Discurso de encerramento do presidente do Comité especial

CLOSING STATEMENT IN KINSHASA BY THE CHAIRMAN OF THE SPECIAL COMMITTEE On behalf of the Special Committee I wish to convey to His Excellency the Foreign Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mr. Justin Bomboko, our sincere appreciation of his encouraging address. If i may say so the address he has just delivered to the Committee clearly reflects the position of his Government in the vanguard of active support for the struggle for the liberation of colonial peoples, its dedicated to the sims embodied in the United Nations Charter, and its complete solidarity with the objectives and efforts of the Committee. The Special Committee, after a week of deliberation in the service of decolonization, has now come to close on its meeting at Kinshasa. Thanks to the lavish hospitality, co-operation and goodwill of the Government and people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Committee’s meeting at Kinshasa have taken place in an atmosphere which leaves nothing to be desired. Thanks in particular to the facilities provided by the Congolese Government none of the technical prerequisites for a successful session has been lacking. On behalf of the Special Committee, I should therefore like to express deep gratitude to the President, Government and the people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. I wish to assure them that the impetus which the Congolese Government has given the Committee through its co-operation, good-will and participation in our work, will be an important source of sustenance during the remainder of our journey. Members of the Committee have been very happy to visit Kinshasa because they have thus had an opportunity to strengthen contacts, links and friendships with the warm vital and dynamic Congolese people. The visit has also given members an opportunity to sense at first hand the attachment of the Congo to the cause of freedom, its concern to eliminate all vestiges of colonialism for its system, and its progress in the consolidation of its independence. Here in Kinshasa the Special Committee has heard eleven groups of petitioners concerning the Territories under Portuguese domination. Members have been horrified by the additional and incontrovertible evidence submitted to the Committee concerning the atrocities and acts of genocide being carried out by the Portuguese colonialists against people whose only demand is for the exercise of the right of self-determination. We have heard further evidence as to the continued assistance, material as well as moral, which certain of the friends and allies of Portugal, together foreign economic and other interests, are giving to the Salazar regime in the pursuit of its brutal colonial policies. At the same time members have found encouragement in the news of the unremitting struggle being waged with increasing intensity by the national liberation movements seeking to free themselves from the yoke of the oppressors. We have also noted the commendable efforts being made by these movements to advance the social and material welfare of the Angolan people in the liberated areas and of the Angolan refugees in the Congo. Lastly, in the same connection we have obtained direct knowledge of the difficulties and needs of the national liberation movements -- their difficulties in assisting the hundreds of thousands of refugees from Angola, and their urgent need for assistance from the High Commissioner for Refugees and from the specialized agencies particularly in the fields of education and health. The Committee has thus acquired deeper insight and greater understanding of the suffering and the legitimate aspirations of the people of Angola, including the enclave Cabinda. This fact constitutes yet another justification of the positive initiative taken by the committee in deciding to hold a series of meeting in Kinshasa. Evidently the mass of information that the Committee has received would not have available had it not facilitated the appearance of petitioners before it by meeting here in Kinshasa. Further it would be a disservice to the cause of decolonization, were we always to expect the leaders of the national liberation movements to relinquish their direction of the struggle so as to appear before the Committee in New York. Their struggle although difficult, is as just as it is urgent, for the rights of which their people are being denied are inalienable. Needless to say, the Special Committee is in full support of their struggle, and will redouble its efforts to hasten the independence of Angola. The Committee has just adopted an important consensus calling for the intensification of aid to the refugees from the Territories under Portuguese administration, in consultation with the Organization for African Unity and though the Organization of African Unity with the national liberation movement in those Territories. Nevertheless, I would remind petitioners that the action of the Committee will not, of course, be limited to that consensus. It goes without saying that after we have heard the other petitioners who have asked to appear before it at the other capitals to be visited, the Committee will proceed to the adoption of conclusions and recommendations concerning all aspects of the problem, and these conclusions will take full account of the valuable testimony furnished to it as Kinshasa. In conclusion, let me once again re-iterate my plans for unity among the liberation movements -- unity of thought, purpose and action. Only in such unity can colonialism be eliminated, only in such freedom and independence be achieved for the people of Angola. May I, Mr. Foreign Minister, on behalf on the Committee of 24 request that you convey our gratitude for the hospitality extended to us, first to Hide Excellency President Joseph Mobutu, particularly for honouring our meeting with his address. Secondly, the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and finally to all the people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo with whom we were privileged to come into contact despite the fact that we were very busy and whose friendliness greatly impressed us. Finally, I want to thank all those who in so many ways have contributed to the smooth running of our meetings.