Mr. President, the delegation of the Byelorussian SSR would like to congratulate you on our election to the post of President of the thirtieth session of the General Assembly and wish you success in your responsible work.
48.	We should like to greet the SecretaryGeneral, who has made considerable efforts to implement the purposes and principles of the United Nations.
49.	This thirtieth session of the General Assembly is taking place at a remarkable time. This year marks the thirtieth anniversary of the victory in the Second World War, as a result of which the United Nations was born. This is the year of the successful conclusion of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, the year of the elimination of a dangerous hotbed of tension in SouthEast Asia, the year of the rapid downfall of the vestiges of the colonialist system, the year of further consolidation of peace-loving forces in their joint struggle for a just and lasting peace on earth and the solution of vital problems in the interests of all peoples.
50.	Looking back upon the unforgettable period when, in the course of fierce fighting, fascism, the antithesis of civilization and progress, which had sought world domination, was crushed as a result of the decisive role of the Soviet Union, we always experience a feeling of admiration for the immortal feat of the Soviet Union and other freedom loving peoples; but at the same time one cannot forget, and one will be unable to forget now or in the future, the sacrifices made for the sake of victory.
51.	The war took 55 million human lives, and of those 20 million were citizens of the Soviet Union. The Byelorussian SSR went through a terrible time, when every fourth inhabitant perished in the struggle against the aggressors.
52.	Speaking in Minsk on 16 May this year at the International Meeting of the Supporters of Peace, Mr. P. M. Masherov, Alternate Member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Byelorussian SSR, said:
"Lasting peace and the freedom of peoples are an unfailing ideal which has inspired the heroes of the struggle against fascism and which inspires us today. There is nothing more noble or more lofty than dedicating our efforts to making that ideal an immutable law of the life of mankind, so that not only we, all of us, but also our children, our grandchildren and our great grandchildren may be ignorant of the nature of war and so that all peoples may fully enjoy the benefits of peaceful creative labor and all the achievements of the human mind."
53.	The victory over fascism and militarism had the deepest influence on the whole course of world development. Peace, so long awaited, was finally won. The world socialist system, the bulwark of peace and progress, came into being, and it is being strengthened. The age-old foundations of colonialism collapsed and a new, more favorable situation was created for the struggle of the working people of capitalist countries for social progress.
54.	On those days in May, when all progressive mankind was celebrating the thirtieth anniversary of victory, the sun of freedom and peace rose over South Viet Nam. We welcome the outstanding victory of the heroic Vietnamese people, a victory won in their just struggle against foreign interventionists and their henchmen. The victory of the peoples of Viet Nam, Laos and Cambodia, with the comprehensive support of the socialist States and all progressive forces, is an important contribution to the strengthening of peace and security in SouthEast Asia. It promotes the triumph of the purposes and principles of the United Nations, and it is only fitting that the General Assembly and all the members of the Security Council except one should have considered that the time had come to solve the problem of the admission to the United Nations of the Democratic Republic of Viet Nam and the Republic of South Viet Nam. The delegation of the Byelorussian SSR will continue, both in the Security Council and in the General Assembly, firmly to support the entry of the two Vietnamese States into the United Nations.
55.	The experience of 30 years of postwar development demonstrates that peace can become a solid reality if we work for it persistently, if we adhere unswervingly to the principle of the peaceful coexistence of States with different social systems, if we consistently strive for a just solution of current international problems. The positive changes taking place in the world arena cogently reveal that there is now an objective possibility of banishing war from the life of mankind.
56.	I should particularly like, in this connexion, to note the purposeful efforts of the Soviet Union and other States of the socialist community, efforts which have become a fundamental factor in ensuring the current positive processes in international relations.
57.	The founder of the Soviet State, V. I. Lenin, stressed that "All our policies and propaganda are aimed not at drawing peoples into war but at putting an end to war". This Leninist principle of the negation of war and the assertion of peace is the very basis of the Program of Peace proclaimed by the Twenty fourth Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. It would be no exaggeration to state that any step forward in the improvement of the world political climate and the development of cooperation between States is linked with the implementation of that Pro , gramme of Peace.
58.	At the present time, detente is focusing on the results of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, which was an event of tremendous international importance.
59.	The Conference struck a political balance in terms of the world after the Second World War and confirmed the futility and harmfulness of the policies of positions of strength and the "cold war". It opened up new opportunities for fulfilling the main task of our time the consolidation of peace and the security of peoples.
60.	The principles of relations between States, which have been clearly formulated in the Final Act of the Conference, are bound to promote the creation on the European continent and in the world at large of an atmosphere of mutual trust and confidence in the free, independent and peaceful development of every' country. The course of the general debate has convincingly confirmed that all except one delegation, which believes that the worse things are the better are pleased that the States of Europe as well as the United States and Canada have agreed to observe in international relations such principles as the sovereign equality of States, including the right to choose and develop freely their political, social, economic and cultural systems; the non-use of force or the threat of force; the inviolability of borders; the territorial integrity of States; the peaceful settlement of disputes; noninterference in each other's internal affairs; respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms; equality and the right of peoples to determine their own destiny; cooperation between States; and the fulfillment in good faith of commitments under international law.
61.	The charter of peace adopted at Helsinki also creates conditions for the expansion and substantial intensification of cooperation between States that participated in the Conference in the economic, scientific and technological fields and in the protection of the human environment, as well as in such questions as exchanges in the fields of culture, education, information and contacts between peoples.
62.	The results of the Conference mean that detente in Europe and in the world at large is becoming increasingly filled with content. It is essential to put these principles and understandings that have been proclaimed into the actual practice of interState relations, at the same time complying with the laws and traditions of every country, in order that these principles and understandings may become an immutable law of international life. There is no greater duty to the past, present and future than the duty of finally confirming the results of the selfless struggle waged by the Soviet and other freedom-loving peoples against fascism, and of making Europe a continent of lasting and just peace.
63.	The favorable influence of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe on the atmosphere in that continent and throughout the world is undeniable. Its results are very important, and not only for the peoples of Europe. Detente must be expanded, deepened and extended to all parts of the world. The right to peace is the inalienable right of every person, no matter what part of the world he or she lives in. We must preserve it and, at the same time, ensure for everyone the right to creative work and social justice. We must struggle for these fundamental human rights.
64.	Comrade L. I. Brezhnev, the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, said at Helsinki:
"It is no secret that information media can serve the objectives of peace and trust, but they can also spread throughout the world the poison of strife between countries and peoples. We would like to hope that the results of the Conference will serve as a correct reference point for cooperation in these areas."
Unfortunately, influential mass information media in certain countries have so far not given up the topics and phraseology of the period of the "cold war"; they have not turned their backs on allegations in depicting the life of the Soviet Union and other socialist countries, and a number of very important international events. They deliberately allow themselves to distort the substance and spirit of the Final Act of the Conference which, as a matter of fact, they have not even published. While concealing the real contents of the document adopted at Helsinki, the press in a number of countries is distorting facts, trying to mislead people and sow in their minds the poisonous seeds of suspicion, mistrust and hostility between peoples. To use. the words of the President of the twenty-ninth session of the General Assembly, Mr. Bouteflika, such information media "attempt to counteract the present course of events in the world".2 The interests of the case require that the information media of every country should heed the call of the times and become an instrument of peace and the strengthening of trust and cooperation among peoples.
65.	The task of implementing the principles of peaceful coexistence and mutually advantageous and equitable cooperation is not being tackled only in Europe. Recently, serious improvements have been achieved in SovietAmerican relations; that has been of unquestionable utility in the improvement of the international climate as a whole. There is no doubt that the further development of normal relations between the USSR and the United States and the development of cooperation between the socialist States and countries of an opposite social system meet the interests of all those who want to see peace on earth strengthened and who do not want to permit a world nuclear catastrophe.
66.	International peace and security are equally necessary conditions for businesslike cooperation among all countries, large and small, developed and developing. Can we really imagine the possibility of any success in the economic and social development of countries in conditions of war?
67.	It goes without saying that we cannot comfort ourselves with the idea that there is no war today, or remain content with what has been achieved. The' process of the consolidation of peace, the process of detente, is an uninterrupted process which requires constant forward movement. To halt on this path would mean endangering what has already been achieved.
68.	It cannot be denied that so far not all the obstacles to lasting peace and good-neighborly cooperation for mankind have been removed. The forces of imperialism and neocolonialism, reaction and war have not laid down their arms. They are attempting to prevent the settlement of urgent international problems; they are attempting to drag the world back to the time of the "cold war"; they are advocating the use of force in international relations; they are intervening in the internal affairs of other countries. It is precisely because of these forces that there are still hotbeds of dangerous tension in the world and that militarily explosive conflicts arise.
69.	In the Middle East Israel continues to hold the Arab territories it occupied in 1967. A just and lasting peace must be ensured for the Middle East. There is only one way of doing that: implementing the well known decisions of the Security Council and the General Assembly which provide for the total withdrawal of Israeli troops from all the Arab territories occupied in 1967; implementing the legitimate national rights of the Arab people of Palestine, including the right to create their own State; and ensuring the independent existence and development of all States of the region. In order to achieve a comprehensive settlement in the Middle East, what is needed is not separate measures, which do not get to the root of the problem, but the resumption of the work of the Geneva Peace Conference, with the participation of all parties concerned, including the PLO.
70.	Certain circles in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization [NATO] have not ceased they attempts to liquidate Cyprus as a nonaligned and independent State with its territorial integrity. The delegation of the Byelorussian SSR both in the Security Council and in the General Assembly has supported the idea that the partition of Cyprus is inadmissible, that the independent existence and territorial integrity of Cyprus must be ensured, that all foreign troops must be withdrawn from its territory, that foreign interference in its internal affairs must cease, and that the Greek Cypriots and the Turkish Cypriots must be ensured an opportunity to solve their domestic affairs by themselves.
71.	A situation of tension still prevails in the Korean peninsula. The Byelorussian SSR has invariably supported the constructive proposals of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea designed to unite the country on a peaceful democratic basis, and resolutely calls for the withdrawal of foreign troops from South Korea, which will remove the main obstacle to the achievement of national unity for that country. The achievement of these aims would be promoted by the adoption by the General Assembly of the draft resolution entitled "Creation of favorable conditions for converting the armistice into durable peace in Korea and accelerating the independent and peaceful reunification of Korea", which has been submitted for the consideration of this session by a large group of States including the Byelorussian SSR [A/C.ll L.709].
72.	Fascism, which was overthrown during the Second World War, has not yet entirely disappeared from the face of the earth. Its spiritual heirs have . usurped power in Chile and are pursuing a policy of bloody terror against the people of that country. The United Nations, in accordance with earlier decisions, must resolutely demand an end to the atrocities of the junta, and the liberation of the Chilean patriots, including the true son of the Chilean people, Luis Corvalan, who are languishing in dungeons.
73.	Gratifying changes towards peace and social progress are occurring in various parts of the world. But the forces of reaction still refuse to look the facts in the face. The situation is complicated by the fact that the subversive actions of internal reaction are linked with foreign interference into the affairs of a number of States and peoples. The Byelorussian SSR categorically condemns such actions and wishes to express its solidarity with the just struggle of democratic forces in various parts of the world against reaction and imperialism. In connexion with the slanderous comments of the Chinese representative concerning Angola, I should like to recall the well-known fact that it is China itself, together with the imperialists, which is arming the separatists there for the purpose of preventing the patriotic forces from achieving the unity and independence of the whole of Angola.
74.	Among the key problems of our day which still await a solution, the problem of disarmament occupies a special place. The unprecedented arms race imposed upon the world by the imperialists is swallowing up vast amounts of material resources. According to press reports NATO countries in 1974 alone spent more than $130,000 million for military purposes. The arms race is incompatible with detente. The improvement of political relations among States cannot for ever go on side by side with the arms race.
75.	Every year since the very first session of the General Assembly the Soviet Union and the other socialist countries have consistently striven for disarmament, and have tried to use every possible means of solving this important problem. In recent years a number of multilateral agreements have been concluded which have, to some extent, put a curb on the arms race in certain directions. The primary and ultimate objective of all peace-loving peoples is to achieve agreement on general and complete disarmament. But, as we know, so far not everyone is ready to do that. And one delegation, posing demagogically as a supporter of disarmament, is in practice opposing all disarmament measures. So what are we to do: fold our arms and wait passively? Not at all. We consider that we should find a solution to the disarmament problem by taking every opportunity to limit the arms race. Our experience has confirmed that that approach is the correct one, an approach which has made it possible to conclude treaties and agreements, open to all countries, that have prohibited the testing of nuclear weapons in the atmosphere, in outer space and under water and the proliferation of these weapons or their emplacement on the seabed and ocean floor, in outer space or on celestial bodies; an agreement providing for the elimination of bacteriological weapons; and also the conclusion of the SovietAmerican agreements on the prevention of nuclear war and the limitation of strategic armaments.
76.	We can assert confidently that, were it not for these international agreements on disarmament, the situation today would be much worse.
77.	On the initiative of the Soviet Union, with the active support of the States of the socialist community and other peace-loving countries, the General Assembly has adopted resolutions on the need to convene a world disarmament conference [resolution 2833 (XXVI)]; on the non-use of force in international relations and the permanent prohibition of the use of nuclear weapons [resolution 2936 (XXVII)]; on the reduction of military budgets of permanent members of the Security Council [resolution 3254 (XXIX)]; and on the drafting of a convention on the prohibition of action to influence the environment and climate for military purposes {resolution 3264 (XXIX)]. Our task today is to achieve the full implementation of the provisions of these decisions, at the same time exposing the opponents of disarmament and overcoming their resistance, and to obtain the participation of all countries in multilateral treaties on the limitation of the arms race and to make further progress along the road to general and complete disarmament.
78.	The Soviet Government and the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, L. I. Brezhnev, this year personally took an important initiative, that of concluding an agreement on the prohibition of the development and the manufacture of new types of weapons of mass destruction and of new systems of such weapons. The level of the development of modern science and technology is such that there is a serious danger of creating even more terrible weapons than nuclear weapons. It is time to erect a firm barrier to the creation of such weapons by means of producing and concluding an agreement providing for the renunciation by States of the development and manufacture of new types of weapons of mass destruction and new weapons systems. There is no doubt that any assistance to other States or international organizations in creating these weapons must be precluded. The conclusion of such an agreement would open up new and additional opportunities for the economic, scientific and technological cooperation of States.
79.	The proposal of the Soviet Union on the "conclusion of a treaty on the complete and general prohibition of nuclear weapon tests" is also under consideration at this session [see All0241]. The conclusion of such a treaty would further develop the provisions of the Moscow Treaty of 1963, and the 1974 Treaty between the USSR and the United States on the Limitation of Underground Nuclear Weapon Tests [AI9698, annex /].
80.	The prohibition of the creation of new types of weapons of mass destruction and the general prohibition of nuclear-weapon testing would contribute to the strengthening of trust between peoples and to a further improvement of the international climate, and would promote the achievement of the lofty purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations.
81.	We would like to express the hope that the States Members of the United Nations will view the new initiatives of the Soviet Union with sympathy and that the General Assembly will approve them.
82.	Disarmament concerns all countries without exception. Genuine peace means a world without weapons. Developing countries have a vital interest in disarmament because it would release considerable amounts of money to carry out urgent tasks of economic and social development. The peoples of capitalist countries, too, have an interest in disarmament because if they wish to overcome their serious economic difficulties to any degree, that is possible only if an end is put to the arms race.
83.	For socialist countries, the struggle for peace, for detente and disarmament is inseparably linked with the struggle for social progress and national independence. This year will mark the fifteenth anniversary of the adoption by the United Nations, on the initiative of the Soviet Union, of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples. During the ensuing period the forces of national liberation have won decisive successes in the elimination of the colonial system of imperialism.
84.	The delegation of the Byelorussian SSR congratulates the new Members of the United Nations  the People's Republic of Mozambique, the Republic of Cape Verde, the Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe on their newly won national independence and State sovereignty.
85.	Unfortunately, the remnants of the shameful colonial system and such of its manifestations as racism and apartheid in southern Africa continue to poison the international climate. However, the peoples of the world are determined to make the positive changes which are occurring in the world irreversible and once and for all to eliminate racism, apartheid and the remains of colonialism.
86.	Although colonial empires have collapsed under the pressure of the national liberation movements, capitalist monopolies and transnational companies continue to remain the principal obstacle to the attainment of economic independence by the liberated countries. We well understand the aspiration of the peoples of developing countries to escape from the clutches of economic backwardness, to put an end to their economic dependence upon developed capitalist countries, to solve the problem of accelerated development and to rid themselves of poverty in their countries. Together with these countries, the socialist States are struggling to free international economic relations from those injustices and colonialist systems which have been implanted in them and which are being cultivated by the forces of imperialism. It was on the basis of this position that the Byelorussian SSR took its stand at the seventh special session of the General Assembly.
87.	The peoples of the young independent States of Africa, Asia and Latin America in the course of building a new life can rely on lie friendly political, economic and moral support of the Soviet Union and other socialist countries. The provision of assistance and support to the peoples of those countries is an integral part of the socialist foreign policies. At the same time, we should like to emphasize that the source of this assistance is our national wealth created at the cost of hard work on the part of our people and the conquest of the major difficulties caused by the ordeal of the war.
88.	The socialist States are providing comprehensive assistance not because they have funds to spare which cannot be used at home, not because they want to invest their funds in other countries to exploit their natural resources and to earn profits, but because the cause of the liberation of peoples and the consolidation of the independence of young developing States is dear to socialist countries.
89.	The year 1975 is International Women's Year, which, by the decision of the United Nations, is being celebrated under the motto of "Equality, Development and Peace". In the Byelorussian SSR, as in other socialist countries, women enjoy equal rights with men in all spheres of life.
90.	Soviet women are taking an active part in arrangements within the framework of the International Women's Year. The international meeting of women which was held in August this year in the capital of Byelorussia, the Hero City of Minsk, was dedicated to the problems of the participation of women in the struggle against fascism and for lasting and just peace on earth. Its decisions are designed to allow for a new contribution by women of all countries of the world to the struggle for a just and lasting peace on earth.
91.	In the three decades of its existence, the United Nations has proved its viability and usefulness, primarily in the implementation of its chief function, the maintenance of international peace and security. For 30 years now the States Members of the United Nations have been developing multilateral cooperation in accordance with the Charter, which embodies the generally recognized democratic principles of international law, which have stood the test of time. Certain shortcomings in the work of the United Nations can be explained primarily by the fact that certain States have violated, and continue to violate, its Charter, and not by the fact that the Charter is bad. For these reasons, the Byelorussian SSR resolutely opposes all attempts to revise the Charter, whatever form they take. It is not on the revision of the Charter but on the solution of the problems facing the United Nations by means of unswerving observance of the Charter that the efforts of the United Nations must be concentrated.
92.	For 30 years now humanity has been spared a world war. That is a tremendous achievement on the part of the peace-loving forces whose importance is becoming ever greater in the minds of people. In the favorable conditions provided by the reconstruction of international relations on the basis of the principles of peaceful coexistence of States with different social systems and by international detente, the United Nations can and must contribute by its decisions to the strengthening of peace and international security; to the extension of the process of detente to all parts of the world; to giving real content to political detente and supplementing it by military detente; to the attainment of agreement on questions of disarmament; to the elimination of existing hotbeds of tension and conflict and of the remnants of colonialism and its consequences; and to the consolidation of cooperation among all States on the basis of respect for sovereignty and nonintervention in internal affairs, for the purposes of the economic, social and spiritual progress of the peoples of the world.


146.	 It gives me great pleasure to extend to the President, on behalf of my delegation, our heartfelt congratulations on his election to the presidency of the thirtieth session of the General Assembly. I am fully confident, that, with his known sagacity and prudence, he will lead the meetings of our session to success, and he will, no doubt, fulfill to the best of his ability the great responsibilities entrusted to him.
147.	I am also pleased to avail myself of this opportunity to express here my delegation's appreciation of the President of the previous session of the General Assembly, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria. Thanks to his abilities, all those historical and important decisions and recommendations were adopted during the twenty-ninth session and the seventh special session.
148.	I am further pleased to commend the great efforts exerted by Mr. Kurt Waldheim in fulfilling his responsibilities as Secretary-General of the United Nations towards achieving the Organization's objectives of maintaining world peace and security.
149.	In the name of my country's delegation, I extend congratulations to Mozambique, Cape Verde, and Sao Tome and Principe for the victory they have been able to secure, and for the independence achieved by dint of their own efforts. I am deeply gratified to see the delegations of these States take their places here among us The Sultanate of Oman shares the world community's aspirations that the world will, in the near future, witness the disappearance of all vestiges of colonialist and racist regimes.
150 This year several encouraging positive steps have been taken along the path leading to the consolidation of international peace and security and or consolidating detente among States. However, there remain many pressuring international problems which are closely intertwined with the issues of world peace and concord. Those require special consideration and attention.
151.	The cruel situation imposed on the Palestinian people, and in which they have been forced to exist, makes it incumbent on this Organization to take strict and more effective measures to put an end to the afflictions and the sufferings of these people. Their rights were flouted and denied, their wealth pillaged and their property usurped. Nor was this the end of the matter, for they were further driven away from their country, and their very existence as a people was questioned, and some went even as far as to deny their existence.
152.	Peace in the Middle East cannot be achieved unless Israel withdraws completely from all the occupied Arab territories and fully recognizes the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people. The second disengagement agreement between the Egyptian and the Israeli forces in the Sinai is a significant step towards peace and constitutes further proof of the fact that the Arabs prefer a peaceful solution.
153.	However, we should bear in mind that that step will not by itself bring peace. All peace-loving countries and the United Nations, as an effective international Organization, should do their utmost to take effective steps for the implementation of Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973), both of which call for the total withdrawal of Israel from all the occupied Arab territories and for Israel's return to the pre-June 1967 borders and its full recognition of the rights of the Palestinian people.
154.	The fulfillment of these conditions is a prerequisite for a just and durable peace in the Middle East. The intransigence of the racist regime in Israel; its defiance of international law; its disregard of the United Nations Charter and various resolutions; its determination not to heed world public opinion, which calls upon it to desist from its illegal practices in occupied Palestine, to refrain from repeated aggressions against southern Lebanon, to withdraw from the territories of three Arab States Members of the United Nations which Israel has occupied by armed aggression and to abandon its plans to Judaize and change the character of the Holy Places in Jerusalem and Hebron all constitute a serious blow to the chances of a just and lasting peace in the Middle East.
155.	My delegation joins with those who have called for the strongest and severest sanctions against Israel, and in so doing continues to uphold the principles of this Organization in response to its close interpretation of the Charter and the expectations of the peoples of the world in regard to the United Nations.
156.	The tragedy of the Holy Al-Ibrahimi Mosque calls for our undiverted attention, and it is our view that this Organization should put an end to the flagrant violations by the Zionist authorities of Islamic and non-Islamic Holy Places in the land of Palestine. The Al-Ibrahimi shrine is an Islamic mosque, in the full sense of that term, and its sanctity and holy status should be preserved. Aggression against any part of that Mosque constitutes a violation of Islamic sanctities.
157.	The concern of my Government for the consolidation of world peace and security lies behind its full support for the efforts aimed at the declaration of zones of peace and nuclear-free zones in the Middle East, the Indian Ocean, South Asia, Africa and Latin
America. The establishment of those zones would pave the way for the world at large to live in peace and to be secure against these lethal weapons. My Government further supports steps taken towards putting an end to nuclear tests. In this regard, it does not approve of any action that may adversely affect the environment and consequently expose man's health and welfare to danger and disturb world security.
158.	The Declaration of the Indian Ocean as a Zone of Peace [resolution 2832 (XXVI)] should be based upon the fundamental principles of the Charter of the United Nations. Chief among these are, first, that all Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State; secondly, that States shall refrain from intervening' either directly or indirectly, in the domestic affairs of any other State; thirdly, that States shall achieve international co-operation in economic and other fields on the basis of equality, mutual respect and benefit for all.
159.	In this connexion, I regret the statement made by the Foreign Minister of Democratic Yemen [2371st meeting] to the effect that his country supports a bunch of outlaws in the southern part of my country. This constitutes a flagrant interference in our domestic affairs. It is a violation of the principles of international law and the Charter of the United Nations and is absolutely unacceptable to us. I ask Democratic Yemen, which is a neighboring country with which we want nothing but understanding and co-operation, to desist from such interference in the common interest of our two peoples.
160.	In the economic sphere, we are happy to note that the concept of the economic interdependence of sovereign States is an established reality nowadays. This is an indication of a definite and positive change in the political atmosphere as a result of which we are also witnessing a new political will to look seriously and effectively into the problems and obstacles that are hindering the economic and social progress of developing nations.
161.	In this regard, a new formulation of economic relations between industrialized countries, on the one hand, and the developing countries, on the other, with a view to working out a new pattern for those relations based on equity and reciprocal interests has come to. be a highly pressing and important matter, as stipulated in the resolutions of the General Assembly's seventh special session.
162.	Coming now to my country's position with regard to the important issues which urgently require solution, I deem it necessary to refer to the session of the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea, which was held from 17 March to 10 May 1975. It was hoped that the Conference would complete a convention that would govern all matters related to the law of the sea. However, the session came to an end without achieving any significant progress in reconciling the views of Member States. That has rendered conditions even more difficult for the attainment of an over-all agreement on the law of the sea.
163.	In its internal legislation, guided by the principles of international law and the Charter of the United Nations, my country has adhered to the concept
of innocent passage through territorial waters including straits. Our legislation on the right to innocent passage through territorial waters has taken into consideration, in the first place, the interests of international navigation and the need to ensure the continuous and regular movement of shipping, on the one hand, and the protection of its own security and sovereignty, on the other. I wish to affirm here that that legislation is meant first and foremost to serve international navigation itself.
164.	In conclusion, I should like to say that the attention of the whole world is focused on the United Nations as a court of last resort. We have spoken of the positive trend in the political climate and of the birth of a new political will. Needless to say that the primary task before this Assembly, which is meeting in just such a climate is to translate that will into concrete action designed to produce just and reasonable solutions to the problems confronting us all, whether rich or poor, developed or developing.
165.	Throughout history my country has always been an apostle of peace and an advocate of friendship and understanding among peoples. We have always called for understanding and co-operation among countries. Consistent with that record we firmly adhere to and stand by the principles of the United Nations. We have complete faith in its role and its responsibilities.


257.	 The delegation of the Mongolian People's Republic offers its sincere congratulations to the President on his unanimous election to the high post of President of the thirtieth session of the General Assembly, and expresses the hope that under his able guidance the present session will make a fresh contribution to the furthering of the process of the relaxation of international tensions and to the cause of translating into reality the noble ideals of the United Nations.
258.	Permit me also to express on behalf of the Mongolian delegation our gratitude to Mr. Bouteflika, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Algeria, who has brilliantly discharged his duties as President of two sessions of the General Assembly.
259.	I should like also to take this opportunity to welcome the energetic efforts of our Secretary-General, Mr. Kurt Waldheim, to enhance the effectiveness of United Nations activities as well as to promote mutual understanding and co-operation among States.
260.	The present session of the General Assembly is taking place in a year which is of special significance for peoples of the whole world. This year, all progressive mankind has jubilantly celebrated the thirtieth anniversary of the great victory by the peoples and countries of the anti-Hitler coalition over fascism and militarism. This historic victory of global significance has become an illuminating landmark and has had a powerful impact on world history. It is, indeed, this landmark that produced the historic process that led to a cardinal shift in the balance of forces in favor of peace and progress, to a mighty growth of the national liberation movements and to the complete collapse of the colonial system of imperialism.
261.	The lessons drawn from the past war are both instructive and vitally important today. In this light we see the purposes and goals of the United Nations and the enhancement of the role and efficacy of its activities. The idea of creating a world organization that would be based on a firm alliance of peace-loving nations, and that would safeguard world peace and universal security, was born in the flames of great battles fought by freedom-loving peoples against the Fascist enslavers.
262.	The United Nations, the thirtieth anniversary of which we have just celebrated, declared as its prime objective "to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind". Looking back on the three decades that have passed, we can state with confidence that the United Nations, as an important international instrument, has made a considerable contribution to the cause of preserving peace and security.
263.	It is remarkable that the thirtieth anniversary of the ending of the Second World War and the foundation of the United Nations is being commemorated in a new and more favorable international situation.
264.	Thanks to the consistent efforts by the countries of the socialist community and other peace-loving nations, the process of relaxation of international tension is gaining a more and more stable character and the principles of peaceful coexistence are increasingly applied in relations between States with differing social systems. On this basis, a tendency towards a fundamental transformation of international relations and the establishment of a new, just and democratic type of relations among States, as well as towards a new international economic order is gaining new strength.
265.	In the opinion of my delegation all this testifies to the gradual ripening of the objective prerequisites for a transformation of the whole system of international relations in such a manner as would reliably guarantee the independence and territorial integrity of all nations, and peaceful relations, equal and mutually beneficial co-operation among all States, large and small.
266.	The development of relations between the Soviet Union and the United States favorably influences the cause of furthering and deepening the process of relaxation of international tension. The periodic Soviet-American summit meetings and their fruitful and concrete results signify an important turning-point in further improvement of relations between the Soviet Union and the United States, and represent a tangible contribution to the cause of preventing a world war and preserving peace and international security.
267.	The process of relaxation of tension has found its most visible manifestation in Europe. The fruitful outcome of the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe marks the beginning of a new era in the process of detente, which has become the basic and prevailing trend in the political development of the world today. The Final Act, signed at the Conference at Helsinki, is a historic document of broad international significance. The Mongolian People's Republic assesses the results of the Conference as a great victory for all those who persistently stand for the consolidation of peace and international security, as a new convincing proof of the successful achievement of the program of peace set forth by the Soviet Union.
268.	The experience of the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe testifies to the fact that, with scrupulous and persistent efforts by nations, it is possible to find a common approach for, and mutually acceptable solutions to, even the most intricate and difficult problems. We entertain the hope that this positive experience of Europe will serve as a stimulus for the solution of similar problems in other continents.
269.	The greatest event of the year is the historic victory of the peoples of Viet Nam and Cambodia, which has demonstrated the collapse of the imperialist policy of aggression and support for the anti- popular regimes in the countries of Indo-China.
270.	The victory of the national liberation movements of the peoples of Viet Nam, Cambodia and Laos has put an end to a dangerous hotbed of tension in South-East Asia, has substantially changed the balance of power in this region in favor of peace- loving and progressive forces, and has also facilitated the over-all improvement of the international atmosphere.
271.	The Mongolian People's Republic, which has firmly sided with the courageous Vietnamese people in all stages of their heroic struggle, lends its full support to the application of the Democratic Republic of Viet Nam and the Republic of South Viet Nam for admission to the United Nations, considering
. that they have earned an inalienable right to be Members of our Organization as a result of their long and just struggle for peace, freedom and independence.
272.	The improvement of the international situation and the historic victory of the peoples of Indo-China provide favorable prospects for the consolidation of peace in Asia, which as a consequence of the policy of imperialist aggression in the post-war years has more than once become an arena of local warfare that threatened to grow into general conflict. The interests of the peoples of Asia and the cause of universal security demand that durable peace be established on this vast and most populous continent. To achieve this, it is necessary, first of all, to do away with all the areas of tension still existing in Asia.
273.	It is obvious that, without at least diminishing and removing the threat of wars, eliminating the hotbeds of conflict and creating a reliable system of security for all States, it is impossible successfully to solve the problems, common to many of the Asian countries, of overcoming the economic, scientific and technological lag and of ensuring speedy progress.
274.	My delegation considers that under these circumstances the creation of a system of collective security in Asia has become an urgent task of the day.
275.	The historic African-Asian Conference, held at Bandung in 1955, spoke out as far back as 20 years ago, for the transformation of Asia into a continent of peace and co-operation. The well-known principles of Bandung, together with other fundamental ideas and principles, could serve as a basis for peaceful interrelations among Asian States irrespective of differences in their social order.
276.	While standing for the strengthening of peace in Asia, we by no means ignore the complexity of existing problems on the continent and the difficulties in the way of creating a system of collective security that are caused by reasons of an objective and subjective nature.
277.	We are fully aware that it took almost a quarter of a century for the European nations to reach an agreement on questions of security and co-operation. And there is no doubt that in Asia, too, a certain time will be required to find a practical solution to this vitally important problem. But it is exactly the experience of Europe that persuades all of us that, only by persistent and consistent efforts by all States on the continent without exception is it possible to achieve those successes that have been obtained by the European nations in strengthening peace and security, mutual understanding and co-operation.
278.	The actions of those who attempt to deny the international significance of the European experience reveal them as ardent opponents of detente, striving to vitiate the efforts of peoples aimed at creating a stable basis for peace and international security, openly hamper the implementation of the idea of collective security in Asia, frustrate the emergence of constructive measures towards the limitation of the arms race and towards disarmament, in order to achieve their great Power aims of hegemony and expansionism joining with the most reactionary forces of imperialism.
279.	We are convinced that collective efforts aimed at the creation of a system guaranteeing the security of Asian States will yield results. In this connexion I should like to stress the importance of overcoming the spirit of disunity and distrust cultivated for centuries by colonizers and reactionaries in Asia. Therefore the normalization and development of bilateral and multilateral contacts among Asian States at all levels, as well as of a broad exchange of views on substantial problems for all of us, acquire greater significance.
280.	The Mongolian People's Republic supports the expansion and deepening of such contacts in the search for ways and means of ensuring Asian security on a collective basis, with the participation of all States of the continent.
281.	We consider that the United Nations, as a global organization for collective security, must make a worthy contribution to the cause of ensuring a durable peace in Asia.
282.	The Mongolian delegation cannot fail to express its concern over the continuing explosive situation in the Middle East, which threatens peace and security not only in Asia but all over the world.
283.	The Mongolian People's Republic considers that only the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from all the Arab territories occupied in 1967, the safeguarding of the legitimate national rights of the Arab people of Palestine and the creation of conditions for ensuring the security of all States of the region will pave the way for a just solution of the Middle East problem. In our opinion, to find a solution to the whole complex of Middle East problems it will be necessary to reconvene, at an appropriate time, the Geneva Peace Conference in which the representatives of the PLO should participate on an equal footing with the other participants.
284.	We consider that the resolutions of the twenty- ninth session of the General Assembly, which supported the legitimate rights of the Arab people of Palestine and recognized the international status of the PLO, are of positive significance for rendering justice to the Arab people of Palestine.
285.	The positive settlement of the problems related to Korea occupies an important place in the strengthening of peace and security on the Asian continent. The peaceful reunification of Korea on a democratic basis, in full accord with the national aspirations of the Korean people, can be achieved only provided that the United States troops stationed in South Korea are withdrawn. Proceeding from that principle, the Mongolian delegation supports the adoption of the draft resolution on the creation of favorable conditions for converting the armistice into a durable peace in Korea and accelerating the independent and peaceful reunification of Korea [AI10I9I and Add.1-3].
286.	The situation in Cyprus remains unsettled. We believe that the problem of Cyprus should be solved in conformity with the well-known resolutions of the Security Council, without outside interference and on the basis of full respect for the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of the Republic of Cyprus.
287.	We consider that the process of relaxation of tensions will be set on the most solid foundation if further concrete and effective measures are taken to limit the arms race and to further disarmament. The continuing arms race is not only incompatible with the spirit and aims of the process of detente but it profoundly contradicts the interests of strengthening peace and security. Detente and disarmament are inseparable components of the machinery for strengthening peace and international security.
288.	It is necessary to note that positive changes in the world facilitate the adoption of co-ordinated measures to limit and check the arms race in order to pave the way for the solution of the most crucial problem facing mankind: general and complete disarmament.
289.	Due to the constructive efforts of the socialist countries and many other peace-loving States which ( have actively put forward concrete proposals, negotiations on disarmament problems today have a more tangible and practical content.
290.	My delegation notes with satisfaction that in recent years negotiations on disarmament have been notably intensified, both within the framework of the bodies already in existence and through new conferences and negotiations.
291.	One of the most important tasks in the struggle for disarmament remains the strengthening and ensuring in every possible way of the universality of international treaties and agreements now in force in the field of disarmament, in particular the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. We should actively seek the strengthening of those treaties through universal adherence to and strict implementation of all their provisions. In this connexion we emphasize the positive significance of the Final Declaration of the Geneva Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. The participants in the Conference reaffirmed their firm support for the Treaty, their unfailing devotion to its principles and objectives and their commitment to implement, completely and more effectively, its provisions. It is important to note that in the Final Declaration adopted by the Conference [AIC.111068, annex /] there is a clear definition of the role that the Treaty has been called upon to play in international efforts aimed at preventing the further spread of nuclear weapons, halting the nuclear arms race, taking effective measures for nuclear disarmament and broader co-operation in the field of the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.
292.	The Mongolian People's Republic supports the establishment of nuclear-free zones in different parts of the world. We approach the problem of the establishment of such zones primarily from its close connexion with the provisions of the Treaty on the Non- Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
293.	The complete prohibition of nuclear tests has become a problem of great urgency and extreme importance. We consider that the complete cessation of nuclear-weapon tests in all environments, including underground tests, would greatly promote the achievement of the objective of nuclear disarmament; hence the delegation of the Mongolian People's Republic warmly welcomes and endorses the new initiative of the Soviet Union for the conclusion of a treaty on the complete and general prohibition of nuclear weapon tests.
294.	At present the progress of contemporary science and technology has reached such a level that these achievements could be used for purposes of development and manufacture of new types of weapons of mass destruction. In this connexion we fully support the proposal of the Soviet Union for the conclusion of an agreement on the prohibition of the development and manufacture of new types and systems of weapons of mass destruction and consider that proposal timely and urgent. To reach an understanding on concluding such an international instrument would represent a constructive contribution to the cause of
, curbing the arms race and promoting the supplementing of political detente with military detente.
295.	The delegation of the Mongolian People's Republic places particular importance on the identical drafts of a convention on the prohibition of military or any other hostile use of environmental modification techniques, which were submitted on 21 August by the Soviet Union and the United States in the Disarmament Committee [A110027, annex II, sects. 24 and 25], We consider that these drafts, being a concrete manifestation of effective co-operation between two great Powers, are also an important practical step towards the restriction of the arms race.
296.	We believe that the participation of all countries of the world, in the first place of all the nuclear Powers and States with considerable military potential, in the efforts to curb the arms race, is a necessary precondition for elaborating effective and radical measures in the field of disarmament.
297.	The Government of the Mongolian People's Republic actively supports the idea of convening a world disarmament conference. It stands for immediate practical preparation of the conference, which in our opinion should add a considerable impetus for bringing together and intensifying the efforts of all States in seeking new ways and means to solve various disarmament issues.
298.	The implementation of the resolution of the twenty-eighth session of the General Assembly on reduction of the military budgets of States permanent members of the Security Council by 10 per cent and the utilization of part of the funds thus saved to provide assistance to developing countries [resolution 3093 (XXVlll)], could serve the aims of further normalization of the international situation.
299.	Since the last session of the General Assembly many important events have taken place in the field of decolonization.
300.	My delegation welcomes the birth of new independent States—Mozambique, Cape Verde, Sao Tome and Principe and congratulates the representatives of those States on their admission to the United Nations. We consider that, with the final completion of the process of decolonization, one of the dangerous hotbeds of tension in international relations would be removed.
301.	It should be pointed out that in southern Africa there still exist strongholds of racism, where the indigenous population lives under the regime of apartheid, which has been resolutely condemned by the United Nations as a crime against mankind,
302.	The Mongolian People's Republic is for the full implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, the fifteenth anniversary of which is being commemorated today, as well as for a strict implementation of resolutions and conventions on decolonization and elimination of racial discrimination.
303.	We submit that the programme'Of action and concrete recommendation elaborated by many authoritative forums of Africa and non-aligned countries, and by the World Congress of Peace Forces held in Moscow, are of particular importance for the cause of complete decolonization and elimination of racial discrimination.
304.	Brutal repressions carried out by the Fascist junta in Chile against Chilean patriots and democratic and progressive forces in that country continue to evoke deep indignation and protest on the part of world public opinion. The Mongolian People's Republic resolutely condemns the gross violations of human rights and democratic freedoms in Chile. We demand that the Chilean junta stop its bloody repressions and immediately release Senator Luis Corvalan and other patriots of Chile.
305.	Detente creates favorable conditions for the development of mutually beneficial economic co-operation among States with different social systems. In turn, the development of just and mutually advantageous international economic relations constitutes a reliable material basis for further normalization of the international climate and for promoting an atmosphere of mutual trust among nations.
306.	In the final documents of the sixth and seventh special sessions, and the resolutions of the twenty- ninth session of the General Assembly, the close correlation between political and economic issues has been clearly formulated.
307.	The deterioration of the economic conditions of the developing countries as an immediate consequence of the discriminatory economic and trade policies of the imperialist Powers makes urgent the task of restructuring international economic relations in accordance with the requirements of developing truly equal and mutually advantageous co-operation among States.
308.	In this connexion my delegation supports the consistent implementation of the fundamental principles of the Declaration on the Establishment of a New International Economic Order, and the Charter of Economic Rights and Duties of States, which will be in keeping with the interests of all States, the developing countries above all.
309.	As is known, the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea still continues its deliberations. The Mongolian People's Republic being a land-locked country, has a special interest in a just solution to problems related to fuller realization of the essential rights of land-locked countries to free access to the sea and to the international sea-bed zones. At the same time the interests of both coastal and land-locked States should equally be taken into consideration.
310.	The positive role played by the United Nations in preventing a world war, its valuable contribution to the strengthening of international peace and security, have proved to be the major achievement of its 30 years of activity. This testifies once again to the vitality of the Charter of the United Nations that has stood the test of time. At present the Charter, in its existing form, continues to meet the requirements of the day and to serve the cause of universal peace and international security, in particular the needs of further promoting the process of detente. It also contributes to strengthening friendly relations and the development of mutually beneficial co-operation among States.
311.	The Government of the Mongolian People's Republic is of the opinion that under present circumstances the main objective of the States Members of the United Nations should be strict fulfillment of their obligations under the Charter. The Mongolian People's Republic will continue to exert its efforts towards further strengthening the role and effectiveness of the United Nations on the basis of strict observance of its Charter, and towards broader utilization of the vast potential embodied in the Charter.
312.	The relaxation of international tensions further enhances the prestige and role of the United Nations and assigns it new responsible tasks of developing and consolidating all the positive trends in the world, and of making them durable and irreversible.
313.	It is the hope of the Mongolian delegation that constructive and fruitful co-operation of the States Members of the United Nations, the realization of the provisions of the United Nations Charter, and due implementation of many positive decisions by the General Assembly, will still further strengthen the effectiveness of the United Nations and its authority in international affairs in the best interests of all peoples of the world.


1.	 I hope 1 am not too much mistaken if I say that it has been a matter of conscience in order, as it were, to justify the trip to New York that in previous years the representatives of countries of the size of ours have stood up to speak time and again at every session, to remind the world or if not the world which perhaps thought it could do without their opinions  at least all men of good will and peace-loving men of the interest they also and perhaps especially they  feel in the arrangement and the harmonious ordering of the affairs of our planet.
2.	For some time now much if not everything has been changing. Thus neither military power nor geographical size is any longer the sign or synonym of wisdom and reason.
3.	It is without doubt to this positive change in our outlook that we owe the joy and pleasure of congratulating the Prime Minister of Luxembourg on his unanimous election to the presidency of the thirtieth session of the General Assembly. His outstanding intellectual and moral qualities and his great competence which have made of him a remarkable statesman in Luxembourg and in Europe, a country and a continent with which Burundi enjoys the very best relations, as he is aware, are also guarantees to us of the success of the work of our Assembly under his courteous but firm direction.
4.	On behalf of my country and delegation I should like to pay a well deserved tribute to your predecessor, Mr. Abdelaziz Bouteflika, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, who has just successfully concluded the work of the seventh special session of the General Assembly
and brought the proceedings of the twenty-ninth regular session to a fine conclusion. Our Organization will long remember the decisive victories that were won thanks to the determination of that worthy son of Africa.
5.	I should be failing in my duty if I did not immediately discharge the agreeable task of conveying to the Secretary-General the sincere greetings that the Head of State of Burundi, Lieutenant-General Michel Micombero, addresses to him on behalf of the people of Burundi organized within their Parti de l'unite pour le progres national, on behalf of his Government and on his own behalf, just as he wishes to congratulate all the seen and unseen, known and unknown, members of the staff on their tireless efforts in the service of international peace and security.
6.	On 16 September 1975 three new States solemnly joined the great family of the United Nations, thus bringing the number of Member States to 141. My delegation is pleased to see seated as free and independent nations the new African States of Mozambique, Cape Verde, and Sao Tome and Principe. The efforts of the freedom-fighters of those countries, to the great satisfaction of the peoples that supported them in their long liberation struggle for self-determination and independence, have yielded the fruits we had every reason to expect of them. Let us hope that our brothers and sisters in those countries will accept our sincere congratulations and our welcome among us. We are convinced that their experience will be of great benefit to the world Organization.
7.	On 24 October 1975 we will celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of the United Nations. It has accordingly entered a new and decisive phase of its evolution. The recklessness of childhood and the irrational selfishness of young adolescence are over and must now give way to the responsibility of the maturity that is beginning to seep into our Organization.
8.	The end of the third United Nations decade coincides with the end of the era of blind power domination, colonialism and the most outrageous imperialism, a time when the exploitation and plundering of the world by the strong was organized on a grand scale in the name of either liberty or socialism, or simply democracy. That era, which is coming to an end, has seen the slow maturing and arduous birth of the third world, which has come to occupy its place among the strong, a right it enjoys by virtue of the fact that it includes two thirds of mankind on its territory and vast resources under it over which it intends henceforth to exercise full sovereignty.
9.	In our view, then, that is the political basis for the new international economic order which repeatedly and in different places has been tirelessly called for by the third world.
10.	An attempt has been made to look for aggressiveness in what is simple logic, merely because this offends old habits, particularly that of seeing and accepting as normal the fact that the third world should thank Europe or North America for granting it an infinitesimal share of the profits they are earning from the exploitation of its raw materials.
11.	That aggressiveness was also discerned in the solemn declaration on general policy unanimously adopted by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the Organization of African Unity [OA U] at its tenth ordinary session no doubt because the African countries have decided to remain united and to strengthen their vigilance in the face of the maneuvers of imperialism.
12.	That aggressiveness has also been discerned in the conclusions of the Conference of Ministers for Foreign Affairs of Non-Aligned Countries, held at Lima from 25 to 30 August, which solemnly proclaimed the rejection of all forms of subordination or dependence and all interference or pressure political, economic or military. It is true that the economic declaration adopted at that Conference accused imperialism of having monopolized international economic affairs by monetary, tariff and trade methods.
13.	It would be tiresome to enumerate the occasions when the poor have been accused of aggressiveness because they have dared boldly to claim their rights, of which they had long been deprived.
14.	Let us merely recall that last year, at the sixth special session of the General Assembly, an attempt was made to put into operation machinery which would do away once and for all with the era of unequal relations among nations. At that time we drew up a Declaration and a Program of Action on the Establishment of a New International Economic Order [resolutions 3201 (S-Vl) and 3202 (S-V1)\, an order which would be based on justice, thanks to which and within which co-operation among all States would very shortly at least that was our hope bridge the vast gulf dividing the developed and the developing countries.
15.	On 12 December 1974 the General Assembly reflected precisely that by adopting the Charter of Economic Rights and Duties of States [resolution 3281 (XXIX)]. I would remind Members that 120 countries voted in favor of that resolution and only six countries voted against it. It is also worth recalling that in the preamble to that resolution the Assembly stressed the fact that that Charter would be an effective instrument for the establishment of a new system of international economic relations based on equity, sovereign equality and the interdependence of the interests of developed and developing countries.
16.	Suffice it for me to refer briefly to the Conference of Developing Countries on Raw Materials which, in February last, at Dakar, highlighted the special problems confronting our countries in this field, and to recall similarly the Lima Conference which was, for the non-aligned countries, an excellent preparatory meeting for the seventh special session and the present session.
17.	Although very encouraging and even, in certain respects, an agreeable surprise, the results of the seventh special session did not entirely satisfy our
appetite. We had hoped that at that session concrete measures would be taken to bridge rapidly, if not immediately, the still sadly large gap between our just claims and the substance of the resolution adopted at the seventh special session [resolution 3362 (S-VII)],
18.	Certainly the unjust bases of the present economic system are beginning to collapse under the just and constant pressure exerted by the developing countries with an occasional helping hand from Europe which has now decided to make friends and equal partners of its former subjects.
19.	However, the just and equitable distribution of prosperity is not something that is going to happen tomorrow, if only because some of those who benefit from the system still consider sharing and equality as catastrophes from which they must protect themselves at all costs.
20.	My delegation would like to suggest to those Powers which still favor the absurd situation produced by the old economic order to consider how great would be the advantage to them of anticipating events by fostering the debut of a new era in international economic relations, a debut that is in any case inevitable, In so doing, my delegation is not unaware of the narrowing of differences which occurred at the seventh special session. We simply wish, while expressing our pleasure at the fact that all States have chosen consultation and rejected confrontation, to express the hope, without undue optimism, that the time for recriminations and threats has passed for ever.
21.	The confrontation of former days, objectively speaking, acted as a powerful brake on the execution of development Programs which many people hoped would become the essential activity of the United Nations together, of course, with its major role as an instrument for the maintenance of international peace and security.
22.	My delegation and my country fervently hope that the practice of consultation will now make it possible for our Organization to transform itself in such a way as to become the ideal instrument of development and the regulator par excellence of co-operation.
23.	My country, because of its size, is among the smallest States in the world; it is buried within the interior of the African continent, where the density of its population 130 inhabitants per square kilometer  and its galloping population growth 2.3 per cent per year are making its present situation among the 25 poorest countries on earth particularly difficult. Thus we fully appreciate the great value of the development Program undertaken in Burundi in various fields by the United Nations and its specialized agencies.
24.	The President of the Republic of Burundi, Lieutenant-General Micombero, misses no opportunity to convey his gratitude and his satisfaction to the Secretary-General and to the directors-general and other leaders of the specialized agencies of the United Nations to whom and this is something which he has always made a point of saying and which I should like to remind you of here he has said that neither the current unfavorable situation nor the scope of the co-operation Program can ever justify our country's being drawn into any kind of shameful compromise.
25.	Since the interests of our people do not damage those of others, they are our only guide in our options and preferences.
26.	It is in this spirit that we shall approach the next phase of our already fruitful co-operation. We feel, in particular, that everything possible must be done to make integrated development action entirely effective and to strengthen it within the framework of the new more favorable arrangements for the poorest countries. Thus we would like to draw your attention to two human aspects of co-operation, since the failure to take these aspects fully into account has been at the bottom of so many failures and unfortunate misunderstandings.
27.	The first of these aspects is that, contrary to the current practice in certain organizations, experts should be assigned to national authorities as collaborators and not as judges of efforts, however groping they may be, by the Governments of States, which we never tire of emphasizing are sovereign.
28.	The second aspect is that the realistic action of experts in the field should never be overlooked, or systematically challenged, nor above all opposed without serious grounds by headquarters officials motivated sometimes by interests incompatible with those of the States concerned, which are primarily responsible for projects. My delegation, when the time comes, will explain the practical situations to which it wishes to refer here.
29.	The seventh special session laid particular stress on special measures to be contemplated for relieving, if not actually satisfying, all the needs of land-locked countries. It has thus been established that these countries, particularly when they have the sad privilege of being among the poorest of the "have-nots", can really make no progress in development unless special measures can be taken in their favor. It seems to me superfluous to remind the Assembly of our constant proposal that guarantees should be given to landlocked countries of free access to the sea. My delegation would simply like to confine itself here to expressing its gratitude to the Secretary-General, who was good enough to propose the creation of a special fund to finance the supplementary transport costs which have to be borne by developing countries with no access to the sea.
30.	Our central position on the spine of Africa, where we have today the good fortune to be surrounded only by brothers and friends, has convinced us that safeguard measures will never be watertight and that the new economic order will be illusory unless they are both based on total co-operation and understanding among neighbors, which would form nuclei around which and on the basis of which bigger groupings would be constructed.
31.	That is the view of my Government, expressed in these terms by Lieutenant-General Micombero, President of the Republic of Burundi:
"My country is convinced that the establishment of this new international economic order will be brought about all the more rapidly if the victims of the injustices of the present order become more aware of the need for it and do everything in their power to accelerate its establishment. We, for our part, include among these means the establishment,
as soon as possible, of a concrete Program, appropriate machinery and practical instruments for co-operation among all the poor relations of the present economic order, beginning with those whose interests are naturally linked."
That is why we are happy to have launched, along with the sister-Republics of Zaire and Rwanda, the idea and project of an economic community of the great lake countries, which will shortly go into operation and which will be joined, we very much hope, by our friends, which, like us, have borders on the same great African lakes.
32.	The delegation of my country to the seventh special session also indicated our interest in the building of various communications between Burundi and its natural partners in East Africa.
33.	Beyond this Program of co-operation, which we call local and which we view as being extremely important, my delegation is a fervent supporter of the need for the fullest possible inter-African co-operation; that is the only co-operation, in our view, which would enable our continent to become a serious and credible partner at the very many tables at which countries meet to negotiate and at which its presence is becoming ever more in demand.
34.	Whether it is the embryonic Afro-Arab cooperation or the renewal, rather further away, of the Lome Convention, my delegation believes that Africa has everything to gain by presenting itself at negotiations after having established, at least at the regional level, an internal co-operation Program.
35.	Permit me now to turn to some political subjects, some of which have become traditional, in order to give the views of my delegation and my country on each of them, before concluding on the necessary revision of the Charter of our Organization.
36.	While, for two thirds of mankind the major item on the agenda is above all development, for others it is disarmament. We are told inter alia that nuclear tests should be ended, that the manufacture of intercontinental missiles should be reduced and that it should be agreed that at least no indiscriminate use should be made of a whole arsenal of toys, each more deadly than the other, but which people still do not want to give up.
37.	My delegation deplores, and with good reason, the fact that so many billions are spent on the manufacture of deadly weapons, while at the same time millions of men and women are dying I was simply going to say of hunger.
38.	We are therefore in favor of disarmament, provided that it is general and complete. But for it to be general and complete, we must not only prevent the manufacture of new weapons, but decide upon and actually destroy existing stockpiles. Until general and complete disarmament is brought about and we believe that at present that is not feasible we think that every State has the right and even the duty to acquire the necessary means for its defence.
39.	Among the Powers which boast so loudly about disarmament, some are distributing freely whole shiploads of arms to the Angolan liberation movements. In Burundi we are following with special
attention the development of the situation in the Territory.
40.	We firmly support, just as we congratulate, all those who have exerted and continue to exert their influence and talents in an attempt to break the bloody deadlock of the Angolan problem. That was what Lieutenant-General Michel Micombero, President of my country, tried to do when, at the beginning of August, he issued the following urgent appeal to the movements and those who support them in their undertaking:
"The alarming problem of Angola, which is causing us the gravest concern, could easily be solved if all the liberation movements would listen to reason and agree to use the good offices ceaselessly offered to them by Africa.
"We have to note and denounce here the fact that our failure in that country also derives from the enemies of Africa who are arousing on all sides the appetite for power and are trying to persuade their antagonistic proteges that victory will come to them through force of arms. We would like urgently to appeal to those supplying arms for this fratricidal struggle in Angola to cease their deliveries. There have already been too many innocent victims."
41.	We continue to hope that on 11 November next, the day scheduled for the independence of their country, our brothers will become free and sovereign once again in an Angola which will be united and, we hope, prosperous.
42.	The southern part of the African continent remains subject to Governments whose philosophy is repugnant to the human conscience.
43.	In Zimbabwe, the rebel Ian Smith continues to reject the principle of government by the black majority.
44.	The Pretoria authorities, whose philosophy of government is based on apartheid and racism, continue to flout the international community by illegally administering the Territory of Namibia, which is the responsibility of the United Nations.
45.	My country continues to believe that if the United Nations were to demand it in the final analysis this means if the great Powers so wished the Organization could compel South Africa to hand over to it the administration of Namibia.
46.	Our position on all the other questions relating to southern Africa is identical with that of the OAU. Burundi will never agree to deal with Pretoria or with the Salisbury rebels until they recognize unambiguously the principle of government by the black majority and until they actually and clearly renounce their theory and policy of apartheid and racial discrimination.
47.	Burundi's position is also identical with that of the OAU on the problem of the liberation of the peoples of Western Sahara and so-called French Somali Coast. Our brothers can be sure of our unswerving support for them in their struggle for self-determination.
48.	In the Middle East the Arab Republic of Egypt and the State of Israel, with the assistance of the
Secretary of State of the United States, have just concluded a new disengagement agreement in Sinai My country would like to congratulate the Egyptian and Israeli authorities, as well as Mr. Kissinger, on the step that has thus been taken towards peace.'
49.	In spite of that agreement, tension which could explode at any moment will remain until a final and complete solution has been found. Israel's refusal to restore Arab territories which it has been occupying by force and to recognize the national rights of the people of Palestine is based only on its arrogance since the Arab countries no longer challenge its right to exist within secure and recognized frontiers.
50.	It is for that reason that in that conflict the Republic of Burundi supports the just positions of fraternal Arab countries, in particular those just and peaceful positions of the Arab Republic of Egypt. The Republic of Burundi believes that the efforts now under way to defuse the situation in that part of the world should be encouraged and supported by all Members of the United Nations, and that those efforts should be accelerated and extended to all zones of conflict.
51.	Almost 30 years ago the United Nations was confronted for the first time with the Korean problem. The development of the situation in Korea is closely linked with the history of the United Nations. The responsibilities of our Organization are immense in this problem. It was in particular because of the cold war that Korea was divided in order to meet certain strategic needs in Asia. In May 1972 the President of North Korea, Kim U Sung, formulated the three principles of independence, peaceful reunification of the country and greater national unity. In July of the same year the authorities of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and those of South Korea signed an agreement on the three principles of the independent and peaceful reunification of their country. In 1973 the General Assembly confirmed that agreement. However, Korea remains a country divided against the will of its people. That is why my delegation believes that the question of Korea should be settled by the Korean people themselves, without any outside interference.
52.	The draft resolution annexed to document A/10191 and Add. 1-3, of which Burundi is a sponsor, calls for the dissolution of the United Nations Command, the withdrawal from South Korea of all foreign armed forces stationed there under the United Nations flag, and the replacement of the Armistice Agreement by a peace agreement concluded between the parties actually concerned in the Armistice Agreement in Korea. My delegation hopes that at this session the General Assembly will finally adopt that draft resolution.
53.	Among the important events of this year, it is fitting to mention the heroic victory of the peoples of Indo-China. The collapse of the imperialist forces in Indo-China confirms the invincibility of a people determined to remain free and independent. On behalf of my delegation, I should like to pay the warmest tribute to those peoples, who are such a credit to us today.
54.	The Republic of Burundi, which had always recognized the Provisional Revolutionary Government of Cambodia, welcomes with the greatest joy the
authentic representatives of the Cambodian people to this Assembly. After five years of fierce struggle, they have returned to their seats among us.
55.	The satisfaction of my delegation would have been even greater if we had not had occasion to deplore the veto cast by the United States against the admission of the two Viet Nams to the United Nations. My delegation deems untenable the comparison made between the applications for admission of the two Vietnamese Republics and the problem of Korea, a country which, in the view of the United Nations, remains divided against the will of its people, who aspire to its peaceful and independent reunification.
56.	My delegation would express the hope that the United States will no longer resort to the veto to oppose the admission of States that quite obviously fulfill all the requirements of the Charter.
57.	In the three decades of its existence, the United Nations has undergone a radical transformation. Quite clearly, the Organization is entering a new, historic phase which could certainly not have been foreseen at the time of its foundation. Consequently, its Charter should be subject to appropriate review so that the necessary changes can be made to it.
58.	That is why we feel that we should continue to consider the matter of a review of the Charter of the United Nations. My delegation believes that important amendments in this regard should relate to extension of the powers of the General Assembly and, above all, a redistribution of the powers of the Security Council.
59.	On the question of the right of veto, my country can only wonder whether the United Nations is composed of five States and more than a hundred other State-like entities, or whether our Organization is made up of 141 equally sovereign States.
60.	It remains quite clear to us that a country with a great population, exercising sovereignty over vast territory and similarly extensive resources, naturally has and logically and juridically, therefore, must have more weight than others which, being smaller, exercise their functions and sovereignty, just as large families do, over smaller areas.
61.	However, we believe that the right to defy all others cannot be justly exercised unless it is a matter of safeguarding the interest of groupings larger than national communities.
62.	Hence in the absence of the pure and simple renunciation of the right of veto by those who enjoy it today, my Government would hope that this right will henceforth be distributed on a more equitable geographical basis and that, instead of being the exclusive possession of a few States, will become the prerogative of the various continental organizations.
63.	I had hoped to conclude this statement on a cheerful note which, I thought, might be inspired by the highly topical subject of International Women s Year.
64	Unfortunately, however, this Year has not been so encouraging as to allow us to forget the poverty and privation which is the daily lot of far too many people in the world.
65	We in Burundi therefore feel that when less than 25'per cent of the world's school-age children have
had any schooling, and when for every 100,000 persons there are only one doctor and less than five hospital beds available to them and I shall not prolong this list; there would be no point in doing so  there is something wrong with counting heads among those who are privileged, because this would inevitably lead to establishing statistics about those, far too numerous, whom fortune has obstinately forgotten. What is to be gained, indeed, in finding out that there are more women than men, or vice versa, among those who can do nothing to ease their poverty?
66.	In the circumstances, the International Women's Year has been designed and organized in my country to open the eyes of the women of Burundi to the difficult situation of all, and to the particular responsibilities of women to improve the situation, rather than to make them more aware of the futile or inevitable problems of their sex.
67.	With this conviction and with this realism, the women of Burundi have taken part in all international meetings organized within the framework of this Year dedicated to women, of whom Patrice Lumumba once said that in training women we are training a whole generation. We hope this can be done without detracting from their charm and beauty.