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united Nations

GENERAL ASSEMBLY .TWENTY-NINTH SESSION

offICial Records

CONTENTS Address by Sheikh Mujibur Rabman. Prime Minister of Bangladesh , Agenda item 9: General debate (cofltinlled) Speech by Mr. FitzOerald (Ireland).................. Speech by Mc. Romulo (Philippines) ,.. Speech by Mr. Fischer (German Democratic Republic). . ,........ Speech by Mr. Andersson (Sweden) Speech by Mr. Montiel Arguello (Nicaragua)

PLENARY MEETING

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161 166 171 175 177

President: Mr. Abdelaziz BOUTEFLIKA (Algeria).

Address by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Prime Minister of Bangladesh I. The PRESIDENT (interpretation from French): I have great pleasure in welcoming His Excellency Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and inviting him to address the General Assembly. 2. Sheikh Mujibur RAHMAN (Bangladesh):' Today as I stand. before this Assembly I share with you profound satisfaction that the 75 million people of Bangladesh are now represented in this Parliament of Man. For the Bangalee nation this is a historic moment, marking the consummation of the struggle to vindicate iisrightof self-determination. The Bangalee people have fought over the centuries so that they may secure for themselves the right to live ill freedom and with dignity as free citizens of a free country. They have aspired to live in peace and friendship with all the nations of the world. The noble ideals enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations are the very ideals for which millions of our people have made the supreme sacrifice. I know- that the souls of our martyrs join us in pledging that the Bangalee nation fully commits itself to the building of a world order in which the aspiration of all men for peace and justice will be realized. 3. It is particularly gratifying that Bangladesh has been admitted to this Assembly when its presidency has been assumed by one who has been active in the fight for freedom. I recall, Mr. President, the valuable contribution made by you to the success of the Fourth Conference of Heads of State or Government of Non-Aligned Countries, held at Algiers in September of last year. 4. I should like to avail myself of this opportunity to salute all those whose sacrifices have earned for·

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 * Sheikh MujiburRahman spoke in Bengali. The English version of his statement was supplied by the delegation.

Wednesday, 25 September 1974, at 3 p.m. NEW YORK

Bangladesh a place in the comity of nations. I express our deep sense of gratitude to all those nations and peoples that supported Bangladesh in its struggle. We should also like to thank all those who have been rendering valuable assistance to Bangladesh in consolidating our independence, in reconstructing our war-ravaged land and in meeting the formidable challenge of building a better future for our people. To all those who have welcomed us into the United Nations, I offer the most sincere thanks of the people of Bangladesh. 5. The very struggle of Bangladesh symbolized the universal struggle for peace and justice. It was, therefore, only natural that Bangladesh, from its very inception, should stand firmly by the side of the oppressed people of the world. The experience of a quarter of a century since the United Nations was established has shown how a relentless struggle in pursuit of these ideals has had to be waged against daunting odds. The right of self-determination which the Charter of the United Nations promised could be redeemed only through the supreme sacrifice of millions of valiant freedom fighters in Asia, Africa and Latin America. The struggle still continues against the illegal occupation of territory by aggression, against the use of force to negate the legitimate rights of peoples, and against the practice of racial discrimination and apartheid. Great victories have been won in Algeria, in Viet Nam, in Bangladesh and in Guinea-Bissau. Such victories prove that history is on the side of the people and that justice ultimately triumphs. 6. But injustice and oppression persist in many parts of the world. Our Arab brethren are still fighting for the complete liberation of all illegally occupied territories, and the legitimate national rights of the people of Palestine have yet to be restored. The process of decolonization, though greatly advanced, has yet to reach its ultimate goal. This is particularly true in Africa, where the heroic peoples of Zimbabwe and Namibia are still engaged in a grim struggle. for freedom and national liberation. Apartheid, which this Assembly has repeatedly declared to be a crime against humanity, continues to outrage the conscience of man. 7. While the legacy of injustice from the past has to be liquidated, we are confronted by the challenges of the future. Today the nations of the world are faced with critical choices. Upon the wisdom of our choice will depend whether we will move towards a world haunted by the fear of total destruction, threatened by nuclear war, faced with the aggravation of human suffering on a horrendous scale, and marked by mass starvation, unemployment and the wretchedness of deepening poverty, or whether we can look forward to a world where human creativity and the great achievements of our age in science and AjPV.2243