Maldives, 1969

34. Madam President, slow me

to extend the very warm congratulations of the Maldivian

delegation to you on your election as the President of the

twenty-fourth session of the General Assembly. Your

election to that high office is the expression of confidence

the Member States of the United Nations have in your

indisputably high qualifications to guide us in the work of

this session; it is an indication of the respect the Members

of this Organization have for your country; it is also an

expression of their recognition of the important role that

Africa plays in the leadership of the world of today.

35. I now have the sad duty of recalling the memorable

services rendered so skillfully to the General Assembly by

the late President of the twenty-third session. It is with

deep regret that the Maldivian delegation pays its respects

to the memory of His Excellency Mr. Emilio Arenales,

whose passing away was a great loss to his country as well

as to the United Nations; for we have lost a great statesman

of rare charm.

36. This is an appropriate occasion to record, once again,

our admiration for the distinguished Secretary-General of

this Organization and his dedicated services in the cause of

world peace. Let me convey to him the warm support of

the Maldivian Government and the people of my country

for every step that he takes towards that goal.

37. I should also like to extend our congratulations to the

Vice-Presidents and to assure them of the fullest co-operation

of the Maldivian delegation in the conduct of the

difficult task ahead of them.

38. The twenty-fourth session of the General Assembly is

being held in a year which has brought glimpses of hope in

certain areas. It also led us to the brink of a full-scale war in

another part of the world. It has been a year of outstanding

success for mankind in outer space, while the rates of

growth in income and over-all development on this planet

itself have fallen short of their target. Reason and understanding

seem to be developing among some important

countries, while in some other parts of the world incidents

leading to conflicts between neighbours have resulted in the

loss of many lives and disturbed the peace of the respective

regions. This, then, is the year we are assessing.

39. In my statement to the twenty-third session I stated

that the situation in the Middle East should not “be

permitted to worsen any further” [1701st meeting,

para. 7]. To the disturbed concern of everyone, it has

deteriorated during the past months to the extent that the

Secretary-General has had to warn that “a virtual state of

War exists”, and again that “open warfare has been

resumed” twice during the last six months. In the introduction

to his annual report, the Secretary-General further

states that “war actually is being waged throughout the

area, Short only of battles between large bodies of troops”.

[A/7601/Add.1, para. 62.]

40. Aside from the political aspects of the question, we

were shocked and deeply grieved by the recent incident in

Jerusalem, when the Al Aqsa Mosque was heavily damaged

by arson. We joined with the rest of the Moslem world in

calling for an impartial investigation into the incident and

for measures to prevent recurrence of such actions in the

holy places in Jerusalem. We continue to believe that a

permanent solution to the entire question of the Middle

East could be found on the basis of the Security Council

resolution of 22 November 1967 [242 (1967)]. We reaffirm

our support for all aspects of that resolution.

41. The Maldivian Government has been observing with

keen interest the “Big Four“ consultations and the bilateral

talks between the United States and the Soviet Union in

their efforts to assist Ambassador Jarring in his mission. We

appeal to the Governments of all countries of the region to

take note of the Secretary-General’s observation that “there

is more than one procedural route to peace”

[A/[7601/Add.1, para. 67] and co-operate with every move

towards establishing a just and lasting peace in the Middle

East. Too much suffering has been experienced by millions

of innocent people in the area. Too many have sacrificed

themselves to the causes they held sacred.

42. In Viet-Nam, signs of peace seem to have appeared on

the horizon. Although the peace talks in Paris have not

shown progress, there appears to be a certain amount of

willingness on the part of all concerned to halt the fighting

and work out an acceptable peace formula in that much

embattled country. My Government remains convinced that

the people of Viet-Nam should finally be permitted to

choose their own future under an acceptable method of

international supervision and free from any foreign pressure

or force. During the twenty-third session of the General

Assembly my delegation ventured to suggest that such

supervision could be either by a United Nations commission

or by a special representative of the Secretary-General.

43. If there seems to be a ray of hope in South-East Asia,

the picture in Africa is not so rosy. The illegal regime in

Southern Rhodesia has tightened its hold on the indigenous

population of that unfortunate country. The abhorrent

policy of apartheid in South Africa continues, despite the

innumerable resolutions of this Assembly. The Maldivian

Government deplores the attitude of those authorities. We

are equally concerned over the situation in Namibia,

Angola, Mozambique and Guinea (Bissau). It is time for the

governing authorities of those Territories to realize that

their inhuman practices must stop forthwith. It is time that

racial discrimination and religious intolerance were uprooted

wherever they exist.

44. Once again we find the question of the representation

of China in the United Nations on our agenda. The

Maldivian Government’s stand on that issue was outlined in

my statement in the general debate last year [1701st

meeting]. Our position remains the same: while we cannot

support any move to expel the Republic of China, we

believe it is time to work for an acceptable and practical

method to grant membership in this Organization to the

People’s Republic of China, if that is its desire and the wish

of the majority of the Member States of this body.

45. This year has witnessed one of the most memorable

achievements in the long-history of mankind. Men from

earth have conquered the space between this planet and the

moon and, for the first time, set foot on the surface of the

moon. This is an unparalleled achievement, for which the

United States of America and its brave astronauts and

brilliant scientists are to be congratulated. Supported by

the knowledge and experience of their many past colleagues

in the field, particularly those of the Soviet Union and the

United States, the feat accomplished by the three American

astronauts last July deserves the highest praise from one

and all, for they are a credit not only to the United States,

but to all mankind.

46. While we take pride in our achievements, can we

afford to overlook our disappointments? While we applaud

our successes, can we forget our failures? Although we hail

the advancement of science and technology, can we be

expected to support the production and stockpiling of

nuclear and bacteriological weapons? Those are some of

the questions that run through our minds when we ponder

awhile. A glance around us will reveal the many problems

facing us and the magnitude of them.

47. The problem of the “population explosion” has yet to

be remedied. While it is estimated that the population will

increase by some 500 million people in Africa, Asia and

Latin America alone in the coming decade, it is distressing

to note that extremely poor health conditions and malnutrition

still dominate many developing countries. No

doubt, there are encouraging signs in the field of agricultural

development, but they are quickly overshadowed by

the fact that food production is still out of step with the

growth of population, which is expected, even by some less

pessimistic observers, to double by the year 2000.

48. Despite efforts and considerable expenditure on the

part of many developing countries to wipe out illiteracy

and at the same time to expand and improve their

educational facilities, much of what is aimed at has yet to

be accomplished. This is due to many factors, not the least

of which is their inability financially to move any further in

this field. Here I must reiterate what I said last year: that a

people can be made aware of the need for over-all

development only through a sound education. The importance

given to education today by the United Nations can

best be illustrated by its decision to designate the year 1970

as “International Education Year” [resolution 2412 (XXIII)].

49. I now come to the question of development. There is

no doubt that some development has taken place in every

country in the world, thanks to some donor countries, the

United Nations, its specialized agencies and the leadership

of the respective countries. However, an important factor in

this connexion must not be forgotten. The United Nations

World Economic Survey for 1968 states:

“At the outset of the present Development Decade, the

economically advanced countries agreed that 1 per cent

of their income and output should be devoted to

international assistance. Progress towards the fulfilment

of this aim on the part of most donor countries has been

disappointing.“

50. Compared with that statement, it is alarming to us as a

so-called “mini-State” to see how much of the revenue of

many developed countries is apportioned for their defence

budget for the production of nuclear warheads and other

destructive weapons. Far be it from my delegation to pass

judgement on these issues, but let me say that this does

create a doubt in our minds as to whether the noble words

we so often hear have true meaning. We wonder whether

the arms race must continue when the present stocks would

be capable of destroying the world many times over. We ask

whether the acceleration of the production of these

dreadful weapons is more urgent and important than

meeting the needs of the under-developed countries and

under-privileged peoples. If so, how could the continually

widening gap between the developed and developing, the

rich and the poor countries, ever be narrowed?

51. These are only some of the many issues that confront

us. The problems faced by mankind today were aptly

described by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of

Yugoslavia when he referred to them as “peace or war,

enslavement or independence, backwardness or development”

[1763rd meeting, para. 133]. However, as we

approach the twenty-fifth anniversary of this Organization

let us not be pessimistic, for we hear the echoes of “good

relations” from Washington and Moscow. With President

Nixon’s declaration that after a period of confrontation, we

were entering an era of negotiation, it was encouraging to

hear the offer of the Foreign Minister of the Soviet Union

in his address of 10 July to the Supreme Soviet of the

USSR. Since then, we have also heard their recent

statements in this Assembly. It would indeed be welcomed

by all Member States of this Organization if quick and

meaningful steps were taken by the major Powers not only

towards easing tension but also towards general and

complete disarmament. These measures become all the

more important in view of the fact that we are about to

enter the Second United Nations Development Decade. If

the decade of the 1970s could also be designated as a

disarmament decade, as proposed by the Secretary-General

[A/7601/Add.1, para. 42], we could, we hope, look forward

to the day when the world would be a safer place to

live, with its entire population free from hunger, ill-health

and ignorance and the road paved for true development.

52. I do not wish to take the time of this Assembly to

comment here on all topics that are of interest to the

Maldivian delegation; nor is it my intention to discuss all

the items on the agenda of this session. However, I would

be failing in my duty if I were to overlook two items which

are of particular interest to us. I refer to the question of the

reservation of the sea-bed for peaceful purposes and the

problems of human environment. The Maldivian delegation

supported all the resolutions adopted during the last session

on the question of the peaceful uses of the sea-bed and was

a co-sponsor of General Assembly resolution

2467 A (XXIII). We are observing with keen interest

further measures that are being taken in this respect.

53. During the same session, a very important item — the

problems of human environment — was introduced to the

United Nations. I wish to take this opportunity of

congratulating the delegation of Sweden on its timely

action in introducing the item. This is a subject of great

concern to the entire human race. The work already done

by the Secretariat in this regard will be appreciated by all.

The Maldivian Government looks forward to many constructive

steps in reviewing and confronting successfully the

many problems of human environment.

54. In conclusion, let me assure you, Madam President

and the members of this Assembly that we, the Government

and people of Maldives, are always firm in our faith in

the principles of the Charter of this Organization. We

extend our humble support to all those statesmen who

work for the betterment of mankind. We join with those

who pray for peace and harmony in our disturbed world,

and to those of us who are assembled here we say: let us

resolve once again to make the world community one

which could fittingly be called a community of united nations.