Iran, 1982

I quote from the Holy Koran: "We verily sent our messengers with

clear proofs and revealed with them the Scripture and the Balance

that mankind may observe equality and justice." I wish to extend by

congratulations to yon, Sir, on your election as President of the

thirty-seventh session of the General Assembly. Your abilities and

merit, as well as your experience in various international fields

will no doubt contribute greatly to the solution of important

difficulties and problems with which the General Assembly is faced at

the present session. I wish success to you and to representatives

attending this session-although there exist many signs that can

create doubts about the success of this session of the Assembly,

because in our tormented world-in which at any moment the

disappointing news of the aggressive, expansionist spirit, the

violation of rights, oppression and tyranny may be heard from

everywhere-there remains little room for hope for this session's

success.

The outlook for the days ahead and for the international situation is

bleak. World tensions are increasing and the arms race, despite the

repetition of slogans, is mounting rapidly. Basic and fundamental

principles of the Charter are openly being trampled, having been

disregarded by certain aggressive and expansionist countries. Poverty

and starvation prevail in the oppressed third world countries while

the deepening gap between rich and poor countries is widening and the

oppressive and unjust relations between the countries providing raw

materials and the industrial world are each day worsening. Six

hundred million people in the world are suffering from hunger and

famine, and each year millions of people die of various diseases.

In such conditions, the arms race, which is extended to the other

countries of the world by the super-Powers, has destructive effects

on the developing and backward countries, which are the main victims

of the prevalence of terror in the world; it thus brings those

countries to the brink of disaster and annihilation, and leads to the

rapid depletion of their natural and human resources. Consequently,

such countries, instead of remedying the deprivation of their

enslaved masses and providing for their physical and mental welfare,

have put all their wealth and resources at the disposal of the

avarice and ambitions of the super-Powers.

What is more important is that, apart from material and economic

poverty, our world today is suffering from cultural poverty, which is

far more regrettable than the other difficulties and problems. Lofty

human values have been deformed by the greed and avarice of the

world-devourers and have fallen victim to false and hollow

materialistic criteria. How regrettable it is when we, from our

historical experience, come to see that values like freedom, social

justice and democracy are being misused, that crimes are being

committed in the name of liberty and human rights, that concepts like

social liberty and justice have become means of suppression,

oppression and tyranny, and that nothing is said about spirituality

and religion., which can and should provide a sole basis of social

relations and pave the way for the growth of human society. In fact,

apart from all racial, national, linguistic and geographical

differences, human beings share a common nature which, if developed,

can lead to the attainment of true unity among all the people of the

world.

Four years ago a revolution took place in Iran which, if I wished to

define it in one sentence, I should describe as a development

experienced as a result of which the people of Iran were brought back

to their God-seeking nature and their own inner selves. Our

Revolution is cultural in its nature and qualities and now Islamic

culture, which is the same as the revolutionary culture, prevails

everywhere in all its dimensions. The Islamic Revolution of Iran, as

a movement which has created fundamental changes in our society, laid

new foundations in contemporary Iran, the dimensions of the foreign

policy of which are resistance to oppression and tyranny, support forthe

oppressed nations and the tyrannized masses in the developing

countries, non-reliance on foreign Powers, rejection of all forms of

domination and being dominated, respect for other countries'

sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, and

non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries, on a

basis of reciprocity.

One of the most important slogans of our Islamic Revolution, "Neither

East nor West", which is in fact the application on the international

scene of the sacred and fundamental words "There is no God but

Allah", guides our foreign policy and draws its main lines of action.

By depending on that slogan we not only rated ourselves from the

domination of world- devouring America but also kept ourselves,

despite all the difficulties and hardships created for us, from

falling into the lap of the other super-Power. We therefore value

highly our sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity and

allow no country to interfere in our internal affairs.

Our revolution considers man's prosperity in the whole of human

society and the establishment of peace and justice, the supreme

objective in relations among nations, to be its ideal, and

independence, liberty and justice to be every man's right. It also

believes that the breaking of the bonds of the international

exploiter's domination is attainable only through the firm

determination of the deprived masses and their unity.

The struggle against world imperialism and Zionism is a long, hard

and complicated one which is not limited to political, economic and

military dimensions; the cultural dimension of this struggle is

equally important. The Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran

will use all its capabilities in this struggle, relying on the lofty

teachings of the school of Islam, which fosters man's development.

Now, as we speak of the importance of struggling against world

imperialism and Zionism, we have in mind the most recent crime

against humanity of American imperialism and occupier Zionism

committed in the Islamic world, while other Powers remain silent.

Thousands of children and innocent, defenseless old women and men

have been drenched in blood in the Palestinian refugee camps of Sabra

and Shatila in west Beirut by a group of dishonorable Zionist

terrorists, who attacked Moslems in the most terrible manner. This is

not the first crime committed by Israel nor will it be the last.

The whole world remembers that the Zionist regime since its

illegitimate inception, which was the outcome of the imperialist

Powers' compromise, and the open usurpation of the Palestinian lands,

has never ceased to commit brutal crimes against the Moslem

Palestinians being subjected to tyranny. The tragic massacre in the

Deir Yassin and Kafr Qasim villages, in which the Irgun terrorist

groups killed even the animals, is not yet forgotten. Today we are

witnesses to the fact that a person who has committed the most cruel

crimes against the people of Palestine has once again, as Prime

Minister of the Zionist regime, committed one of the most terrible

crimes in human history and, with the full support of American

imperialism, revealed to the entire world his wicked nature. Thus the

tragedy of the tyrannically treated and deprived people of Palestine

and Lebanon entered a new stage, in the midst of a conspiracy of

silence by the big Powers and reactionary countries-or possibly amid

astonishment caused by so much atrocity and cruelty.

136. In the meantime the Zionists and the imperialists, without

paying the least attention to the feelings and opinions of the

peace-loving peoples of the world, have outdone each other in making

impudent comments. While the Zionists are openly justifying their

massacre of the tyrannically treated people of Palestine and Lebanon

and the total eradication of those nations, and their American

masters are expressing satisfaction over the efficiency of their

modem weapons in the massacre of the innocent people of Palestine and

Lebanon and the destruction of west Beirut, their reactionary

mercenaries in the region, following the agreements reached at the

Twelfth Arab Summit Conference, at Fez, have endorsed the existence

of Israel and recognized it.

The treason and the compromise of certain unpopular dependent regimes

have ensured the success of imperialism and Zionism in expelling the

Palestinian combatants from Beirut and scattering them throughout

various countries.

The massacre of the deprived people of Palestine and the Moslems of

west Beirut after the expulsion of the PLO combatants proved the

legitimacy of the position we have taken against the expulsion

conspiracy. The bitter experience of humanity in 35 years of Zionist

usurpation and domination in Palestine has shown that aggression is

the innate quality of Israel, and compromise with such an element is

disastrous. As we have frequently stated, we can be sure that the

Israeli criminals will not content themselves with the massacre of

innocent people but will consider that as only a prelude to their

great plot to threaten and eliminate the Palestinian cause and

establish the influence of world-devouring America over the whole

region. Their objective is to convince the countries of the region

that plans of the Camp David type and the support of America are the

only way to settle the Middle East crisis and that those who do not

accept such a solution are doomed to annihilation.

We believe that the expulsion of the Palestinian combatants from

Lebanon not only is not the end of the affair but will be the

beginning of a new phase of the long struggle of the Arab and Moslem

nations. Although the existence of hypocritical, reactionary and

xenophile rulers in certain countries of the region creates

difficulties for the Moslems in the attainment of their sacred

objectives, and although these unpopular rulers, with their shameless

compromise with America and its illegitimate child, Israel, are a

disgrace to Moslems, the forces of the people will rise up and

finally demand of their rulers why they remained silent in the face

of the cruel massacre of the people of Lebanon and Palestine and did

not fulfill their duties in this connection.

If the large quantities of arms that have been bought with the riches

belonging to the deprived peoples are not to be used today, when

Moslems are suffering from such disasters, when should they be used?

The Moslem people of such countries have the right to ask why Moslem

riches should be used for the purchase of airborne warning and

control systems and scores of other types of sophisticated weapons

which not only are not used for the protection of Moslem interests

but also lead to ever further consolidation of the domination of

American imperialism.

When will the countries of the Middle East region wake up and come to

feel the threat that is menacing the basis of their existence, their

independence and their Islamic cultural identity? The Lebanese

tragedy is only one example of the destructive qualities of America

which have made the political system of that country the greatest

threat to human survival.

The Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran, on the basis of its

anti-oppression and anti-imperialist qualities and nature and its

policy of support for the oppressed nations, which are derived from

the lofty teachings of the Koran, once again declares that it

strongly supports, within all its possibilities, the rightful and

legitimate struggle of the Moslem people of Palestine to return to

occupied Palestine and expel and annihilate the usurpers of that land

and destroy the basis and foundation of the Israeli regime, which is

Zionist racism. Despite our two-year-long involvement in a war

imposed on us, we have never failed to fulfil our Islamic and

humanitarian duties as regards Palestine and the Middle East issue.

Our consistent position in the face of the Zionist regime's

aggression against the peoples of Lebanon and Palestine has been to

support the oppressed against the oppressor and against oppression.

To show our sincerity, suffice it to mention that we entered on the

scene of the war against the savage attack by Israel on Lebanon and

on Palestinian, Syrian andLebanese combatants and dispatched our

forces to the scene of battle against Zionism, despite our serious

need for them in the war which had been imposed on us. We took this

measure as an Islamic and religious duty. We were the only

non-front-line country that embarked on such action against the

Zionist regime.

We believe that the root solution to the Palestine problem and to the

whole Middle East crisis can be found only by placing emphasis on the

fact that the problem is an Islamic one and through an endeavor to

create a unity of views among Moslem forces. For that reason, the

Islamic Republic of Iran has always tried to emphasize the Islamic

dimension of the problem, and the proposal made by Iran for the

formation of a united Islamic front against Zionism and imperialism

is in fact nothing but a way of emphasizing the Islamic nature of the

Palestine issue.

Just as the Palestinian revolution and the people of Lebanon have

been the target of the destructive conspiracies of American

imperialism and its agent, the usurper Israel, so the people of Iran,

too, have had the experience of plots designed for them by the

criminal America. With the victory of the Islamic Revolution of Iran,

the interests of world imperialism were seriously endangered and

threatened with annihilation, and the political equations and

military calculations were totally upset in that part of the world.

Therefore it was predictable that the newly established regime of the

Islamic Republic of Iran would be attacked from all sides. The

aggression by the Iraqi regime against our Islamic homeland, which

began in September 198C, was the most important link in the chain of

the imperialist conspiracies against our country, the main objective

of which was to topple the regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran. It

was in fact an effort made by imperialism to protect its interests

and ambitions and to prevent the spread of the Islamic revolution in

that part of the world.

From the very first days of the victory of the Islamic Revolution,

the Iraqi regime, with a view of paving the way for the

implementation of its own evil intentions and the achievement of the

imperialist and Zionist objectives, embarked on a course of

committing all sorts of crimes and provocations, including sabotage.

The expulsion of tens of thousands of the oppressed people of Iraq to

Iran; the creation of disturbances against and restrictions on Moslem

clergy; attacks on Iranian schools and the imprisonment of teachers,

of whose fate nothing is known; the granting of asylum to Iranian

anti-revolutionaries; broadcasts of radio programmes in various

languages with a view to waging a propaganda war against the Islamic

Republic of Iran and, especially, provoking our Arab-speaking fellow

countrymen living in the Khuzistan Province into separating that

Province from the territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran; the

assigning of invented Arabic names to Iranian cities; the publication

of geographical maps in which parts of Iranian territory were removed

and then included in other countries, such as Iraq itself; the

dispatch of saboteurs; the strengthening of secessionists and the

blowing up of oil pipelines-all those are only a few examples of such

actions.

The Iraqi regime, which derived no advantage from such crimes,

committed with a view to weakening and toppling the Islamic Republic

of Iran, started its vast surprise attack on the territory of Iran

with the intention of attaining, in addition to that goal, its other

goals-namely, the occupation of fertile border lands, and especially

the productive Khuzistan Province, obtaining control over the rich

oil resources of that Province and gaining sovereignty over the whole

Arvand Roud.

During the first weeks of the war, the Iraqi regime succeeded, owing

to our special internal situation and post-revolutionary conditions,

in occupying parts of Iranian territory, but the unyielding

resistance of our combatants at the battlefronts very soon made

Saddam's regime understand that its calculations had been all wrong.

America, with its hopes of toppling the Islamic Government through

Saddam's invasion dashed, has now embarked on a more dirty course:

the planting of bombs in populous quarters of Tehran, as the result

of which hundreds of our innocent fellow-countrymen have been wounded

or martyred.

The recent explosion in central Tehran, which was similar to previous

crimes committed by world imperialism's agents, aroused no reaction

on the part of the so-called human rights groups and organizations

and once again showed the entire world that such persons and

organizations that defend human rights start thinking of their

humanitarian duties only when one of the perpetrators of such crimes

is punished. Touching confessions made by some of the so- called

People's Mujahiddin terrorists and perpetrators of recent explosions

in Tehran show that within one month 33 assassinations were committed

by one of them and 19 assassinations by another. But the groups and

individuals that defend the rights of such persons, when horrible

crimes have been committed by these terrorists, forget that the

victims of these crimes are also human beings and also have rights.

From this rostrum we extend an invitation to all free human beings,

to all those who want to discover the truth, to pay a visit to Iran

to see for themselves on the spot the enormity of the crimes

committed by the agents of American imperialism and bear witness to

the wrath and hatred of the masses in their millions.

The Iraqi regime, in the course of this war, has not hesitated to

commit the full gamut of crimes against the defenseless people, the

innocent civilians, of the occupied regions; there is nothing

comparable except the crimes committed by the Israeli aggressors in

west Beirut. Violation of the women and children of the occupied

regions; repeated bombardment of hospitals, schools and government

offices; pounding with missiles of the residential areas of large and

populous border cities; torture and killing of revolutionary guards,

as proved by documents which undeniably exist: those are only a few

examples of these innumerable crimes. AH these acts openly violate

the Geneva Convention on the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time

of War, of 12 August 1949, its two Protocols of 1977 and the Charter

of the United Nations. It is indeed strange that that regime,

claiming that the measures taken by the Government of the Islamic

Republic of Iran to defend itself violate the principles of the

Charter and threaten international peace and security, has now, on

the basis of that pretext, requested the inclusion of a new item in

the agenda of this session of the General Assembly.

171 The Iraqi regime's proposal for a cease-fire and its claims to

have withdrawn from Iranian territory are not motivated by that

regime's goodwill or the desire to bring the war to an end. Rather,

they are an attempt to save itself from the perilous situation it has

created in trying to overthrow the regime of the Islamic Republic of

Iran. The Iraqi claim concerning the unilateral establishment of a

cease-fire and the cessation of military operations apparently means

transferring Iraqi forces to the strategic zones belonging to Iran

and pounding the residential areas of Iran from the air and the

ground. Here mention should be made of the fact that the ending of

the war depends on the fulfilment of all the conditions announced by

the Islamic Republic of Iran and the total elimination of Iraqi

aggression and its results. If that is not done, Iraq will be

responsible for the consequences of the continuation of the war and

the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran will be obliged to

continue the war until the complete realization of the rights of the

Iranian people; it will never give in to the logic of on military

treaties have led to unhealthy and destructive consequences in the

course 8f the 37 years since the inception of the United Nations and

have constantly kept the entire world on the brink of the abyss of

war. During that time, we can think of hardly any period free from

regional wars, threats and tension. We therefore believe that the attempts

at domination by the super-Powers should be brought to an end by

collective action on the part of the dominated countries.

We believe that the strengthening of the non- aligned movement, with

emphasis on the principles of non-alignment, will pave the way for

the liberation of the tyrannized nations from the domination of the

super-Powers. We also believe that this movement, as an important

political force, can play a constructive role in dealing with the

great problems and difficulties facing the world at this juncture.

That is precisely why the super-Powers want to weaken, distort and

annihilate the movement. Hence, we should struggle with all our

might, on the basis of respect for the principles of the movement and

inspired by its ideals, against the imperialism of the East and of

the West and assist the oppressed and deprived nations to establish a

new economic order in the world.

In the present circumstances, with the world in a critical and

difficult period and the United Nations practically paralyzed and

disabled as a result of the attempts at domination by the

super-Powers and the existence of the unjust right of veto in the

Organization's decision-making process, the role of the non- aligned

movement in confronting world crises and tension can be more

effective and significant than ever. Under such conditions, member

States should place great value on the ideals and principles of the

movement and should work towards consolidating it with a view to

maintaining its dynamism and vitality as well as its true substance.

The sense of responsibility shown by the members of the non-aligned

movement as regards the movement's destiny and future in connection

with the changing of the venue of the Seventh Conference of Heads of

State or Government of Non-Aligned Countries from Baghdad made us

more hopeful than ever about the future of the movement. We believe

that that development made the non-aligned movement successful in its

historical ordeal and made it better prepared to fulfil its future

responsibilities.

The Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran, following the

principles of its ideology concerning support for the justice-seeking

struggles of the oppressed nations against the oppressors, severed

ails its political and economic relations with the racist regime of

South Africa from the very first days of the victory of the

revolution. We have always condemned and denounced in international

circles the policies of the minority racist Government, which hurt

the common conscience of human society. The current year has been

declared by the United Nations as International Year of Mobilization

for Sanctions against South Africa. We hope that firm and collective

measures are taken to solve this difficult problem.

While supporting the legitimate rights of the tyrannized people of

Namibia, we call for the withdrawal of the occupying forces of the

racist Government of South Africa from Namibia and demand that all

African revolutionary countries and institutions that have taken part

in efforts relating to this problem increase their efforts. Besides,

by condemning the suppression of the oppressed black majority of

South Africa, who are the principal owners of that land, we declare

our all-encompassing support for those freedom fighters. We

vehemently condemn the United States and other Western imperialist

countries that, in contravention of the United Nations Charter and

resolutions, extend military, economic and political support to the

racist regime of Pretoria. We support the front-line countries, such

as Angola and Mozambique, in their struggle against South Africa.

From our standpoint, the conspiracy of world imperialism against the

deprived people of the African continent, especially the plot to

boycott the nineteenth session of the Assembly of Heads of State and

Government of the OAU at Tripoli in August, is one of the links in

the chain of th3 imperialist plot designed to dominate Moslem and

oppressed countries of the world.

In connection with the Afghanistan issue, the Government of the

Islamic Republic of Iran believes that the military invasion of

Afghanistan by the Soviet Union and the imposition of an unwanted

regime on the people of that cautery should not be viewed only from

the standpoint of the violation of the independence and territorial

integrity of the Moslem people of Afghanistan. This aggression has

trampled underfoot human honor and the traditions, customs and

culture and, most important of all, the faith and religious beliefs

of that nation. The Islamic Republic of Iran, as a result of the

common culture, language, traditions, history and, most important,

the religion it shares with the tyrannized people of Afghanistan,

cannot remain silent in the face of this aggression. That was why

Iran was the first country to condemn the Soviet invasion of

Afghanistan. We consider necessary the complete, unconditional and

immediate withdrawal of the occupying forces from Afghanistan,

non-intervention by other forces in the internal affairs of that

country, the return of the Afghan combatants to their homeland and

the restoration to the people of Afghanistan of their right to

determine their destiny; without these, there can be no settlement of

the Afghanistan issue. In this connection, we reject any negotiation

conducted in the absence of the true representatives of the Afghan

people.

We consistently support the struggles and efforts of the

freedom-seeking countries of South and Central America, especially

the revolutionary people of Nicaragua, against the interference,

conspiracy and attempts at domination by America. We also support the

legitimate struggles of revolutionary forces in El Salvador and other

countries of the region against the tyranny and oppression of

despotic regimes.

The Islamic Republic of Iran condemns the British military attacks on

the Malvinas Islands and the co-operation of America and Britain in

that connection, and considers them as an example of imperialist,

dominance-seeking policies of colonizers in that part of the world.

We support the wish of the Korean people for the reunification of the

two Koreas and believe that the presence of American forces in the

Korean peninsula is an obastacle to that unity. We call for the

withdrawal of imperialist agents from the region.

Here, we once again declare our full support for the Sahraoui and

Moro liberation movements, as well as other anti-imperialist and

liberation movements.

The tensions existing between East and West and the rivalry of those

two blocs in exploiting the people and resources of third world

countries are the cause of many of the present difficulties in the

world. The tensions can be eased through disarmament and a freeze on

the arms race. But, unfortunately, neither of the super-Powers is

prepared to give up its arrogance in the interest of humanity. For

this reason international efforts for disarmament and a freeze of the

arms race have been deadlocked. As a result, a great part of the

manpower and financial capacity of the countries of the world is

still being used for the arms race. At a time when millions of people

of the third world are suffering from poverty, hunger and disease,

each year $650 billion are used for arms manufactured solely for the

annihilation of humanity. This is done at a time when, by allocating

the budget of several strategic bombers to fighting certain diseases

that each year take hundreds of victims from among the deprived

peoples, those diseases could be eradicated.

The second special session of the General Assembly on disarmament, in

which much hope had been placed, proved unsuccessful. The failure of

that session should be considered not only as a warning for world

peace and security but also as a disaster that shows the seriousness

of the international situation caused by the aggressive nature and

expansionist ambitions of the super-Powers for the maintenance of

their domination and influence over other countries of the world. The

super-Powers still continue to increase their production of arms and

escalate the arms race, and thus brought the last session of the

Committee on Disarmament, held at Geneva, to failure.

Intensification of the arms race consumes the resources of third

world countries that should be used for their prosperity and to end

their deprivation. Instead, the profits go to the super-Powers, which

substitute confrontation and conflict for amity and understanding in

international relations. Therefore it lies with third world

countries, thanks to all the experience they have gained from various

imperialist strategies, to put an end to the differences created by

imperialist forces and, by making use of their financial resources

for their national well-being, take the first step for the

eradication of this unjust order that has cast its shadow over the

world.

The serious crisis that dominates the world economy is a deep and

structural one. The increased deficit in the balance of payments, the

negative changes in the terms of trade, the lack of financial capital

for long-term, infrastructural and productive investments, the lack

of access to global markets for offers of goods and services, the

lack of transfer of technology and, finally, the brain drain only

some of the difficulties that third world countries encounter owing

to the world economic crisis.

The main cause of this crisis is rooted in the unjust capitalist

economic order and exploitative policies that world imperialism is

implementing for the sake of preserving its material interests and

political and cultural hegemony at the international level. The

economic and political policies of the Western industrialized

countries, particularly those of the United States, are so

shortsighted and narrow-minded that they reject the slightest

legitimate wish of third world countries even for the smallest change

in the oppressive world economic order. Among the measures adopted

against third world countries are the negative reactions to the call

for negotiations to establish a new international economic order, the

creation of a variety of obstacles to the fruitful conclusion of the

negotiations for establishing a financial system for the transfer of

science and technology to third world countries, postponement of

talks and exertion of pressure on other industrialized societies

aimed at undermining the talks and causing a deadlock.

On the other hand, Western industrialized societies, especially

America, by taking advantage of their dominant economic situation, by

adopting and implementing oppressive policies, by imposing economic

restrictions and sanctions, as well as by employing harsh commercial

protective strategies against developing countries, endeavor to

prevent the latter's economic, political and social development. By

exerting control over international organizations, such as the

International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, and by opposing just

and basic changes in the management of those organizations, the

United States and other Western industrialized countries have

persistently tried to impose on third world countries monetary and

financial economic policies which protect imperialist interests,

without any concern for the existing social and economic conditions

and needs in developing countries.

By imposing divisive measures and vicious political and economic

maneuvers on third world countries, American imperialism, along with

other Western industrialized countries, makes every effort to divide

third world countries and preserve the oppressive, exploitative

economic order. Efforts made to impede multilateral negotiations and

collective action are blatant examples of such divisive strategies.

We are of the opinion that as long as inhuman and merely

materialistic viewpoints dominate the world economic order or the

economies of countries and human beings, and organizations and

Governments, particularly in Western industrialized countries, are

limited to satisfying materialistic and consumer needs, the world

economic and political crisis will not only fail to improve but will

actually deteriorate. Along with the cancerous increase in

consumption and development of the economies of the Western

industrialized countries, we shall witness the poverty and economic

paralysis of the majority of the peoples of the world. The poverty

and economic weakness of third world countries are directly related

to the unsound development of the economies of the Western

industrialized countries and their wasteful and dissipated use of

economic resources. Therefore, we believe that global changes in

production, trade and consumption should take place so as to change

present world economic relations and order for which man's dignity

and honor in relation to the new order should basically be taken into

consideration.

In the consultative seminar of the South, held in New Delhi, we said

that the third world countries should form a united front to

co-ordinate their economic policies against the countries of the

North. To achieve that objective, the creation of a permanent

secretariat to review the difficulties and present proper solutions

is vital. We believe that it is only through unity and collective

pressure that deprived and economically backward countries can open

the way to the initiation of international negotiations, totally and

basically to change the world economic relations and order without

being influenced by any pressure from the super-Powers. Enough has

been said and heard in this connection, and now it is high time to

take practical measures.

Considering the influence of the super-Powers in the United Nations,

the Organization has become a means to exert political pressure on

those countries that are struggling against the 'imperialism of the

East and West and Zionism. This colossal machine is put in motion

only when the interests of one of the big Powers necessitates it. And

if a solution is not found, the world will not be far away from

international anarchy and chaos. In this connection, many examples

can be cited.

In September 1980 the Iraqi regime attacked Iran and drowned

thousands of innocent civilians in blood, displaced millions of our

fellow countrymen and razed the cities located in the part of our

territory that had been under its occupation for 22 months. It seems

as if in the course of those two years the colossal machine of the

United Nations was in a deep sleep and no one was thinking about the

establishment of a just and honorable peace, the peaceful settlement

of disputes and the maintenance of international security, as

stipulated in the Charter. But as soon as our combatants were able by

their devotion and selflessness and the sacrifice of thousands of

men, to expel the aggressive enemy from most of their soil, they

embarked on the course of administering justice and ensuring the

security of the borders. And then, all of a sudden, the mission of

the super-Powers for the maintenance and consolidation of

international peace and security was propounded. It is not known

where these awakened consciences and missions were during the two

years that had passed since the beginning of the war and the

oppression and tyranny to which the people of Iran were subjected. Is

it not the case that now that the interests of the superpowers, which

supported the Iraqi regime with their money and weapons, are

threatened, the members of the Security Council have started to think

about adopting a resolution, commiserating about peace and including

an item in this connection in the agenda of the General Assembly?

I shall give a better example. On 18 September 1982 one of the most

shocking crimes in human history was committed in Beirut before the

very eyes of the world and the United Nations. Israeli criminals,

assisted by mercenary phalangists, having committed crimes in

southern Lebanon for several months and despite their false promises

that they would not occupy west Beirut, attacked that area and

slaughtered hundreds of defenseless and unarmed Palestinian and

Lebanese men, women and children. If the United Nations and its

Members firmly believed in the mission stipulated in the Charter for

the maintenance of international peace and security, they would have

had to take measures-if only because of the wounded international

conscience-to punish that seed of evil- doing, insecurity,

warmongering and aggression, within the context of Chapter VII of the

Charter. Perhaps it is forgotten that Articles 41 and 42 of the

Charter even exist. Is it not one of the conditions for membership in

the Organization that a Member must be peace-loving? Did not the

General Assembly in its resolution ES-7/4 of 30 April 1982 recognize

Israel to be non-peace-loving? The provisions of Article 6 of the

Charter suffice to expel Israel from the United Nations. Then why is

warmongering Israel still a Member of the United Nations? If proper

action is not taken in this case or in similar cases, the concept of

collective action for the maintenance of peace and security,

contained in the Charter, will not be applied. And if serious

measures are not taken in this case for the elimination of the unjust

privilege of veto, the confidence that the deprived and tyrannized

nations of the world should have in the Organization will not be

created and the shortcomings to which the Secretary- General has

referred in his report will not be eliminated. We should not forget

that the Charter and its monopolistic privileges are the outcome of

the post-Second-World-War situation, much of which no longer

pertains, and the international atmosphere and the United Nations

structure have changed too. Nor can international law, on the basis

of the principle of unilateral and unequitable privileges that have

proved to be destructive. We hope for the day when Member States,

with realism and understanding of this fundamental development, will

bestow upon the United Nations the role that benefits it.