United Nations FOURTH COMMifiEt 1787th GENERAL MEETIN& ASSEMBLY Friday, 8 November 1968, at 11.10 a.m. TWENTY.THIRD SESSION O!Jicial Records NEW YORK
CONTENTS colonialism and upon the specialized agencies of the United Nations to take part in the liberation activities and to Page contribute to the work of reconstruction, giving the Agenda item 65: Question of Territories under Portuguese administration: nationalists assistance in the matter of health, education report of the Special Committee on the Situation with and so forth. regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and 3. Furthermore, wide publicity should be given to the Peoples (continued) General debate (continued) ...... •...... films that had been shown at the I773rd to I775th meetings, as also to the statements made by the petitioners, so that international opinion might be duly informed of the Chairman: Mr. P. V. J. SOLOMON activities of the Portuguese colonialists. His delegation was (Trinidad and Tobago). convinced that greater publicity for the struggle of the freedom fighters would show not only the justice of their cause but also the nature of their needs.
4. Mr. TRAORE (Guinea) said that his country bordered AGENDA ITEM 65 on one of the Territories-Guinea (Bissau)-where the armed struggle of the people against Portugal had reached a Question of Territories under Portuguese adminis· decisive point. tration: report of the Special Committee on the Situation with regard to the Implementation of 5. Portugal was persisting in imposing unequal relation the Declaration on the Granting of Independence ships and iniquitous methods of exploitation on the peoples to Colonial Countries and Peoples (continued) of so-called Portuguese Guinea, Mozambique and Angola. (A/7200/Rev.1, chap. VIII) To that end it was using all its military power, with the most modem armaments, not only to subdue the people of GENERAL DEBATE (continued) its colonies with bombs and napalm, but also to launch attacks on the neighbouring African States and to commit 1. Mr. OUEDRAOGO (Upper Volta) said that his country acts of piracy against them. For example, ever since March once again condemned Portugal. That country, disregarding of that year the Portuguese Government had been holding the spirit and the objectives of the Charter of the United an aircraft of the Air Guinea Company, together with its Nations and the resolutions of the General Assembly and crew, which had been obliged to come down in so-called the Security Council, persisted in maintaining its domina Portuguese Guinea. tion over the Territories under its administration, ignoring the right of more than 20 million Africans to freedom and 6. It was quite obvious that Portugal would not be able to independence. The same censure and condemnation carry on the war in its colonies were it not for the support extended to South Africa which, in supporting Portugal, of the imperialist Powers of NATO and of the Western was helping to create a threat to international peace and monopolies which were exploiting the resources of the security in southern Africa, and to certain NATO Powers African continent. Moreover, Portugal, South Africa and which were giving the Lisbon coloniaJists direct or indirect Southern Rhodesia had formed an "unholy zlliance" for aid. Although those allies of Portugal were ready to declare the pm pose of perpetuating a system which was a disgrace that they disapproved of the policy of that country, they ~o mankind and contrary to the ideals of the United refused to take any positive steps to put an end to that Nations, and of strengthening the position of those three policy. They even invoked the principle of non-intervention racist regimes. in the internal affairs of States in order to hamper the action of the United Nations in favour of the peoples of 7. Far from trying to fmd a reasonable solution to the Angola, Mozambique and Guinea (Bissau). problem, the Government of Portugal had recently stated that its resistance could last indefinitely and that it would 2. All the condemnations pronounced in the United never accept the authority of an untrained majority in its Nations showed the indignation that the acts of the African Territories. Despite that statement, the peoples of Portuguese colonialists aroused in international public Angola, Mozambique nnd Guinea (Bissau) were prepared to opinion; they were, in fact, an expression of political and fight for freedom and independence. As President Sekou moral support for the freedom fighters, but the United Toure had said, the nationalists could count on the Nations could and should do more. He called upon all complete solidarity of the revolutionary people of Guinea Member States which sincerely wished to see the end of in their valiant efforts. A/C.4/SR.l787 2 ------General Assembly Twenty-third Session Fourth Committee 8. The United Nations should take a more radical position actions of the Portuguese authorities with respect to their with regard to the manifold probleilli with which Africa colonial Territories or inspired the illusion that those was faced and, above all, it should seel: effective means to Territories were merely overseas provinces when all the ensure that Member States respected · he Charter and the facts pointed to the complete absence of any ethnical, resolutions of the United Nations and :;hould take vigorous cultural or social affinities between the people of the steps to safeguard its authority. In the I resent situation, the Territories and the people of Portugal. By laying special Guinean delegation was convinced thal it was only through emphasis on that fact at the present juncture, it was armed struggle that the people of tl.e Territories under possible to get to the roots of the problem, which could Portuguese domination could attain !iteration. Guinea was then be dealt with, not as a single case, but as a component firmly resolved, together with the other countries of the part of a whole which included not only Portugal, South Organization of African Unity, to rna cee a positive contri Africa and the illegal regime of Southern Rhodesia, but also bution to the liberation of the continent. their collaborators in the political and ideological bloc referred to as the West. 9. Mr. MARAMIS (Indonesia) said that his delegation could not accept the Portuguese Government's argument 14. Since 1961, when the United Nations had first taken that the Territories under Portuguese administration were up the question of the Territories, Portugal had done "overseas provinces". Portugal was wa1 ~ng a colonial war in nothing but consolidate its hold over them and invent order to perpetuate its rule over them. In addition to the various subterfuges to circumvent the application of the arbitrary regrouping of the African population and the Declaration appearing in General Assembly resolution settlement of foreign immigrants in the Territories, the 1514 (XV). In their insolence, the Portuguese authorities Lisbon Government was using intolerable methods against had gone so far as to claim that their policy of assimilation the people of so-called Portuguese '}uinea and did not and integration was in fact "a form of decolonization" .1 hesitate to have recourse to mercenaries. Angola was being That travesty of the noble cause of decolonization con used as a base for aggressive opera1ions carried out by cealed the intention to deny the national identity of the mercenaries against neighbouring African States. That was a colonial peoples. Under the appearance of benevolent and new development, which made the dtuation much more liberal measures, an inhuman exploitation was being dangerous, and there could be no douht that it was a threat practised which actually replaced the slavery of the to international peace and security. nineteenth century by the practice of forced labour. The myth of the "civilizing mission" had been upheld by the 10. Indonesia vehemently condemned the military and colonialists for centuries, but only Portugal, together with financial assistance that was being giv' m to Portugal by her South Africa and Southern Rhodesia, had taken that myth, allies and it hoped that the recent char .ges in the Portuguese in the second half of the twentieth century, to its illogical Government would be reflected in a more liberal policy in extreme of denying the very essence of what its civilizing the matter. The chief hope of the peoples of Angola, mission should teach: namely, the right of man to choose Mozambique and so-called Portuguese Guinea, however, lay and the right of the majority to rule. in their own efforts to obtain Iiberati< ,n by whatever means at their disposal. In that connexion, h< thought that in their case, as in the case of the Zimbabwe freedom fighters, the 15. Nevertheless, that myth had not deceived the Africans, provisions of the Geneva Conven·ion relative to the who had obliged Portugal to increase its troop strength in Africa, which in 1967 had been estimated at between Treatment of Prisoners ofWar of 12 August 1949 should be applied. 129,000 and 150,000 men. In order to confront the liberation movements in Angola, Mozambique and so-called 11. His delegation endorsed what the Yugoslav repre Portuguese Guinea, the colonial authorities had had to sentative had said at the 1778th meeting about the use of enact a new law early in 1968 to prolong the period of appropriate terms to designate thme taking part in the military service and to increase their military expenditure, liberation movements and it rejected the use of the term which now stood at 40 per cent of all public spending. All "terrorist". It was the duty of the l nited Nations to give the measures of repression had been futile-as had been those movements all possible moral a1d material assistance. explained by the petitioners, Mr. Khan and Mr. Murupa, who had appeared before the Committee on behalf of the 12. In conclusion, he declared tha; the problem of the ·Liberation Movement of Mozambique (FRELIMO). The Territories under Portuguese admini ;tration could not be moral bankruptcy of the Salazar regime had been illustrated by Alvaro Lins, the former Brazilian Ambassador to considered in isolation from the larger problem of southern 2 Af1ica, including South Africa, N unibia and Southern Portugal, who in his book Missiio em Portuga/ had Rhodesia. He emphasized once again ·:hat all Member Stat.::s described the mark of dictatorship and police terror on the should give the Territories assistance. faces of the Portuguese, adding that their torment and expressions reflected demoralization, revolt, often despair and always in tranquillity, insecurity and fear. The Ambassa 13. Mr. RAOUF (Iraq) said that h~ delegation had taken an active part in the discussions of the Special Committee dor had also referred to the "development of the facade", which had led to the preparatio1 of its report and saying that such things belonged to a handful of bankers supported all its conclusions. He wished to point out, in and feudal landlords, to a small group of men who particular, that the leaders of Portugal and their supporters controlled the reins of political power. Therein, perhaps, had evolved a concept that had nothing to do with 1 Official Records of the General Assembly, Twenty-second pre,sent-day realities and had succec:ded in imposing that Session, Annexes, addendum to agenda item 23, document myth on all the Portuguese people Were that not so, it A/6700/Rev.l, chap. VI, para. 28. would be impossible to understand what prompted the 2 Rio de Janeiro, Editora Civiliza~ao Brasileira, 1960. 1787th meeting - 8 November 1968 3
lay the key to the tragedy of the peoples under the colonial 19. It was thus clear that Portugal would like to hold on regime of Portugal. to its colonies as long as possible. To that end, it was encouraging white settlers to go to the colonies at a rate of 16. His delegation, while unreservedly supporting the some I 0,000 per year. That was aggravating the problem, struggle of the peoples of the Territories under Portuguese for it was not unlikely that those Territories might go the administration for liberation and independence, felt that way of Southern Rhodesia. To maintain its empire, the the Fourth Committee was in duty bound to reaffirm its Portuguese Government was seeking increasingly closer stand and, particularly, operative paragraph II of General collaboration with Southern Rhodesia and South Africa. Assembly resolution 2270 (XXII), which recommended the On 30 December 1967, Mr. Nogueira, the Portuguese Security Council to consider urgentJy the adoption of the Minister for Foreign Affairs, had said that the southern part necessary measures to make mandatory the provisions of its of Africa constituted a separate area, distin':t from the rest resolutions concerning that question. of the continent, in which Portugal and South Africa had interests and problems in common and shared the same 17. Mr. D'MELLO (India) said that the Portuguese empire, system of values. Mr. Botha, the South African Minister of the last stronghold of colonialism, contrived to maintain Defence, had declared that his country's task of defending itself in Africa despite the massive changes which had its territorial integrity had been greatly facilitated by \he occurred in the world. It was therefore necessary to strength and resolution of its Portuguese neighbours in exantine the roots of Portuguese colonial policy, its Angola and Mozambique. The problem became more acute philosophy and its social and economic compulsions. with every passing year as a result of the increasing number During the previous year, Portugal had redoubled its efforts of settlers and th~ intensification of the repressive to defend what it described as its "civilizing mission". measures. According to the evidence of the petitioners who Mr. Marcelo Caetano, the present Prime Minister of Portu had appeared before the Special Committee and the F ourth gal, had recently declared that Africa was no more than an Committee, South Africa was sending mercenaries to the area to be exploited and that, for the Portuguese, Africa Territories under Portuguese domination. His delegation was a moral justification. In his next sentence he had made was convinced of the necessity of declaring the hiring and clear what that justification was by saying that, without training of mercenaries in aid of colonialist adventures to be Africa, Portugal would be a small nation but with Africa, it a crime against humanity and a threat to international was a great Power. His predecessor, Mr. Salazar, had made peace and security. the colonies a status symbol and had planned to exploit them more efficiently with foreign investment. Portugal, 20. It was clear that Portugal was not going to give up its the largest colonial Power, was at the same time the most colonies and would continue to flout the aspirations of the underdeveloped country in Europe with the lowest per majority of the world's people. It was to be hoped, capita income and the highest illiteracy and infant mor nevertheless, that Portugal would realize the necessity of tality rates. When the resistance movement had begun in discarding nineteenth-century ideas and that the new the colonies, the Portuguese authorities had hastened to Government would seize the opportunity to review its throw open their doors to foreign investment. Between colonial policies. In the meantime, the international com 1964 and 1967 foreign investment had doubled in metro munity could not remain idle. There must be resolute politan Portugal, with a third of it going to the colonies; 20 action to provide moral and material support for the to 25 per cent of the national budget was based on the freedom fighters in Angola, Mozambique and Guinea income from the African colonies. In the previous few years (Bissau). It was also incumbent upon countries in a position maximum priority had been given to defence; from 40 t o to influence Portugal to induce that country to give up its 50 per cent of the budget was allocated for military intransigent policies. The United Nations, for its part, could operations. The truth of the matter was that that small establish, or assist in the establishment of, a special country could spend 7,790 million escudos a year on programme of assistance for refugees from Territories under military operations because more than half the current Portuguese administration. To that end, it could undertake expenditure was financed by revenue drawn from the the following specific measures: {a) the assignment of an colonies themselves. Thus an extraordim.ry stat.:: of affairs expert to work out primary and secondary school curricula existed where income drawn from the labour of the African for Portuguese language and other studies to train and peoples was used against the Africans themselves. prepare the pupils for the return to their home country; {b) the establishment in Africa of technical, including nursing, and civil service training centres to prepare the 18. Since the beginning of the liberation struggle measures peot=les for independence; (c) the establishment of medical promoting economic integration had been intensified and aid posts in refugee centres. now, with the discovery of diamond and oil deposits, that trend had been further strengthened. The New York Times 21. In conclusion, he said that freedom for subject people:; of 3 March 1968 had reported on the mining of diamonds everywhere must come inevitably, sooner or later; if it was in Northern Angola and on prospection for oil in Mozam not given, it would be taken. bique. On 7 July, the same newspaper had reported the discovery of oil in enormous quantity in Angola, adding 22. Mr. PmERA (Chile) said that he had once again to that the American Gulf Oil Company had so far invested express his delegation's concern about the problem of $125 million in Cabinda. By the end of 1970, that Angola, Mozambique and so-called Portuguese Guinea and Company was expected to produce 150,000 barrels per about the fact that the United Nations was powerless to put day. Portugal had retained the right to take all crude oil an end to a situation which the Security Council, in 1965, which was produced or the equivalent in refined products had described as seriously disturbing international peace should its military or political needs so dictate. and security. His country strongly supported General 4 General A ;sembly- Twenty-third Session Fourth Committee
Assembly resolution 1514 (XV) and ·egretted that the that Portugal was escalating its military preparations, principles set forth in the Declaration h~d not been applied increasing its troops and modernizing its navy and its air in the Territories under Portuguese ad ministration. As a force in order to continue indefinitely its action against the State Member of the United Nations, Portugal had obliga freedom fighters. Thus the struggle of the African tions under Chapter XI of the Charter. His delegation was, nationalists would be long and hard, but it would never nonetheless, a resolute advocate of Uni1ed Nations partici· cease until they had achieved their goal. pation in the process of the decolonization of peoples and had no objection to the granting of independence to 27. His delegation earnestly requested those States which, Territories by administering Powers acting outside the directly or indirectly, were encouraging Portugal's con framework of the Organization, but in 1he case of Angola, tinued defiance of the Organization to exert their influence ·Mozambique and so-called Portuguese Guinea nothing of and make that country heed the voice of reason. For its that kiild had been done. part, his country would support its brothers in Mozam bique, Angola and so-called Portuguese Guinea in every 23. The condemnation of Portugal in the strongest possible way in their fight for independence. language year after year was not leadin~ to a rapid solution of the problem. He reiterated his delegation's statement to 28. Mr. DE MIRANDA (Portugal) reaffirmed his delega· the 614th meeting of the Special Committee on 26 June tion's position of principle and reservations relating to the 1968 that the Security Council was the most appropriate item under discussion in the Committee and said that there body to settle the problem of the Territories under was no basis for the allegations made against his country. Portuguese administration. His delegati ln did not oppose For example, the whole world knew that the accusation the application of sanctions but held that they should that Portugal practised racial discrimination was false. No emanate from the Security Council, as the only United country had done more than Portugal to break down racial Nations organ empowered to apply then: under the Charter. barriers in the world ever since it had first come into It would support any effective, realistic step directed contact with people of other races in the fourteenth towards the elimination of the colonial system in Africa. century. Equally false were the accusations that it was regrouping populations, dispossessing the African people of 24. He urged Portugal to show an Uitderstanding of the their lands and settling them on reservations. There was no period of history through which the world was passing. In scarcity of land in either Angola or Mozambique, and in the previous twenty years, many cou1tries had achieved Portuguese Guinea almost all the land was owned by the independence, but not all had done so peacefully and the indigenous people. Moreover, far from driving the Africans Territories under Portuguese adminis :ration should not onto reservations, his country was making every effort to have to obtain their freedom at the em t of bloodshed. His mix the populations of various races on terms of absolute country had no wish for violence and hoped that Portugal equality, as became a truly multiracial society. would not fail to grasp the unique opJ:: ortunity open to it to contribute to the development o ' a community of 29. His delegation likewise rejected such allegations as independent countries, based on mutual respect and those attributing to his country the use of outlawed co-operation as opposed to subjugation md exploitation. In weapons and the practices of forced labour and genocide conclusion, he observed that the representative oflndia had and the presence of South African troops in Mozambique. rightly pointed out in his statement that political, economic and social factors imposed a considerat le degree of rigidity 30. Every year since 1961, it had been alleged in the on Portugal's colonial policy. The problem was further Committee that the situation in Portuguese Territories was complicated by the lack of social duvelopment and by deteriorating. If that were true, then the situation at economic expansion serving interests whlch were not those present should be so bad that no outsider would wish to of the African people. settle in those Territories and no foreign investor would wish to risk his capital there. Yet it had been heard during 25. Mr. METAFERIA (Ethiopia) said that there had been that debate that people of European origin were applying no substantial change in the question before the Committee for concessions of land and that foreign investments and no progress had been made in cpening the way to continued to be made. There was evidently a basic freedom and independence for the Ter itories under Portu contradiction between those two statements and the guese administration. On the contrary, Portugal denied the Committee could rest assured that, in reality, the situation African population their legitimate rig'1ts and was sending was not as it had been portrayed during the debate. The more troops to the Territories to put down all attempts to Portuguese authorities had full control over those three throw off the colonial yoke. Moreove ·, the administering Territories and access to all parts of them. Members of the Power was committing U11preceden:ed atrocities and Portuguese Government as well as provincial Governors had remorselessly punishing the freedom fighters who fell into been freely visiting all those areas and, in February of the its clutches. The evidence given by fonign journalists, and current year, the President of the Portuguese Republic also by the petitioners from Mozambique who had made himself had visited Guinea and had been received enthu· statements before the Committee, cone .usively showed that siastically by the inhabitants. the peoples of those Territories were rEsolutely determined to spare no sacrifices in order to achieve their freedom. 31. Mr. MUEMPU-SAMPU (Democratic Republic of the Congo), speaking on a point of order, rejected the 26. The Special Committee's report established the fact Portuguese representative's statement and pointed out that that the activities of foreign interests e ~t:ploiting the human the Committee's functions related to decolonization and and natural resources of the Territories hampered the the debate should be confined to that question. Despite acc·ession of the African inhabitants t l independence and that fact, the Portuguese representative, in his statement, 1787th meeting - .8 November 1968 5
had attempted to justify his Government's colonial policy. allies was based on misinformation, miscalculation or His delegation accordingly requested that the statements fantasy. His country was able to provide for its own made by the representative of Portugal should be disre.. defence needs with its own resources but, in any case, ga rded. particularly after certain events which had recently taken place in Europe, it should not be found surprising that the 32. Mr. FOUM (United Republic of Tanzania), speaking defence capabilities within the NATO area should be on a point of order, pointed out that the United Nations strengthened. did not recognize · that the Territories under Portuguese administration formed an integral part of Portugal. 41. Mr. MELOVSKl (Yugoslavia), speaking on a point of order, said that the Portuguese representative should 33. The CHAIRMAN reaffirmed the position of the confine himself to explaining his Governmenfs attitude to United Nations on that matter and requested the Portu· guese representative to bear it in mind. self-determination and independence for the peoples under its rule. His last comment had not been to the point. 34. Mr. DE MIRANDA {Portugal), exercising the right of reply, categori cally denied, as he had done in other 42. Mr. DE MIRANDA (Portugal) said in reply that it had meetings of the Committee, that there were extensive areas been his intention in his statement merely to refer to the outside the control of the Portuguese authorities and objective reality relating to the accusations made against his pointed out, to substantiate that denial, that the Portuguese country and he was convinced that a distinct contribution Government was making large investments in development had been made by offering the Committee a constructive plans and other long-term projects. Specific mention should angle <'n the situation. In conclusion, so far as the be made of the exceptional efforts in economic, educa· possibility of the Portuguese Government's now changing tional and social activities in Angola and of the work being its policy in respect of its overseas provinces was concerned, carried out on the Cahorabassa dam in Mozambique, that policy did not depend on one individuaJ or on any designed t o bring greater prosperity to all the inhabitants of Government in particular but on the very structure of the Mozambique and to contribute to t!te prosperity of all the Portuguese State, and it could not be changed. neighbouring countries which might wish to take advantage of it. 43. Mr. FOUM (United Republic of Tanzania), speaking in exercise of the right of reply, said that the representative of 35. Referring to the allegation that the presence of his Portugal had tried to show that there was no discrimination country in Africa constituted a threat to international in the Territories under Portuguese administration, thus peace and security, he said that, even if Portugal did not proving his ignorance of the meaning of certain political have a single soldier or a single weapon in Africa, such an terms, because colonialism was an extreme form of dis allegation would still be made for it was the only one which crimination. Moreover, the existence of such discrimination could lead to a convocation of the Security Council. His had been proved by the testimony of petitioners. The same country, for its part, sougl1t nothing but good relations could be said of the whole of southern Africa, which was with all African countries, particularly with those having oppressed by racist minorities. common frontiers with its Territories. 44. Although Portugal had denied using outlawed 36. Mr. FOUM (United Republic of Tanzania) said that he weapons, the fiJms shown to the Committee clearly showed could not allow the Portuguese representative to consider the use of napalm, which was certainly an outlawed that Portugal had common frontiers with African States. weapon. It was also obvious that the arms used by Portugal in its colonies had been supplied by the NATO Powers. 37. Mr. DE MIRANDA (Portugal) went on to say that, perhaps by denying that they were neighbours, certain 45. The Portuguese representative had tried to deny that countries felt more free to aid and abet acts of hostility there were any South African forces in Mozambique and, in against Portuguese Territories from the outside. so doing, he appeared to be speaking in the name of the South African Government; that was further proof of the 38. Mr. MUEMPU.SAMPU (Democratic Republic ot the unholy alliance which had already been condemned. Those Congo), raising a point of order, suggested that the word soldiers might wear Portuguese uniforms; in any case, it " hostility" should not be considered applicable to the could not be denied that they were helping to suppress the activities of the freedom fighters who fled to other African struggle for freedom in Mozambique. Likewise, the Portu· countries. There could be no question of ..hos tility" when guese representative's deniaJ that the situation had those activities had been recognized as legitimate. deteriorated in those Territories merely showed his total lack of understanding of the problem. He had in fact 39. Mr. DE MIRANDA (Portugal) stated that his Govern· confinned that white colonists had been brought from menfs action in response to those attacks was limited to Europe, South Af ri ca and Southern Rhodesia, and that self-defence and the protection of the lives and property of certainly made the situation worse for the Africans. the population which by no means involved oppression, Another sign of de terioration was the reinforcement of the repression or a threat to international peace and security. troops sent to put down the fight for freedom. It was in Moreover, that situation was forced on Portugal by those that way- from the point of view of the indigenous who aided, organjzed and financed vioJence against his population- that the statement that the situation was country. deteriorating should be interpreted, for it was with that aspect that the United Nations was concerned. That was 40. Similarly, the allegation that Portugal was able to why t he United Nations had always maintained that defend itself only because of the aid provided by its NATO Portuguese colonialism was a threat to peace in the region 6 General Assembly - Twenty-third Session - Fourth Committee and why it was supporting the peoples who were fighting on a village. South Africa had also sent troops into his oppression in the Territories under PortJguese rule. country's territory; on 3 September 1968 three South African military policemen had been arrested and taken to 46. Mr. OULD ALY (Mali), speakin;: in exercise of the Lusaka; they had been set free in October, after paying a right of reply, said that the statemen1 by the Portuguese fine . representative was nothing but a tissue •>f lies. For example, he had said that there was no discrimination or exploitation 48. Mr. DE MIRANDA (Portugal) replied that he had no in the Territories, but the reports pre[>ared by the Secre knowledge of the incident referred to and assured the tariat supplied abundant proof to the
Litho in U.N. 77401 June 1969 2 ,425