181.   Mr. President, may I, on behalf of my delegation and the Government and people of Fiji congratulate you on your election as President of the twenty-sixth session of the General Assembly; and in so doing I should like to assure you, Sir, of the full co-operation of my delegation. Your election is well deserved and my delegation is confident that under your presidency the affairs of this august body will be conducted in the same able, wise, efficient and pleasant manner which has characterized your outstanding career.
182.	I should like to express our appreciation for the great contribution made by your immediate predecessor, Ambassador Hambro of Norway, whose qualities as President of the General Assembly last year and as a leader of high repute and integrity are well known to all of us.
183.	My delegation would also wish to join previous speakers in expressing high regard and appreciation for the services loyally and faithfully rendered by our Secretary- General, UThant, to the United Nations and to the countries and peoples all over the world. Amongst the patient, sincere and honest toilers for world peace and international understanding his name must rank very high.
184.	Fiji attained its independence almost exactly a year ago today. One of its first acts as a sovereign State was to become a Member of the United Nations. So it is that as with many of the other newer nations in the world our experience of independence and our experience as a Member of the United Nations are of equal duration.
185.	Our acceptance into the world body gave us an immediate opportunity to exercise the independence we had achieved, to attempt to gauge the role we might be able or expected to play and to try to ascertain the directions in which we might move and the contribution we might make. It has also brought us face to face with the reality of our situation and we have had equally to recognize the roles that we cannot or must not play, the directions in which we cannot move and the contributions that we cannot make. It has been a rewarding experience-at times exhilarating, at others sobering.
186.	It has been no easy task for a nation as small and as new as Fiji to grapple with the complexities of many of the issues with which we have been confronted- some of which have been exercising this Assembly almost from its inception but we have been sustained by the unfailing encouragement and the understanding attitude which we have encountered from our friends, both old and new, within the world Organization. I should like to take this opportunity to thank them all for their help and forbearance.
187.	This Assembly has welcomed in its midst a number of small nations in the past few years, including Fiji, We have already had the opportunity at this session of welcoming three new Members, Bahrain, Bhutan and Qatar, which, by the areas of their territories and the numbers of their populations, must also be classed among the small nations of the world. Fiji had the very great honor and pleasure of co-sponsoring the candidature of one of them, Bhutan, and of supporting the candidatures of them all.
188. The question has often been raised whether there is truly a place in this Assembly for us, the small nations. In spite of the difficulties-some of which I have mentioned- which confront us in participating fully in the activities of the Organization, the answer from the small nations and, we are pleased and encouraged to note, from many of the major Powers as well must emphatically be that there is a place for us and that there is a role which we can play.
189.	The great virtue of this Organization, from the point of view of the small nations, is that it is the one international forum in which our voice can be raised on terms of equality with all others. The great strength of this Assembly must reside in the esteem in which it is held and in the respect which its resolutions command, an esteem and a respect which it is in the interests of us all, both great and small, to strengthen and preserve. In a world where many of the great international issues can be expressed in their most simple terms as conflicts of interest between just two or three of the great Powers, the opportunity which this Assembly gives to small nations to speak on these issues in the course of debate, the need of the main protagonists to pay heed to the equal voice which the Charter of the United Nations accords to each Member regardless of size and the moderating influence which even small nations can thus bring to bear to minimize the possibility of these conflicts of interest degenerating into open hostilities  those are all factors which point to the small nations as being an important element in the preservation of international stability.
190.	With the object of better acquainting this Assembly with the role which appears to be emerging for Fiji after just one year of independence and of membership in the United Nations, I should like to dwell briefly on some of the issues where my country feels it might have a small contribution to offer and on some where it feels it has a definite interest to pursue.
191.	Fiji is very conscious of being not only a small nation but also one of the smallest States Members of the United Nations. It is conscious too of being among those countries commonly referred to as "developing countries" whose constant preoccupation must be the development of their economies, a task often complicated by rising population and the rising expectations of their people.
192.	Fiji's view must also spring, of course, from the two inescapable elements of its geography and history. Comparatively speaking, we are an isolated nation, a group of islands set in mid-Pacific. Although we are not so poor in land resources as are some of our Pacific neighbors, our more than 300 islands comprise but 7,000 square miles. The ocean which surrounds us therefore exerts a dominating influence on our environment and our outlook.
193.	Our recent history is one of more than 90 years as a colony of the British Crown. That has left many legacies, one of which is a society composed of several races. Besides the indigenous Fijians and Rotumans, there are Indians. Europeans, Chinese and people from other Pacific Islands. All live together harmoniously despite differences of race, religion and culture, and it was this happy state which was responsible for our peaceful transition from our colonial status to independence some 12 months ago.
194.	In wishing to make a positive contribution to the work of the United Nations, we have therefore been glad of the opportunity to take part, as a member, in the work of the Special Committee on colonialism.  With our recent direct experience as a colony and as a small nation ourselves, we feel that we may have some little insight into the problems of the remaining colonial Territories, many of which are even smaller than us and have populations which are already placing a great strain on their meager natural resources. In addition, a considerable number of them are situated in our own part of the world. Whatever may be the inherent evils of the colonial system, and whilst it must be the duty of this Organization continually to remind the metropolitan countries of their obligations and responsibilities towards the Territories under their control, the solution to the problems of these remaining Territories will not be easily found. They must be approached with the understanding of their very special and peculiar problems, and the pace of constitutional change must be in accordance with the wishes of the people themselves. That has been, and will continue to be, the burden of Fiji's submissions to the Special Committee whose deliberations on these problems, we venture to hope, we may have been able to assist in some small way during the past year of our membership.
195.	Another issue which underlies many of the questions which come before this Assembly is that of racialism. As we have all seen in its manifestations in many different parts of the world, it is an issue capable of arousing the deepest and it must be said-the most sincere of emotions. It is unfortunate, however, that these emotions, however sincere, often lead to a situation where it is impossible for any communication to take place between the two sides in the issue.
196.	It is our firm belief that progress towards an amelioration of racial divisions and racial strife in the world can only come to pass when every effort is made to maintain contact and communication and to resolve differences on a basis of mutual understanding.
197.	We in Fiji, with our multiracial society comprising two major races and a number of substantial minorities, feel that we have some practical experience in this field and by virtue of this may well have a useful contribution to make. We have attempted to make such a contribution and will continue to do so whenever a suitable occasion offers.
198.	I have already mentioned the very special position of the sea in determining Fiji's outlook. We are an oceanic people dwelling in an oceanic archipelago. The sea and the land of Fiji are entirely interdependent. Our people look to the one as much as to the other as elements of their environment. The sea is conceived, not as separating the many islands of our archipelago, but as joining them. It is our roadway. It has ever been a source of sustenance to our people, and to many of them it is the major one. As increasing population puts more and more pressure on our limited resources on land, we must look more and more to the development of marine resources, including submarine mineral resources, for the support of our people.
199.	Fiji has accordingly been most interested in the preparations being undertaken by the sea-bed Committee for an international conference on the law of the sea which it is proposed to hold in 1973. Fiji attended the recent meeting of the sea-bed Committee in Geneva as an observer. Our representative addressed the Committee at its 62nd meeting and presented a statement setting out Fiji's aims and aspirations, Fiji hopes that the international community, through the 1973 conference, will at last give full consideration to the position of oceanic archipelagos, of which there are a considerable number, and will make adequate provision for them in the law of the sea. Fiji hopes that the moderate claims it is making in regard to territorial waters and to exclusive fishing rights will be sympathetically viewed in the light of their importance to it as a developing country.
200.	In all these matters it is Fiji's earnest hope that the greater developed nations will strive to achieve a true understanding and appreciation of the needs of countries such as Fiji and will not take advantage of their size and power to deny to the smaller developing countries the opportunity to make use of the marine resources which surround them. To do so would seriously prejudice the likelihood of these developing countries improving their lot by their own efforts and would perpetuate their dependence for aid on the developed countries, a situation which can be desired neither by the one side nor the other.
201.	A natural consequence of the importance of the sea to Fiji's people has been our deep concern-in common with many other Pacific nations and indeed with other United Nations Member States, great and small, whose representatives have spoken before me during this session on this vital subject -at the renewal by France in 1971 of atmospheric nuclear testing on Mururoa Atoll. On this occasion our independent status enabled us for the first time to protest in our own right at the contamination of the atmosphere and of the sea which these tests must cause and at the subjection of the peoples of the South Pacific, against their will, to increases in the levels of radio-activity which, no matter how small, must be regarded as potentially hazardous to health. Fiji also associated itself with a joint protest made by our New Zealand friends on behalf of all independent South Pacific countries following a resolution at a meeting of Pacific Heads of Government, the South Pacific Forum held at Wellington from 5 to 7 August. We are, therefore, gratified that the French Government has now seen fit to call a halt to these tests, We are confident that France, which has in so many ways demonstrated its concern for the less privileged nations, will be sufficiently sensitive to the feelings which the tests have aroused that it will make this halt permanent and final. At a time when problems of pollution and environmental management are increasingly occupying the attention of the world, and when the vast majority of States have subscribed to the partial test-ban treaty of 1963,  we are sure that the Members of this Assembly will not wish to «fve our confidence misplaced.
202.	One of the most significant functions of the United Nations from the point of view of the developing countries must obviously be its role as a source of multilateral aid, Fiji has of course been receiving assistance from the United Nations developmental organs for a number of years. Through the agency of the United Nations Development program, a number of activities are being undertaken in Fiji. We are deeply grateful for this assistance, which is making a solid contribution to the solution of our problems as a developing country. We would, however, sound one note of warning. While we fully understand the need for such bodies to ensure that their funds are expended to the best advantage, nevertheless they should guard against a tendency to try to impose conditions which are incompatible with the independent sovereign position of even the smallest country.
203.	Fiji has welcomed the growing tendency of late for a number of United Nations Development program projects, besides catering to Fiji's own needs, to be designed as regional ones, aimed at meeting the common needs of several South Pacific territories. Regional co-operation in the South Pacific is very close to our hearts in Fiji and it is a subject to which I should like to return later in these remarks.
204.	The past year has seen the doors of many great international organizations, both inside and outside the United Nations family, opened to membership by Fiji. Because of our limited resources, one of our tasks has been to try to distinguish those which are relevant to us and in which we can usefully participate. It is no easy task, and it is one which must continue to occupy us for some time to come. Important as our membership in some of these organizations may be, our sense of geographical identity has led us to place great emphasis on the development of our relations with our immediate island neighbors. We have close relationships with some of these territories dating back many centuries before European entry into the Pacific. It has been deeply satisfying for us to renew these relationships as independent modern States and to rediscover our common heritage and the community of interest that we share. Regional co-operation is not new in the South Pacific; the South Pacific Commission has been in existence since shortly after the Second World War and is developing more and more as an institution representative of the interests of the Pacific territories rather than those of the founder metropolitan Powers, namely, Australia, France, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States of America, which none the less continue generously to bear the main burden of its budget.
205.	We are pursuing the aim of regional co-operation in other fields also. We have in Fiji the regional University of the South Pacific serving 10 English-speaking countries iii the region. There is the Pacific Islands Producers' Association, which is concerned with fostering commercial cooperation and in solving joint inter-island shipping and transportation problems.
206.	A most significant development was the meeting in August this year in Wellington of the South Pacific Forum. The Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, as members know, referred to this body in his -statement earlier this afternoon. This was an inaugural meeting of the leaders of
independent South Pacific countries, and it was kindly hosted, at the request of the Pacific countries, by New Zealand. This was the first meeting of its kind, but was so successful and revealed so many new avenues for consultation and co-operation, that it will be repeated next year when Australia has kindly offered to be the host. The Pacific voice in world affairs will always be a small one, but there are encouraging signs that it will become increasingly harmonious and at least distinctly audible. These endeavors are all directed towards solving our problems by self-help and mutual assistance through a process of consultation and discussion. We, and those of our neighbors which have emerged as sovereign States, have all achieved our independence through this process.
207. Our Prime Minister, Sir Kamisese Mara, when addressing the Assembly at the commemorative session last year, referred to the philosophy underlying the process as the "Pacific way" [1876th meeting, para. 205], I humbly commend the "Pacific way" as a philosophy deserving of wider application. It is one which distills into a simple phrase the ideals upon which the United Nations was founded. It is the main contribution which we in the South Pacific have to offer to the world at large, and it is the main contribution which my delegation will be offering to the deliberations of this Assembly during this twenty-sixth session.


1.	 Mr. President, on behalf of Nicaragua, I greet you and congratulate you on your election to the presidency of the General Assembly. In you, Sir, we greet a distinguished statesman of an outstanding nation, who, on many counts, is worthy of universal appreciation and respect. We understand the pleasure which the Republic of Indonesia must have when one of its most outstanding sons has assumed, amid the applause of the worlds the severe responsibility of presiding over this session of the Assembly, as a recognition of your personal merits and civic virtues, and in honor of the devotion which your country has for the noble and just causes of mankind.
2.	Through you we pay a tribute to all those peoples who have not yet achieved their freedom, Your high office, signifying as it does the greatest degree of equality, is the best guarantee which oppressed peoples have that the United Nations will be watching out for their rights.
3.	We should also like to greet your distinguished predecessor, Mr. Edvard Hambro, who wisely presided over the work of the General Assembly at its twenty-fifth session, and in so doing honored his well-respected international personality.
4.	This session marks 10 years of meritorious service on the part of Secretary-General U Thant. The most brilliant leaders of the world hold deep sympathy and undying gratitude for this man. His, concerns and his efforts have led him to all parts of the world where there has been a need to be satisfied or a problem to be tackled. In Nicaragua we were also honored to receive him as a messenger of peace. We are particularly fond of remembering his visit and our Head of State, President Anastasio Soinoza, as well as all Nicaraguans, have special feelings of admiration, gratitude and friendship for hie:.
5.	With gratitude and deep emotion, I must say that our country gladly goes along with the well-deserved tribute paid to U Thant by the nations on the eve of his voluntary retirement from his honored post, a post which he honored by his devotion. I think that the best tribute to his efforts would be to adopt resolutions that carry out the philosophy and guidance which he bequeathed to us in the introduction to his report on the work of the Organization [A/8401/Add J].
6.	It is our task to find a successor to U Thant who will be worthy of his dedication as a statesman, someone who, like him, will keep alive his faith and be willing to struggle so that the ideas and purposes of the United Nations might cover all parts of our globe with his mantle of peace.
7.	During the twenty-fifth anniversary of the United Nations, when the President of my country made use of this forum to add his voice to those of the leaders of the world who were celebrating the great event, a question was asked of the Assembly: "... what would have happened in the world had the United Nations not existed? " And he told us:
"Let us therefore strengthen what cost so much sacrifice to create. Let us be untiring in our search for peace. Let us be understanding to realize that it must be based on justice. Let us build peace, devoid of prejudice and ambitions, a peace filled with understanding and good faith"
8.	Prompted by the feeling of our President, who was expressing the faith which the world has in the United Nations, we think that the twenty-sixth anniversary is the proper occasion to repeat our faith in this world Organization, which has entered its maturity with new vigor and which is now enriched by new blood with countries which, after having achieved their freedom, are co-operating in the great task of furthering international peace.
9.	Let us extend a welcome to Bahrain, Bhutan and Qatar, whose presence is a stimulus to the new nations which are coming to share the experiences and responsibilities of our
times in a common effort to preserve, for progress and freedom, the new generations of mankind.
10.	Nicaragua is carefully observing what the big Powers are doing to solve, through mutual agreement, the problems of the world. The leaders of these Powers wish to shoulder the enormous responsibility of deciding the fate of millions of human beings who are today living and who will be living in the future.
11.	The Government of Nicaragua, wishing, as it does, to contribute to this universal task, a task which cannot and must not be delegated to others, calls upon all the States Members of this Organization to take a more active role in its tasks so that we can share in this way the responsibility of determining our own destiny.
12.	Our Government understands that the budgetary burdens imposed by our Organization on the big Powers do not give these Governments preferential rights and, as our countries progress, this economic burden should be shared by us,
13.	The United Nations is a productive investment which goes beyond the ideals of peace and brotherhood. It has practical aspects of great value for our developing nations, which very often lack capital and the necessary technology to move ahead. Our Organization is bringing about the closing of this gap between the developing and the developed countries and producing sure benefits for those of us who are contributing to its maintenance and operation.
14.	My country has received from the United Nations and its specialized agencies economic and technical assistance for the development of various programs of public administration. This is assistance whose influence has been felt in a beneficial manner throughout the national economy. We have hopes that the request made for the competent organs to study the feasibility of channeling the San Juan River and its adjacent zones will make possible for the abrogation of the Chamorro-Bryan Treaty,  which marks an historical landmark in the relations between Nicaragua and the United States of America, and this will be not only a cause of patriotic satisfaction for our citizens, but would also make it possible to transform the San Juan River into a development project which would benefit the peoples of Central America and increase their opportunities of trading with the rest of the world.
15.	This project for building a canal is part of the general program which the Government of Nicaragua has for making the most efficient use of its water resources, a use which has begun with hydroelectric dams at the Tuma River and the growing use of the living resources of our seas.
16.	On this last point my Government believes that the international community has an interest in two aspects of my country's position on questions of the sea.
17.	In accordance with the fishing law of 1958, Nicaragua has for several years been exploiting the living resources of the territorial sea in a zone 200 miles wide. In the same way explorations have been undertaken to determine the mineral resources of the continental shelf over which we have been exercising full and uninterrupted possession and sovereignty.
18.	We shall be participating in the conference on the law of the sea with a realistic attitude and shall maintain our country's already recognized right of exploitation of an area of 200 miles in width and over the adjacent zone for reasons of health and defense which have been determined with the closest adherence to the practices which exist among States. We believe that the Geneva Conventions ought to be revised to fix the extent of the territorial waters and the continental shelf, leaving it up to the contiguous States to determine, through treaties, the corresponding marine borders.
19.	The developing countries, as their technological capacity increases, must resort increasingly to the exploitation of resources of the territorial seas, and of the soil and the subsoil of its seas and oceans. Nevertheless, there will have to be readjustment between the desire to have wide areas in the sea and the continental shelves for strictly nationalist regions, and the demands of the international community, which has declared as a benefit and common property a zone of the sea and of its soils and subsoils the size and limitations of which have not yet been determined.
20.	Nicaragua considers this action of the international community to be very hopeful. It will offer unsuspected possibilities for co-operation among States through a system of exploitation which will promote intergovernmental enterprises and will also make it possible for the international community to give justice to those countries which are less favored economically through a fair use of the benefits resulting from exploitation under an inter-national regime.
21.	There exist at present among States situations of manifest and unjust inequality of opportunities which have produced extraordinary advances for a few sectors of peoples of the world and progressive under-development for the vast majority of its peoples. This is a situation which must be corrected. If the international regime over the seas does not incorporate the germ of a more just world order, it will make no difference whether it is 200 miles or nothing, since the same regime among States will produce the same inequalities.
22.	The important thing is that the conference on the law of the sea should give impetus to the creation of an order of relations among States which will make a reality of the dream of development and offer a real equality of opportunity to the peoples of the world. Towards this pragmatic alternative all efforts of the Government of Nicaragua will be directed at the conference. We, as Nicaraguans, will try at that conference to see to it that these goal are crystallized through international action and by me offered by the United Nations as an institution which  nations among States, an institution which is supposed to avoid unilateral actions which have tended to defend special economic and social interests rather than the interests and needs considered vital to mankind.
23.	Nicaragua has always based its international policies on a recognition of the same right in other States which we demand for ourselves. The tradition of Nicaragua of using peaceful means, arbitration and constructive dialog goes back to the first years of our independent life. Numerous treaties and conventions have defined our jurisdiction and sovereignty, and there is not an inch of our territory which has been added through conquest, nor has there been arbitrary action on the part of our Government to the detriment of the interests and rights of other peoples.
24.	Possibly it was in recognition of what I have just said that the States Members of the United Nations, with the invaluable support of the Latin American group, honored Nicaragua with the designation of non-permanent member of the Security Council, the presidency of which it was thus able to assume in the person of Ambassador Guillermo Sevilla Sacasa, one of the most outstanding sons of our country.
25.	Conscious of the great work of Ambassador Sacasa and the praiseworthy manner in which he has carried out his responsibilities in strict compliance with the legal traditions of our country and in the spirit of the Charter of the United Nations, my Government would like to pay public tribute to him in the same way in which he has paid tribute, so fittingly, to other great men who have made of their lives, as has Mr. Sacasa, living examples of dedication to justice and devotion to peace and total service to the good of all.
26.	This is a good opportunity to pay a tribute, as the Foreign Minister of Nicaragua, to the correct manner in which other members of the permanent mission of my country to the United Nations have carried out their own delicate tasks.
27.	Our contribution to the efforts of the United Nations, to its aspirations and philosophy, has not been limited to words and actions in the international field. We think that justice begins at the level of States when we cause to flourish in them a just internal order and when we educate new generations in the principles of solidarity, equality of opportunity and co-operation among individuals. The international panorama reflects these actions and attitudes and the values by which peoples are able to live among themselves within the juridical framework of their own States.
28.	Nicaragua therefore has maintained and does maintain in its full meaning the fullest observance of rights and the broadest civil liberties. Our respect for freedom of conscience, information, and the full exercise of civic participation of our citizens ha. gone beyond laws and is found in all forms of life. Reliable evidence of this fact can be found in the stability of our institutions and the free exercise of political interests and permanent dialog, which we have instituted as a definite means to serve our own development.
29.	In accordance with the pure ideals of the Charter of the United Nations, political groups in Nicaragua enjoy absolute freedom to join together in a search for their own goals, and dialog and co-operation have been characteristics whose development we have stimulated since the earliest days of our independence. The people of Nicaragua have favored a two-party political system; nevertheless, our laws give the right to any democratic and peace-loving group to assist through its own philosophy in guiding and even reforming the development of national life. Examples of this assertion are abundant in our history, and on various occasions political parties have governed jointly in order to favor a climate of peace and co-operation among citizens.
30.	Consistent with that tradition, the two major parties of Nicaragua recently signed a political convention before the diplomatic representatives of 'many of the world's nations. Their top leaders, the President of the Republic, Anastasio Somoza, as the head of the Liberal Party, and Dr. Fernando Agtiero Rocha, as head of the Conservative Party, signed this convention, inspired by a desire to incorporate into our Constitution the most modem ideological currents and the most advanced principles of social justice in order to make a Teality of the aspirations of the people of Nicaragua, not as a unilateral action of the party in power, but as a result of free determination and full involvement of the nation itself in deciding and achieving its own future, with all its hopes and ambitions.
31.	Inspired by this desire achieve and maintain the broadest participation of all our citizens, the parties signing the political convention, although together they include almost all our citizens, have made provision for safeguarding the participation of other political groupings in the coming election of deputies to the National Constituent Assembly, and have agreed to invite observers from regional organizations sufficient in number to enable the world to witness the purity of the coming electoral process.
32.	My Government is pleased at the tendency of the other Governments in the world to make use of all possible means to decrease international tensions. Hie Heads of State and their cabinets have increased their negotiations and contacts in order to guide their peoples towards the desired goals of peace, freedom, justice and progress. The leaders of the great Powers and their diplomatic representatives have drawn closer together in attempting to resolve harmoniously the principal problems of the present world, particularly those separating their own countries. This is why we note with satisfaction such advances as the incorporation of the People's Republic of China into the international order, the rapprochement between the two Germanys, and the talks concerning Berlin, disarmament, the tensions in the Middle East and i??c-;e in South-East Asia.
33.	We have also been attentive and interested witnesses to the efforts being exerted by Latin American political leaders to strengthen the ties of friendship and co-operation among institutional orders inspired by a plurality of ideologies. That plurality, which we have respected, is revealing of the freedom that has been implanted in the American continent as the key to its progres" and development, and of the observance of the principles of self- determination of peoples and non-intervention in the internal affairs of other States, both of which are cornerstones of the Organization of American States.
34.	Loyally conforming to the political inspiration of our regional organization, the Government of Nicaragua has striven to improve present conditions in the Central American Common Market by establishing numerous bilateral and multilateral contacts in which the leaders of the Central American countries have participated with praiseworthy interest. As a result, we have seen a lessening of the differences that had separated two neighboring countries the contribution of which is essential for the success of our economic integration.
35.	We have also greeted with profound sympathy the recent initiatives taken by the President of the Republic of Guatemala on the occasion of the sesquicentenary of the independence of Central America. My Government believes that positive steps should be taken to lay the groundwork for political integration of the Central American countries, as suggested by the President of Guatemala, because to do so would not only imply the satisfaction of a long-standing desire of our States, but would also establish the real basis for the final and successful outcome of the economic and social development of Central America.
36.	The economic and political integration of the Central American countries should arise out of the awareness of our peoples themselves. The efforts and intentions of our leaders could very well be hindered if there has not been a previous decision on the part of the citizens of Central America. Each and every Central American should have a clear awareness and a firm will to join his efforts and aspirations within a single nationality. It is essential that we strengthen the Organization of the Central American States as a nucleus and driving force for the political unity of the isthmus, and formulate a concrete plan so that in the five countries it will be the people who will put into effect this new attempt to set up the Federal Republic of Central America.
37.	With a less ambitious purpose but with no less sincerity, the Government of Nicaragua has been trying to strengthen and multiply the ties that unite it to our sister Republic of Mexico and to the entire Latin American community. To that end, the President of Nicaragua accepted the cordial invitation extended to him by Mr. Luis Echeverria, the President of Mexico, and together with members of his Cabinet and distinguished representatives of private enterprise in Nicaragua, he recently visited our sister Republic, laying the groundwork for profitable agreements for co-operation that will be reflected most certainly in benefits to our own development.
38.	In essence, the Government of Nicaragua, within the context of the Latin American community, has joined in positive fashion in the political life of the continent. It has done so with full awareness of the necessity for harmonious co-operation among peoples and persuaded that violence from the right and the left must be eliminated through democratic processes, nationally as well as internationally, because we have proscribed all use of force as an instrument of policy. We firmly believe that the doctrine that seeks to make of the continent of Colombus a continent for its own inhabitants and one which will be a repository for the hope and faith of the world, is today more than ever the collective responsibility of all our peoples, one that we must carry out with prudence and firm will.
39.	The Government of Nicaragua notes with satisfaction the initiative of calling a conference on European security.
In these times in which the security of every nation is closely tied to that of other nations, it is necessary to speak of world security. Any other conception of security would be restrictive and not in accordance with the facts of history.
40.	One of the essential foundations of security is that it must not depend solely on the control of offensive and defensive weapons, but rather on the establishment of a just international order and of equally just national orders. We must wipe out. poverty, disease and inequality of educational and economic opportunities, and guarantee for every human being the satisfaction of his fundamental needs and the full development of his individuality. Such an order can be established only with the disappearance of all forms of domination by force or by economic and technological supremacy. Otherwise, unless such injustices are removed, it will not be possible to speak of the security of any nation, because the only permanent foundation for security is the one that results in justice in relations among individuals and among States.
41.	My Government wishes to take this occasion, when the representatives of the world's Governments are gathered to make history, to make an appeal to all Members of this Organization, urging them to solve the old problems that afflict present-day society and that demand prompt and energetic action.
42.	The problems existing on the African continent and in Asia, the proliferation of micro-States, the worsening of economic inequalities among nations all these can be the spark igniting a holocaust which it is our duty to prevent. Let us prevent it by carefully paying due attention to the principles of coexistence among States and to the right of every human being fully to enjoy his own resources and to decide his own future.
43.	Freedom cannot continue to be the privilege of nations which lave been able to achieve it, but a right, consecrated and assured to ,11 nations of the world. There is no human or divine justification for some countries to enjoy this freedom whereas others are kept in a state of complete deprivation of this fundamental need of human beings.
44.	Universality within the United Nations can be achieved only through these means. It is not enough that new countries or old States come into the United Nations but are left out of the responsibilities and benefits. If the incorporation of the People's Republic of China, with millions of people and the immense potential of its age-old culture, is justified by the principle of universality, if that same principle also justifies the permanent membership of free peoples, such as the people of Nationalist China, whose permanence in our Organization ought to be ensured, the achievement of this principle of universality justifies acceleration of the process of decolonization, so that new peoples having received international recognition of their right to be free and sovereign can become members of the universal concert for which we are working in order to bring about the rule of freedom and justice in the world.
45.	Freedom alone can ensure progress and full self- realization for mankind. The misery which now affects millions of human beings in the Middle East and in Pakistan, as well as in many other areas in the world of which we know, is the result of a social order which we have set up and which requires careful and well-defined reform.
46.	The United Nations has appointed a commissioner for Palestine refugees, who is administering and co-ordinating international assistance. We are convinced that a similar post should be created for the millions of Pakistani refugees who also deserve the protection and assistance of our Organization.
47.	But those measures are insufficient. Human suffering bears witness that we are living in an insecure world. There can be no security if we persist in maintaining a social order which provokes such suffering, a fact which is clear evidence of the need to rectify the situation. Security ought to be universal, and must be achieved by strengthening the United Nations and by the realization of its principles and ideals as instruments which will be of its own making and which will strengthen and make more universal its scope of action. To act in any other way would be tantamount to a death sentence for the greatest Organization which man has created for the achievement of happiness for mankind and would make of the collective responsibility, which we have all freely sought, a partial decision of a group of States which has been set up outside our world Organization and the beneficial influence of the human community.
48.	In the firm conviction that we are acting under the inspiration of the purest humanist principles, and hoping to see justice and reason prevail over ambition. I should like to raise my prayers to the God of Nations so that as a result of our deliberations, we may show a capacity to give future generations the hope, justice and security which we desire for ourselves.
49.	Today's world, our own world, is facing a situation which requires serene action and the broadest spirit of co-operation among individuals and States. We are facing it with only the arms of a fretful human spirit. We are facing a situation of change, as seen in the irrepressible progress of new values which are creating a new awareness in the world. We do not believe that by isolating ourselves or raising protective barriers, material or spiritual, we will find solutions adequate to our task. Better interaction, better co-operation, better understanding and growing solidarity are the tools which we will have to use to produce a change towards real bases of happiness, freedom and justice as the common heritage for all human beings.


149.  Mr. President on behalf of the Italian delegation I am very happy to express our satisfaction at seeing you preside over the twenty-sixth session of the United Nations General Assembly and to offer you our warmest hopes for success in your undertakings. In electing you unanimously to that post, the Governments represented here have attested to the esteem which they feel towards a statesman and an eminent diplomat as well as towards the great people of Indonesia, who are at present playing such an important role linking Asia and the fifth continent, Australasia.
150.	I am sure that the wisdom with which you will direct our debates will match the example given us by the President of the twenty-fifth session of the General Assembly, Ambassador Hambro. I should like to take this opportunity to repeat our gratitude to him for the exceptional contribution he made to the work of the commemorative session of the General Assembly.
151.	May I also endorse the tributes that have been addressed to our Secretary-General, U Thant, who has occupied his high office with dignity, reliability, and a wisdom and competence that have earned him the confidence of all Member States. In the course of a long period characterized by frequent crises and dramatic events, he has borne his burden of responsibilities with unique sensitivity. For all these reasons, we sincerely regret learning that he is retiring from the post that he has for so long occupied in the center of the world arena.
152.	Our work this year, therefore, is being carried out under two of the most eminent statesmen of Asia. This leads me to stress the ever-increasing role that the Asian continent is playing in the destiny of mankind. Asia is re-emerging today on the world scene, a continent inhabited by hundreds of millions of people who embody an impressive heritage of civilization and culture and are imbued with new initiatives and ideas. In the international context China already occupies a very important position. Japan has become one of the great economic Powers of our day. Other Asian States of ancient traditions are catching up on their delayed economic development.
153.	These are the most evident signs of the profound change that is taking place in the balance that was established at the end of the Second World War. New centers of influence are emerging and are being added to those that already existed. I think we should be pleased and follow with interest this course of evolution. It affords great possibilities for assuring international peace and security. Since a profound modification of the existing situation is taking place, if the transition from the old balance to the new is to be accomplished without setbacks; at least three basic conditions must be met.
154.	First, in order that the dialog to be established among a much larger number of centers of world influence be not only feasible but fruitful, it is necessary for each of the centers to have the possibility of participating fully in the life of the family of nations.
155.	The second condition is that this dialog draw its inspiration from the principle of peaceful co-operation and not from out and out competition.
few moments speak briefly about Europe-it is not sufficient in itself.
156. The third condition is that, while the dialog among Mr. President, on behalf of the Italian delegation I am very the great centers of influence is necessary and I shall in a few moments speak briefly about Europe -it is not sufficient in itself.
157.	With regard to the first condition, I should like to recall that the Italian Government has for a long time advocated the universality of our Organization, It is Consistent with that view that we trust that at the present session the Government which lawfully represents the great Chinese people, that is, the Government of Peking, will take its place in the General Assembly and in the Security Council. We stress the historic decision of President Nixon to renew a dialog that has for too long been suspended between the United States and the People's Republic of China. I trust that this development will have fruitful results for the cause of peace in the world. Within the lines of the universaUty of the United Nations, we are also gratified that a number of States which have recently acceded to independence Bahrain, Qatar and Bhutan have joined us at the opening of this session of the General Assembly. Other States are still not in our Organization, but I strongly hope that they will join us very soon.
158.	With regard to the second condition that I defined earlier, I would recall what the Secretary-General of the United Nations stated in the introduction to his report on the work of the Organization [A/8401/Add.l]. Indeed, he stressed the need to strengthen peace and security and, in that way, to reach increasingly effective agreements concerning both peace-keeping operations and general and complete disarmament.
159.	Regarding the third condition, I should like to recall that the great problems confronting the world today cannot be solved only by the efforts-even the joint efforts-of the great Powers. Each and every man must be asked to contribute to the struggle of humanity for survival, dignity, liberty and well-being. Of course we can no longer agree that there still exist certain peoples that make history and others that suffer it: the democratic conscience of the world could not accept that.
160.	Our Organization must therefore remain the world forum where the peoples of the world can bring their claims and where we can all work together to find the best way to solve the great problems confronting mankind. It is by beginning to create conditions of confidence and co-operation among neighboring States that we can hope little by little to establish a better order. The golden rule of the foreign policy of yesteryear was that the enemies of our neighbors were our friends. But more and more that rule is being replaced by a new one: our neighbors must be our friends. Indeed, we see more and more frequently and in more and more parts of the world, that there are close ties of co-operation and union being set up between neighboring peoples. Because they are recent and eloquent witnesses to this development may I mention on this specific point the Andean Pact in Latin America  and the Federation of Arab Republics in the Mediterranean.
161.	I wish to mention here the friendly relations that Italy enjoys, in a constructive spirit, with all countries- without exception that have a common frontier with it or that, bathed by the Mediterranean Sea, share a common heritage of history, culture and interests,
162.	I should like briefly to mention the relations of my country with one of its neighbors, relations on which the General Assembly has in the past received considerable information. Last year [1857th meeting] the Italian delegation brought the Assembly up to date on the positive result achieved from contacts between the Italian and Austrian Governments on the interpretation and the implementation of the agreement signed in Paris on 5 September 1946, Since then, concrete measures have been adopted by the Italian Government to guarantee the legitimate rights and to ensure the peaceful development of the different ethnic groups that live in the Alto Adige, and it intends resolutely to continue along the same lines,
163.	The progress that has been achieved in that field has permitted a favorable development in Italo-Austrian relations, and we, for our part, hope that we shall be able to make them even wider and ensure their growing cordiality.
164.	Regarding relations between Italy and its neighbors some of which are its allies I should like to stress the exemplary nature of our relations with Yugoslavia which are the fruit of the will of the two Governments and the two peoples in the widest possible way to develop mutual co-operation in an atmosphere of full confidence.
165.	I should also like to mention the traditional ties between Italy and Malta and the sincere friendship of the Italian people for the Maltese people, as well as the efforts that my Government is constantly making in order to open up a new era in its relations with Libya.
166.	I feel in duty bound to add a few words regarding the union that has been set up between a number of peoples of Western Europe and which has been institutionalized in the European Economic Community, of whose Council of Ministers I have the honor at the moment to be pro tempore chairman -a Community which, although its title bears the adjective "economic", has nevertheless acquired an increasingly obvious political trend.
167.	This work of both economic and political unification of a large part of Western Europe was born of a grand design: to have mutual co-operation replace mistrust and rivalry among the peoples of the region-two factors that have been at the root and the origin of two world wars. This Community, which has been an important, I would say, outstanding success, is open and will remain open to all the peoples of Europe that draw their inspiration from the same concept of political life and that may wish to participate in it. We trust that very soon negotiations for the adherence of the United Kingdom, Denmark, Ireland and Norway will be completed. Other Governments will also sign association agreements. Hence a wide and unified economic market, composed of more than 250 million people, will have been launched.
168.	This undertaking may give the peoples of Europe a better chance to have their voices heard. Can this regained influence be a danger to anyone? The answer is no. It is not and shall not be directed against any people. It is directed against war, against the burden of armaments, against famine, against under-development, against inequality, against all and any that might interfere with free and fruitful communication among all men.
169.	I should like to mention the considerable contribution that the European Economic Community is already making to the maintenance of peace and balance in the world. Apart from the efforts that each of the member countries may deploy on a bilateral level, the Community has facilitated the establishment of relations of a new nature between the industrialized countries and those of the third world,
170.	The convention of association with a group of African countries  has been a very important step along those lines. But the Community has no intention of limiting its aid to a single geographical sector. The recent decision to apply generalized preferences to the third world stands as eloquent proof of this.
171.	Secondly, I wish to mention the constant contacts between the members of the European Economic Community and the United States and Canada, their friends and their allies, in order to come to a true detente with the countries of Eastern Europe. A number of bridges have been thrown across the gaps that had been opened by events, whose memories are now beginning to fade. All the Governments and peoples of Western Europe have understood and approved of the courageous initiative of the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany to reestablish normal relations with the countries of Eastern Europe. As early as three years ago, in fact, they had made clear that one of the roads to detente lay in the mutual and balanced reduction of forces in the heart of the Old World.
172.	The efforts of a number of years, the patient search for points cf possible agreement, and the care not to disturb the balance of forces have finally been rewarded by aft agreement that is probably one of the most significant of the post-war period. I am speaking of the agreement that will guarantee the rights of the people of Berlin. That city had stood as the symbol of a Europe divided in two, one part armed against the other. In order to progress it was necessary to do away with that line on a future of peace and co-operation; proof had to be given that the fate of 2 million men and women was not going to be jeopardized. Let us pay tribute here to the goodwill shown by the Governments concerned during the course of the negotiations.
173.	True, all is not yet settled; there are still obstacles to be overcome for the two parts of Europe, by means of free contacts between the inhabitants of both sides, to come together at last.
174.	It is to progress along these lines that the conference on European security and co-operation must, after careful preparations, devote its attention. With the participation of all the countries of Europe, the United States and Canada, we hope that that conference will very soon get under way.
175.	In my country we say that Rome was not built in a day: neither can security, relaxation of tension, and co-operation in Europe. Hie European conference will doubtless be a step forward, but if it engages in mere legalistic and only crystallizes the present rather than opens the door to the future, its results will not be wholly satisfactory. It is obvious that we must advance with prudence and realism, particularly in the first phase. But we should not allow the great hope of all the peoples of Europe to achieve a freer, more prosperous and open life, to get lost in the complex network of a purely formal treaty. That, even if it were unintentional, would only sanction the division of Europe.
176.	On the contrary, it is only by paving the way to a new balance of which the European Economic Community would be one of the most significant components-and to more freely articulated relations among all peoples, that we can possibly hope to establish in Europe, relations based on trust, rather than on power, which would have a positive effect on the entire world.
177.	If after the agreement between the United States and the Soviet Union on Measures to Reduce the Risk of Nuclear Warfare, signed on 30 September at Washington, and at which we are extremely gratified, substantive progress is achieved in the talks between the United States and the Soviet Union on strategic arms limitation; and if in the course of the forthcoming year a European conference can be held along the lines that I have just outlined, then an important step will have been taken to put an end to some of the major causes of international tension. But that will not be sufficient unless we come to grips with the arms race, which at one and the same time, is both cause and effect of tensions all over the world.
178.	Our best hopes are placed in the Conference of the Committee on Disarmament. Thanks to the efforts it has made this year, a draft convention on the prohibition of the development, production and stockpiling of bacteriological (biological) and toxin weapons and on their destruction has been prepared [A/8457-DCI234, annex A]. The Italian Government, which participated actively in its preparation, is gratified at that positive development. It is indeed the first true disarmament agreement arrived at since the war. All the other agreements, however important they may have been, were only non-armament agreements.
179.	The Italian Government has always insisted that, together with collateral questions, the problem of general and complete disarmament should be faced. We are pleased to note that the same idea underlies the Soviet proposal to call a world disarmament conference [A/8491] to deal with all the problems of disarmament-nuclear as well as conventional. While giving this idea of the Soviet Government all our attention, we reserve our right to study the methods of translating it into reality.
180.	Although the events that I have just outlined give us reason for optimism, the presence of hot-beds of war must, by the same token, cause deep concern to all of us. In Asia, in the Indo-Chinese peninsula, the flames of battle that were kindled a quarter of a century ago are still burning. Despite the resumption of a few military actions, which still concern us, we believe that the policy of progressive military disengagement, which was lately undertaken by the United States, has not changed. Italy will continue to strive for a political solution to the problem, in accordance with the freely expressed will of all the peoples of the region.
181.	Another Asian people the people of East Pakistan- has been struck by a twofold tragedy: the unleashed forces of nature, and a bloody domestic crisis. That drama, which has moved world public opinion, calls urgently for a concerted humanitarian effort on tH part of all our Governments; but, at the same time, it is indispensable that, by means of far-sighted measures, we create an atmosphere of normalcy that will allow the millions of human beings who have had to flee their homes to return to them. During Italy's presidency of the Security Council, contacts along these lines were undertaken.
182.	I come now to another source of tension: that of the Middle East. For 15 months now, a precarious truce has existed there. That the cannons have been silent for all this time can be attributed only to the intervention of the United Nations, to the mission of Ambassador Jarring, to the advice of moderation given to the parties concerned, and to the wisdom shown by them thus far. Indeed, I think we can detect an inclination on their part towards a search for a political solution. We must express to the United States our appreciation for the effort it has made in the last few months to obtain the agreement of the parties concerned to a partial solution to the conflict, which would be the first step towards an over-all solution, The benefits of a partial solution based on the clearing of the Suez Canal would of course be considerable, since they would contribute to establishing an atmosphere, if not of confidence, at least of coexistence between two peoples which for a quarter of a century have not known the blessings of happiness or of true peace.
183.	Those benefits would also be shared by a large number of other countries whose economies have been seriously affected by the closing of a vital means of communication. The coastal States of the Mediterranean, of the Black Sea, of the Red Sea and of the Indian Ocean are, in fact, suffering gravely today because of the closure of the Suez Canal which has set the clock of world maritime communications back a hundred years. This state of affairs is most damaging to the less developed countries and, therefore, an effort must be made to put an end to it as soon as possible.
184.	We would hope that, when it has to deal with the question of the Middle East, the General Assembly, in its wisdom and authority, will see fit solemnly to reaffirm the principles which can serve as a basis to end the conflict in the Middle East and which can be found in Security Council resolution 242 (1967), which should be fully implemented.
135, At the same time, a new impulse must be given to any effort to find either a global or even a partial solution to the problem. This is, I know, a far from easy task, since the peoples which must become accustomed to coexistence and to co-operate with one another have, three times in the last 25 years, confronted one another on the battlefield. But we trust that proof will be given of realism, magnanimity and realism so as to put an end to a struggle that might take a very different turn if allowed to continue unduly.
186.	Speaking of tensions and abnormal situations in the world, I cannot overlook the colonial problems and the systems of apartheid, which are contrary to our concepts of law and which we consider to be incompatible with the fundamental principle of respect for human dignity. The Italian Government has always given, and will continue to give, full support to any constructive action by the United Nations for the establishment of a more democratic and more human order by peaceful means in southern Africa.
187.	By the same token, during the course of the year that the United Nations has devoted to the fight against racism and racial discrimination , may I announce that Italy intends very soon to ratify the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination [resolution 2106 A (XX)].
188.	Obviously tho United Nations lacks the means to put an end to the conflicts that I have just mentioned and we know the reasons for its impotence. But though our Organization seems to lack the effective power and though its role with respect to problems affecting international peace and security very often exceeds its possibilities of intervention, it nevertheless still is the place where human conscience can be expressed. If the voice of that conscience is silenced, injustice and violations will prevail.
189.	All this proves that we need an Organization where all great problems can be examined and, if possible, directed towards a solution. In fact none can deny the irreplaceable role of the United Nations. An international system in which it did not exist would be doomed to anarchy and the most serious upheavals. But our Organization must continue to strengthen itself, not only by writing all the peoples of the world, but by adopting structures and rules that will increase its effectiveness.
190.	I will venture prudently where, perhaps, angels might fear to tread. But I would dare say that the passage of years, the modification in the relations of the forces of the world, the new possibilities offered by science and technology, the first steps of the human race into outer space or on the ocean floor and many other factors all show that the world is changing and that our Organization must adapt itself to these changes. We believe that that adaptation should follow a twofold direction.
191.	On the one hand, it should be concentrated on those problems that best lend themselves to a solution in a forum such as ours. It is true that one of the main objectives of the United Nations is to guarantee international peace and security; but it is no less true that the creation of peace cannot be limited to a mere search for a solution to the political differences that could lead to armed conflicts. It must tackle the underlying causes of those conflicts and those differences; it must lead to the establishment of an international order where social, economic and technical disparities will have been eliminated so far as humanly possible; an order in which any injury to the dignity of the human person which still exists today will- have disappeared; an order where the right to decide their own fate will be guaranteed to all peoples free from any foreign interference or any form of constraint.
192.	In the spirit of the Charter signed at San Francisco all is indissolubly linked and everything is placed at the service
of our main goal, which is the maintenance of international peace and security. But this security and this peace will be all the more stable when they set their roots in an order to whose creation the United Nations will have contributed and made more human and more just.
193.	It is in that perspective and from that standpoint that my Government gives its full support to the initiatives that are intended to strengthen the procedures for the peaceful settlement of disputes, to reaffirm the role of the International Court of Justice, to ensure respect for human rights and now I come to the second line of direction- to assist the regions which have, suffered delays in their economic development.
194.	As far as its financial capabilities allow and within the framework of its economic system, Italy is ready, during the Second United Nations Development Decade, to contribute to the solution of this fundamental problem.of the future of humanity.
195.	To achieve those goals we are convinced that it is imperative and urgent to reaffirm the role of the Economic and Social Council. We are equally convinced that if there is wider participation on the part of the members of that organ to which the Charter has entrusted the primary task of elaborating and carrying out the policies of the Organization in the economic, social and humanitarian fields, the countries of the third world will also have found the way of expressing themselves effectively and in a constructive atmosphere and of progressively achieving their goals.
196.	For all the industrialized countries, this important task will be greatly facilitated by a free and open system of economic relations, where exchanges can develop without let or hindrance and within an atmosphere of stability. Here we took note with satisfaction of the assurances given by the United States Secretary of State, Mr. Rogers, in his speech to the Assembly the day before yesterday [1950th meetingJ, when he confirmed that there is no basic change in the traditional policy of the United States in international economic questions and that the United States Government does not envisage a policy of economic nationalism. The European Economic Community intends to continue its own actions along the same lines.
197.	Having said all this, need I add that to be effective an organization must dispose of sufficient financial resources with which to carry out its task? A number of speakers have alluded to the difficulties of the Organization in this field and the need to confront them. Italy, whose concern over this matter was attested to concretely by an increased subscription to the bonds issued by our Organization-and in this we were not alone-hopes that all the countries that have not yet done so will make adequate and equitable contributions in keeping with their own resources.
198.	Obviously there is also another problem, that of ensuring effective representation in the main bodies of the United Nations to those States that have the greatest responsibility in international life.
199.	Thus the Italian Government sees the United Nations as an organization that can adapt itself as rapidly as possible to the evolving state of the world, one that possesses the necessary flexibility and is able to fulfill its tasks.
200.	Allow me, before concluding, to stress that the policy of the Italian Government is a policy of total support for the United Nations. Its action in the inter-national field will continue in fact to be inspired by the principles in the Charter, and it is on the basis of those principles that the hopes of mankind for a better future rest.