beyond their lifetime because their principles and their objectives remain in force, and it is my duty to emphasize here that those we inherited from General Peron have been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people of Argentina. His prophetic ideas transformed him into the precursor of universalism and of a "third position" which are today recognized as being essential means for inter-national coexistence. His death deeply moved the entire nation, but his thinking and his guidance constitute inalterable goals for the march of our Republic towards the future. And the people of Argentina firmly maintains the policy of international co-operation which he established and, in its relations with all the countries of the world, it ratifies his purpose of achieving a genuine international social justice. Among the ideas put forth in his message to the Fourth Conference of Heads of State or Government of Non-Aligned Countries, which met in Algiers from 5 to 9 September 1973, he expressed total support for the cause of the countries of the third world, indicating the imperative need for a "change in social and productive structures, because incontinent luxury and waste cannot continue to be the basic motive force of any society.
61.	These expressions and this ideology, of profound philosophical and humanist content, are the ones T wish to recall here with the utmost solemnity, reiterating the Argentine commitment of solidarity with the non-aligned countries. The future will see us still standing in their ranks and sympathizing with their aspirations, Nothing can better describe the attitudes of a numerous and outstanding group of countries -among which we are honored to be-than their desire for truth and justice, their complete respect for the dignity of man and their rapid and decided march towards the liberation of their people. I therefore reiterate our position as expressed at the Algiers Conference in regard to the Political Declaration,  which recommends support for decolonization and the liberation of territories occupied by force, as well as in regard to the Economic Declaration which, together with the Action Program for Economic Co-operation, is intended to enable the members of the group to develop with equality of opportunity with regard to the terms of trade with other countries of the world so that there will be a better and more just distribution of resources that will in turn contribute to greater harmony in international coexistence
62.	The destiny of my country is today in the hands of Mrs. Maria Estela Martinez de Peron, who has the massive support of the citizens and of all the power factors of the nation, and she is energetically proceeding along the course set by General Peron, implementing the same ideas and seeking the attainment of identical objectives. The community of ideas and ideals between both ensure the historical continuity of Peron's thinking and the lasting character of his great design for Latin American integration, the inalterable validity of which I am pleased to reaffirm now.
63.	The delegation of Argentina attends this great meeting at times which are particularly crucial for the future of the world, The combination of factors of economic and monetary tension, of generalized inflation, of the multiplicity of international political crises in various continents and the shortage and waste of natural resources, together with disease and hunger, the reduction in food reserves and the growing wave of violence throughout the world, have meant that, as our President has said, the times in which we live must be described as "the era of insecurity".
64.	This disquieting picture appears paradoxical when we consider the high degree of technical and scientific development achieved by mankind. There are space trips and the breaking down of the atom; and still hunger, poor health and ignorance remain, whereas they should have been distant memories of superseded stages.
65.	One of the solutions is clear: to unite our most determined efforts so as to achieve an equitable and just distribution of goods. If that is not rapidly achieved, tensions between human beings will increase in an accelerated manner and will increasingly acquire the apocalyptic shape of armed conflict.
66.	The future demands special efforts from the United Nations, which must adopt the decisions which are indispensable to contributing to understanding among peoples and nations, to seeking the well-being of all and to avoiding the harmful predominance of some over others.
67.	On the one hand, we have to review the problem of ensuring equity in the treatment of human beings in the world: of those who suffer serious poverty while there is infinite wealth; of the man with great spiritual worth, with great ideals and purposes, which all the religions and philosophies have emphasized, and of the man who is subjected to the physical limitations of the material world in which he has to live, and where frequently he is humiliated and subjected to deprivations of all kinds. Thus, rebellions are born, and sometimes they break out at odd times so that it becomes difficult to correlate them with their genuine causes. This diagnosis of the dramatic circumstances in which the world is living is, I believe, part of the conscience of all representatives, thus constituting a problem of responsibility towards others and towards ourselves.
68.	On the other hand, the speed of change is such that we observe that neither persons, nor States, nor international organizations manage to keep up with an evolution which, because of the multiplicity of new discoveries and the growing interdependence among nations, creates a very dangerous delay between the adoption of decisions and their implementation. This then is yet another challenge which the United Nations faces.
69.	It was Peron who was a true precursor of this universality which has today become a fact and who anticipated by almost two decades the problems that we now confront. He then stated the "third position". He clearly foresaw that a merciless dispute between the mighty would only contribute to a mass impoverishment of the world and, in particular, of the peoples who are today united under the principles and ideals of the "non-aligned".
70.	The leader of the Argentine people said in February 1972:
"We believe that the time has come when all peoples and Governments of the world must become aware of the suicidal march of mankind through the pollution of the environment and the biosphere, and the waste of natural resources. It is no less serious that the social systems of waste of the technologically most advanced countries operate through the consumption of vast amounts of natural resources contributed by the third world."
And he added:
"All these problems are indissolubly linked to the relaxation of international tension and the extension of international co-operation.
"In the defense of their interests, countries must move towards regional integrations and action based on solidarity."
71.	It is to solve these problems that we are meeting today. No one can allege that he has not at this stage heard the anxious appeals of the dispossessed. The calls for help must be heeded, without verbal demagoguery; with just and realistic action, with respect for all and with magnanimity, particularly for the humble, and fundamentally by becoming aware of the fact that the time has come when the peoples of the world must go through life in understanding and solidarity toward a common destiny of greatness; otherwise, through selfishness and intolerance they will fall into the abyss of pain and poverty.
72.	At the recent sixth special session, the General Assembly dealt with some of the underlying causes of the ills of mankind. But some of the objectives set were not achieved. Natural resources are still being wasted; it is maintained that industrialized products are unattainable for the majority; the price and wage race continues, causing inflation which shakes the general economy; and protectionist trade retains its pernicious rigidity for the socio-economic situation of the world.
73.	It has been repeated insistently and it was proclaimed by the General Assembly at its sixth special session, in the Program of Action on the Establishment of a New International Economic Order [resolution 3202 (S-K/J]- that it is necessary to facilitate the access of the developing countries to the markets of the developed by the gradual elimination of tariff barriers and other restrictive practices which hamper trade.
74.	Only if the developing countries have a substantially greater share in international trade will it be possible to bring about a profound structural change and arrive at a just and permanent solution to present problems, thus consolidating a genuine process of development of our economies,
75.	Those objectives have been rendered null. In this respect, a most significant example is provided by the measures taken since April last by the European Communities to limit the importation of beef, measures which culminated last June with the total cessation of beef importation until I November 1974. That decision, taken without consultation, jeopardizes agreements that are linked to the economies of the developing countries which export meat to that market.
76.	Obviously, it may be argued that those measures are caused by internal difficulties in the sector, but they arise from production and marketing policies and mechanisms that are highly protectionist, that have notoriously unfavorable repercussions upon international trade and are certainly not in accord with the repeated declarations of the European Communities in various international forums in favor of greater freedom in world exchanges.
77.	Peace, freedom, co-operation and friendship: those are big words which have been heard thousands of times in this Hall. Let us not again make the mistake of repeating them when they are devoid of practical content.
78.	Time and space are already too limited. We pride ourselves on the honorable, albeit demanding, title of plenipotentiaries of mankind, which desires order, well-being and justice. Were this Organization to prove unable to perfect itself as a sound instrument to bring about the common well-being of peoples, its authority would be seriously jeopardized and hopes for understanding among States would suffer a hard blow.
79.	The interests of Argentina are not isolated; all peoples are with us in our ideals -in particular, the peoples of the third world. Our fundamental objective must be peace. Nevertheless, that peace does not depend solely on the silence of arms among nations. It depends also upon whether human beings are satisfied with the circumstances in which they happen to live. That depends on security of feelings and brotherly assistance, on the balance between needs and resources; it depends on the access of all to food, education and health. Thus peace, as has been said many times by His Holiness the Pope, cannot be based upon selfishness, poverty or moral degradation, be it internationally or at the level of the individual contact of human beings in each organized community.
80.	May I quote a statesman? He said, "If the strong try to impose their points of view, they will do so at the expense of justice and will bring about uprisings; if the weak resort to pressures, they will do so at the peril of world prosperity and bring about despair", and, "No nation or group of nations stands to gain anything by making claims in excess of the limits the economic growth of the world can bear."
81.	That is a wise formula. But where will we find the just balance to apply it? Can we avoid the pressure of the strong? Can we do away with the despair of the weak, who constitute ever-growing multitudes and are afflicted by all kinds of needs? Important are the rules of the game we shall set so as to encourage what is best in human nature. And so the Republic of Argentina comes here once again with the greatest willingness to co-operate in the search for equitable but urgent formulas, ideals and practices which will respect the dignity of mankind and lead it to prosperity and confidence. We do not wish to yield to the temptation to make rhetorical allegations removed from the raw realities of the daily existence of millions of human beings. Accordingly, it is necessary that the spirit of co-operation become part of every conscience. We must respect each other's rights and share our efforts to achieve the progress and prosperity of the world.
82.	Taking into account that supreme aspiration and the constant and growing preoccupation of the vast majority of mankind, my delegation once again pronounces itself decisively and firmly against any policy of apartheid, and we state in advance that Argentina will support the resolutions this Assembly will adopt definitively to eradicate such practices, which degrade the inalienable dignity of the human person.
83.	New practical procedures must be added to those already adopted by the United Nations. Such developments as greater communications, communications by satellite and the inevitable coming together of the world means that what is happening elsewhere is felt to be happening to oneself, Any event that affects one region or country has a palpable and almost immediate effect even in the most remote continents. More than ever, the world is one unit -one unit of events and thoughts, one social and economic unit. We face an irresistible force of cohesion.
84.	Let us, therefore, increase the effectiveness of the United Nations, which has won so much praise and rendered so much service as the only wise and viable mechanism so far developed for an exchange of views and for joint efforts by mankind.
85.	To that end a first, and very efficient, method would be the strengthening of bonds between similar geographical zones. Here I believe it desirable to emphasize the ideals we pursue. We are applying a policy of co-operation and complementarity with neighboring countries, because universality must logically start at the regional level.
86.	It is fitting to emphasize here that "universality-" means a total plurality of subjects or objects, each part acquiring its consistency in reference to the whole but without losing its sovereign individuality. That is the philosophical interpretation of the concept, and thus also we clarify the significance -primarily national, although with world-wide repercussions- of the doctrines we profess.
87.	As a doctrine, we believe that to build a world society it is necessary to pass through a stage of continentalism. Countries must unite progressively on the basis of geographical neighborhood. This is Argentina's vision for Latin America: one that is just, open, generous and above all sincere. At the national level, no one can find fulfillment in a country that has none. The same holds true at the continental level. We wish to work jointly so as to build Latin America within the concept of an organized community. Its triumph will be ours, and it will also be that of the brotherhood of the third world, and it will be the triumph of unity among all States.
88.	The Republic of Argentina therefore wants to place its resources and its potential above all at the service of its sister republics of America, without in the least overlooking the brotherhood we profess towards all other nations and in particular towards the nations of the third world.
89.	We must go on uniting our efforts so that the vast natural resources of our American continent may be exploited for the benefit of the peoples that inhabit that soil and also may contribute to alleviating the penury of food, commodities and industrial goods in other areas of the world.
90.	In particular, Latin America is living through an era of integration sustained by great spiritual vigor. We have a common strength which comes to us from the beginning of our history rooted in our origins and our similarities of character. The Republic of Argentina takes pride in being part of a continent which has so many potentialities and whose peoples hold aloft the banner of their legitimate claims, claims which include such basic and natural rights as the right to be able to trade among themselves in accordance with complete national sovereignty, to keep their territories free from any intruder or invader and to apply their own laws to their own acts; a continent which affirms justice and respect for ideologies, a continent, finally, which shares heroes who are revered as a common heritage.
91.	As Peron stated:
"Latin America belongs to the Latin Americans. We have lived a history. The history of the future will not forgive us if we fail to be faithful to our past ... We Argentinians feel a strong Latin American conscience ... We are firm advocates of an effective spiritual closeness for the peoples of America and reciprocal co-operation at the economic level. It is unacceptable that in the name of the interests of the continent anyone should interfere in our internal economy and external policies ... In our Latin American continent many popular leaders are working for this brotherhood, and the results achieved so far are very rewarding."
92.	Thus it is undoubted that the exercise of political sovereignty, whatever the historical circumstances, is not negotiable. This guiding principle multiplied in the national conscience of every Latin American country creates a total regional conscience, which accordingly is not negotiable either.
93.	The Republic of Argentina now as never before feels that its ties with its sister republics in Latin America are deep. We feel at one with the sufferings and the just claims of the peoples which constitute the third world, and we consider that we are thereby also serving the cause of all human beings who want union and not hatred, love and not division.
94.	In referring to this need for understanding and justice, Argentina cannot fail to point out that without doubt the United Nations General Assembly expressed itself to that effect when it adopted resolution 3160 (XXVIII) urging that negotiations proceed without delay with the United Kingdom in regard to the Malvinas Islands.
95.	Our country still has to bear the occupation of part of our territory by an extra-continental Power, a situation which is not in accordance with the direction and the ideals of the world today, and the Republic of Argentina considers that this continuing situation is inadmissible. It is true that, as my Government communicated to the Chairman of the Special Committee on the Situation with regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, contacts do exist for resuming these negotiations. A solution, however, has not yet been reached, and I must accordingly reiterate here the unalterable sovereignty of Argentina over the territory of the Malvinas Islands and point out that this just claim will of necessity condition our international relations in any circumstances in which our right may be discussed,
96.	As I said not long ago at the Atlanta Conference of the Organization of American States "The decision to achieve the final eradication of this anachronistic colonial situation is one which is shared by all the people of Argentina, and their Government recognizes it as a mandate that cannot be renounced." I reiterate my confidence that, in seeking a solution, we shall be able to count on the necessary understanding and political decision of the present Government of the United Kingdom so as to put an end to this problem.
97.	As proof of our concern in regard to the matters involved, I declare once again that the Republic of Argentina will do everything in its power to protect the interests of the inhabitants of the Islands and to increase their well-being, thus enabling them to accede to the benefits and progress enjoyed by the people of Argentina. Therefore I am pleased to announce here that a few days ago I had the satisfaction of signing, together with the representative of the United Kingdom in Buenos Aires, separate notes in which an enlargement of the fuel plant installed by my Government on the Islands is envisaged as well as other measures intended to facilitate trade between the continental territory of Argentina and the Malvinas Islands.
98.	We know that international policy is not a goal in itself but a means of contributing to the happiness of man and the greatness of States; but international policy is also a duty for Governments in order to fulfill the destiny of each people. From its very inception Argentina, in attaining political independence, placed everything it possessed at the service of the peoples of the continent. That has been our guideline. That is our objective for greatness, and under our present decisions both in the United Nations and in the inter-American system we shall continue to follow that historic mandate and achieve and strengthen hemispheric brotherhood.
99.	I do not believe it would be idle to emphasize once again here the importance which the Republic of Argentina attaches to the principle of non-intervention. That principle, which has no limitations, must be applied without exception and must once and for all become a sacrosanct norm of the external policy of States. Only four years ago this very Assembly so decided in unequivocal provisions of resolutions 2625 (XXV) and 2627 (XXV).
100.	As integral members of the Latin American community we are bound to express our satisfaction that a noble nation, albeit far removed from Latin America, has ensured the study by this Assembly of a legal political institution which was inherited from our own motherland, Spain, and which is typically Latin American. I refer to the item on diplomatic asylum, included in the agenda Of this session at Australia's request [see A19704]. Diplomatic asylum is but a humanitarian rule to give shelter to those who are persecuted for political and not criminal reasons. In Latin America asylum in diplomatic missions has been an unbroken tradition maintained by almost every Government at all times, even when there was no obligation to provide political asylum. Argentina signed the initial multilateral treaty at the Latin American level in Montevideo in 1880s and has had the opportunity of applying its generous principles not only in America but in other hemispheres.
101.	The seventh special session to be held in September 1975 in the two weeks preceding the thirtieth session of the General Assembly acquires particular significance in the light of the results achieved since the sixth special session, on raw materials and development. Argentina shares the general feeling that the seventh special session must provide a unique opportunity for achieving the objectives incorporated in the Declaration [resolution 3201 (S-Vl)} and the Program of Action [resolution 3202 (S-VI)] on the Establishment of a New International Economic Order, since the sixth special session was but a transcendental point of departure in a particularly dynamic process, the goal of which is the establishment of a new international economic order which will be more just and equitable. Possibly one of the means of achieving more practical results in the deliberations might consist in some change in the administrative structure of the United Nations to adapt it better to quick changes, particularly in the economic and social fields, so that the developing countries could be better represented in executive posts in that administrative structure.
102.	On the other hand, the Republic of Argentina is keenly interested, in accordance with its governmental and political philosophy, in everything relating to the quality of life, because that is tied to the very future of mankind. We therefore pay particular attention to problems relating to natural resources and the environment, and we consider it timely for the United Nations to continue to deal with those far-reaching items with special emphasis.
103.	In particular, my country is interested in those and other aspects which deserve further study and solution in this General Assembly. I am referring to "collective ecological security", that is to say the cooperation which must exist between States in order to maintain an equitable balance in regard to certain elements which cover or involve more than one country and action in solidarity when the acts of one Government might run counter to that concept. Thus, in principle, we might consider as being in contradiction with the collective ecological security of nations such acts which, to an extent that is not normal, disturb health conditions, the climate, their own or shared natural resources or the purity of waters that flow from one nation to another, or such measures as might affect the natural existence of forests, rivers, the fauna and flora of land, seas or rivers or those which could contaminate the atmosphere.
104.	My country reaffirms the inalienable right of peoples and nations to permanent sovereignty over their own natural resources and wealth, whether they be removable or non-removable, living or nonliving. That is a principle which we practice to the full, in particular as regards energy resources.
105.	In accordance with the characteristics of shared natural resources for use and exploitation we seek the establishment of general and universal policies on the basis of recognition and reaffirmation of principles and practices which have been sanctioned by use, doctrine and international jurisprudence, Along that line of thinking the General Assembly established, in resolution 3129 (XXVIII), a mechanism for prior consultation and the exchange of information, so that the exploration, exploitation and development of shared natural resources might be carried out in close co-operation between the parties concerned and in a rational manner so as to obtain optimum yields.
106.	With regard to the results of the second session of the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea, my Government deems them to have been positive, Undoubtedly, the international community has lent broad support to the maritime claims of the Latin American countries.
107.	It is the hope of Argentina that agreement will be reached on a convention which will finally provide adequate political solutions to the difficult maritime and oceanic problems. In the first place, with the establishment of a territorial sea of 12 miles and an adjacent exclusive economic zone up to a distance of 200 miles, within which there would be freedom of navigation and overflight and freedom to place submarine cables, the coastal State would exercise sovereign rights in regard to fishing, the regulation and control of scientific research and the preservation of the marine environment,
108.	That position prevailed at the Caracas session. We hope it will be strengthened in Geneva and finally enshrined in the future convention. And yet we believe it is fitting to warn of the dangers of some proposals which apparently recognize the 200-mile zone, but with so many conditions attached as to distort its essence. This claim by some great Powers, which cannot resign themselves to losing their privileges, is unacceptable to the developing countries,
109.	Likewise, the Convention cannot affect the rights acquired by the coastal State over its continental shelf beyond the 200 miles since the continental shelf, in accordance with existing inter-national law, constitutes the natural prolongation of its territory under the sea. In other words, no acceptable political solution can affect the sovereignty of the coastal State over its submerged territory, which extends to the external lower edge of the continental margin, My country hopes that this position will be finally accepted at the next session of the Conference, since this mechanism will prevent the renewal of international injustices on the sea international injustices which have characterized the appropriation of natural resources on land.
110.	It has been the purpose of the Government which I represent to intensify to the utmost the links of the Republic of Argentina with the other countries of the international community. The last decades have been witness to fundamental changes in the world community, with the inclusion of many nations which have emerged to independent life and the resurgence of others which, although having a glorious past, had been subject to long periods of subordination or isolation, To those States, which constitute a large part of the third world, the diplomatic activity of Argentina was specially directed so as to seek their presence when it had been absent and to strengthen it where it existed.
111.	That policy was not due merely to a desire to create or to intensify relations. It was the response to a profound motivation, to a sincere and open feeling of solidarity with the peoples of the third world,
112.	At this difficult and. complex stage of substantial and rapid alterations in relations among States, the need for close and frank co-operation is imperative for those who are not at the center of power. In this way we prevent the fundamental decisions of world policy being adopted in our absence or without taking into account the interests of those who represent two thirds of mankind.
113.	This act of solidarity of the Republic of Argentina has been made manifest in various international forums and has led to the recognition of new States and the establishment of diplomatic relations with numerous countries in every latitude. This is eloquent testimony of our will to expand our international panorama to the utmost and to create a constructive dialog with all geographical and political entities, once and for all going beyond the ideological and partial schemes or omissions of the past.
114.	The most recent event of this new approach of our foreign policy, which faithfully reflects the aspirations of the Argentine people, has been the establishment of diplomatic relations with the Republic of Guinea-Bissau. We thus supplemented the first step which we took several months ago when the Government of Argentina recognized that new State in the midst of difficulties which still hampered its fully independent life. Today I am most happy to welcome among us that country whose struggle for emancipation evokes in our memory the emancipation battles of Latin American countries in different times and circumstances but with the inspiration of the same ideals of freedom and justice.
115.	We sincerely hope that the process of liberation of the Portuguese colonies will continue at an accelerated rate. The policy implemented by the new Government of Portugal deserves our respect and we express the hope that other events will rapidly take place which will assist in ending once and for all vestiges of a colonialism which history has superseded.
116.	Because of our proven anti-colonialist vocation, we add the voice of the Republic of Argentina to that of the Secretary-General, who, in the introduction to his report on the work of the Organization [Al960IIAdd.I], emphasizes the positive and valuable aspects of the new policy of Portugal in regard to its former colonies. The change has a transcendental projection within the framework of the United Nations, whose constant struggle to eradicate those chronic situations of injustice had the active support of my country. Now our Organization must be the main channel whereby opinions and actions of the international community will be guided in this question,
117.	We also welcome the other two new Members of the United Nations, Bangladesh and Grenada. With regard to the latter country, may I in particular mention the special satisfaction of the Government and people of Argentina at its admission; the Latin American group has gained a valuable representative which, together with the other English-speaking countries in the hemisphere, will help in increasing their over-all contribution to the
important questions that are before the Assembly at this session.
118.	My words are a message of brotherhood towards all nations and they express in brief the feeling of the people of Argentina which, with its willingness to serve, endeavors to contribute with what is best in itself so that by achieving spiritual and material progress for every human being we will give effect to our aspiration to build a better world.