Recalling Security Council resolution S/4835 of 9 June 1961 and General Assembly resolutions 1807 (XVII) of 14 December 1962 5 and 1819 (XVII) of 18 December 1962,

Recalling General Assembly resolution 1542 (XV) of 15 December 1960 which declares the Territories under Portuguese administration to be Non-Self-Governing Territories within the meaning of Chapter XI of the Charter, as well as General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV) of 14 December 1960,8 by which the General Assembly declared inter alia that immediate steps be taken to transfer all powers to the people of these Territories without any conditions or reservations in accordance with their freely expressed wishes, without distinction as to race, creed or colour in order to enable them to enjoy complete freedom and independence,

1. Confirms resolution 1514 (XV) of the General Assembly of 14 December 1960;

2. Affirms that the policies of Portugal in claiming the Territories under its administration as "overseas" territories and as integral parts of metropolitan Portugal are contrary to the principles of the Charter and the relevant resolutions of the General Assembly and Security Council;

3. Deprecates the attitude of the Portuguese Government, its repeated violations of the principles of the United Nations Charter and its continued refusal to implement the resolutions of the General Assembly and of the Security Council;

4. Determines that the situation in the Territories under Portuguese administration is seriously disturbing peace and security in Africa; 5. Urgently calls upon Portugal to implement the following:

(a) The immediate recognition of the right of the peoples of the Territories under its administration to self-determination and independence;

(b) The immediate cessation of all acts of repression and the withdrawal of all military and other forces at present employed for that purpose;

(c) The promulgation of an unconditional political amnesty and the establishment of conditions that will allow the free functioning of political parties;

(d) Negotiations, on the basis of the recognition of the right to self-determination, with the authorized representatives of the political parties within and outside the Territories with a view to the transfer of power to political institutions freely elected and representative of the peoples, in accordance with resolution 1514 (XV);

(e) The granting of independence immediately thereafter to all the Territories under its administration in accordance with the aspirations of the peoples;

*Text in American Foreign Policy: Current Documents, 1961, pp. 888-889. 5 'Text ibid., 1962, pp. 198-200.

Text ibid., pp. 954-955.

7 Text ibid., 1960, pp. 119-120.

8 Text ibid., pp. 110–111.

6. Requests that all States should refrain forthwith from offering the Portuguese Government any assistance which would enable it to continue its repression of the peoples of the Territories under its administration, and take all measures to prevent the sale and supply of arms and military equipment for this purpose to the Portuguese Government;

7. Requests the Secretary-General to ensure the implementation of the provisions of this resolution, to furnish such assistance as he may deem necessary and to report to the Security Council by 31 October

1963.9

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"THE SETTLEMENT OF THE DANGER POSED BY THE SITUATION IN THE OVERSEAS TERRITORIES OF PORTUGAL IN AFRICA IS THE RECOGNITION AND THE APPLICATION OF THAT RIGHT OF SELF-DETERMINATION FOR THE PEOPLES OF THESE TERRITORIES”: Statement Made by the U.S. Representative (Stevenson) in the U.N. Security Council, July 31, 1963 10

11

It is the very sincere hope of the United States delegation that the resolution 11 which has just been adopted by the Council will not hinder but will contribute to the peaceful solution of the situation in the Portuguese territories.

The United States abstained on the resolution primarily because we do not believe that it is drafted in either language or form best calculated to achieve the results which we all seek as quickly and as harmoniously as possible.

In my earlier statement before the Council,12 I remarked that the aims of the resolution originally proposed by Ghana, Morocco, and the Philippines 13 were very close to our aims and that I thought that, through further consultations among the members of this Council and with the African foreign ministers, a resolution could be produced which would command more general acceptance. Consultations did take place, and I should like to express appreciation for the spirit of reasonableness, of cooperation and accommodation of the sponsors of the resolution, of the African foreign ministers and the other members of the Security Council.

As a result of these consultations, some welcome modifications which in our judgment improved the resolution were suggested and accepted by the sponsors. They have been proposed as amendments 14 by the

9 For a summary of the Secretary-General's response to this request, see Yearbook of the United Nations, 1963, pp. 484-485.

10

1° U.S.-U.N. press release 4232 (text as printed in the Department of State Bulletin, Aug. 19, 1963, pp. 307–308).

distinguished representative of Venezuela and have now been adopted by the Council. These changes have helped to relieve the apprehensions of the United States about the use of language which, in our opinion, clearly fell within the terms of chapter VII of the charter.15 We welcome the statement of the distinguished delegate of Ghana that even the wording in the resolution draft was not intended to invoke chapter VII. And we are glad to see that the language has now been further changed to leave no doubt on that score.

We regret that other objections which we had to the original text, however, still remain and that, accordingly, it was not possible to produce a full agreement among us.

I repeat in this explanation of our abstention what I have already said. While the United States cannot agree with some of the provisions of the resolution just adopted, we do agree with much of the substance of the resolution and have from the very infancy of our Republic believed in the principle of self-determination of peoples. The heart of this resolution and the settlement of the danger posed by the situation in the overseas territories of Portugal in Africa is the recognition and the application of that right of self-determination for the peoples of these territories. The Council has called on Portugal to recognize this right and to undertake negotiations on this basis. We firmly believe that the developments we all want can be achieved and can only be achieved in an orderly, peaceful manner and without further violence and suffering on both sides as a consequence of such negotiations conducted in good faith.

By its action the Council has also requested the Secretary-General to furnish such assistance as he may deem necessary to this end. This we believe is a significant provision, and the assistance of a third party may be helpful, if not indispensable, to a peaceful solution. The task could be time consuming and heavily tax the patience, the resourcefulness, and the skill of such a third party. We hope he will draw on the many resources and methods available to him in a persistent and continuing effort to insure progress. We are confident that the Secretary-General and his representatives in pursuing this formidable mission will also in accordance with his charter authority and responsibility take every possible step to reduce friction and to bring about the change in a peaceful setting. But ultimately he must count on the spirit of cooperation and accommodation of the parties. Without it there can be no satisfactory sequel to the Council's action here today.

The resolution also asks that member states refrain from the sale or the supply of arms and military equipment to Portugal for use in the Portuguese overseas territories in Africa. The United States has felt that arms supplied to Portugal for other purposes and used in its overseas territories might well contribute to an increase in friction and danger. With these considerations in mind, the United States has for a number of years followed a policy of providing no arms or military

15 Text in American Foreign Policy, 1950-1955: Basic Documents, vol. I, pp. 134-161. Chapter VII relates to action with respect to threats to the peace, breaches of the peace, and acts of aggression.

equipment to Portugal for use in these territories. And with these same objectives in mind, we have also prohibited direct export of arms and military equipment to the Portuguese territories. The United States will continue to adhere to this policy. We trust, Mr. President, that other states will exercise a similar restraint, avoiding actions of any kind which could further increase the tensions in the area and that they will cooperate fully to assure that the solution will be achieved through peaceful means.

To resolve the longstanding controversy about the future of these territories in a manner consistent with the course of history, with the wishes of all of the inhabitants, and in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations would be a great boon to this troubled world. And my Government earnestly hopes that the interested parties, with the help and the encouragement of the United Nations and all of the friends of peace, will arrive at that destination. They can count on the help, if wanted, of the Government of the United States.

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TERRITORIES UNDER PORTUGUESE ADMINISTRATION: Resolution 1913 (XVIII), Adopted by the U.N. General Assembly, December 3, 1963 1

16

The General Assembly,

Having considered the question of Territories under Portuguese administration,

Having considered the report on this question submitted by the Special Committee on the Situation with regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples,17

Having heard the petitioners,

Recalling the Declaration on the granting of independence to colonial countries and peoples contained in General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV) of 14 December 1960,18

Recalling its resolutions 1542 (XV) of 15 December 1960,19 1603 (XV) of 20 April 1961,20 1699 (XVI) of 19 December 1961,21 1742 (XVI) of 30 January 1962,22 1807 (XVII) of 14 December 1962 23 and 1819 (XVII) of 18 December 1962.2 and the Security Council resolutions of 9 June 1961 25 and 31 July 1963,26

16 U.N. General Assembly Official Records, Eighteenth Session, Supplement No. 15 (A/5515), p. 48. This resolution was adopted by a vote of 91 to 2 (Spain and Portugal), with 11 abstentions (including the U.S.).

"U.N. doc. A/5446/Rev. 1, ch. II.

18 Text in American Foreign Policy: Current Documents, 1960, pp. 110-111. 19 Text ibid., pp. 119-120.

20 Text ibid., 1961, pp. 885-886.

"Text ibid., pp. 175-176.

22

Text ibid., 1962, pp. 949-950.

Recalling in particular that the Security Council, by its resolution of 31 July 1963, urgently called upon Portugal to implement the following:

(a) The immediate recognition of the right of the peoples of the Territories under its administration to self-determination and independence,

(b) The immediate cessation of all acts of repression and the withdrawal of all military and other forces at present employed for that purpose,

(c) The promulgation of an unconditional political amnesty and the establishment of conditions that will allow the free functioning of political parties,

(d) Negotiations, on the basis of the recognition of the right to selfdetermination, with the authorized representatives of the political parties within and outside the Territories with a view to the transfer of power to political institutions freely elected and representative of the peoples, in accordance with resolution 1514 (XV),

(e) The granting of independence immediately thereafter to all the Territories under its administration in accordance with the aspirations of the peoples,

Noting with deep regret and great concern the continued refusal of the Government of Portugal to take any steps to implement the resolutions of the General Assembly and of the Security Council,

Convinced that the implementation of the aforementioned resolutions will provide the only means of obtaining a peaceful solution of the question of Territories under Portuguese administration,

1. Requests the Security Council to consider immediately the question of Territories under Portuguese administration and to adopt necessary measures to give effect to its own decisions, particularly those contained in the resolution of 31 July 1963;

2. Decides to maintain the question of Territories under Portuguese administration on the agenda of its eighteenth session.

1270th plenary meeting.

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"ALL PEOPLES HAVE THE RIGHT TO SELF-DETERMINATION": Resolution Adopted by the U.N. Security Council, December 11, 1963 27

The Security Council,

Having considered the Secretary-General's report as contained in document S/5448,

Recalling General Assembly resolution 1541 (XV) of 15 December 1960,28

U.N. doc. S/5481. This resolution was adopted at the 1083d meeting by a vote of 10 to 0, with 1 abstention (France).

28

Text in American Foreign Policy: Current Documents, 1960, pp. 116-118.