EVERSINCE the signing of the Geneva Agreements many new developments occurred in the world as well as in our own country. In the world, in order to neutralize the effects and the results of the Geneva Conference, the Americans have been doing their utmost to speed up the setting up of aggressive military alliances, to push ahead armament races and preparations for an atomic war, thus increasing world tension. Meanwhile, taking advantage of the great success achieved in the Geneva Conference, peace movements in all countries have been gaining in strength, forces of the camp of peace and democracy led by the Soviet Union are more powerful and united than ever before.
In our country, we have scored great successes as a result of the implementation of the Armistice Agreements during the last months. Liberated North Vietnam is now being consolidated in every field. The whole Vietnamese people are now tightening and broadening their unity in their struggle for peace and unity. A general look at the situation in the whole of Indo-China leads us to say that the strict implementation of the Armistice Agreements by our troops in Cambodia and Laos has practically laid a groundwork for future good relations between our people and the peoples of the two neighbouring countries. In South East Asia the role of some progressive countries, such as of India, Indonesia, Burma regarding the consolidation of peace, is more and more apparent.
On the other hand, the American imperialists, the French colonialists opponents of the Armistice Agreements and the Ngo dinh Diem clique have been violating and sabotaging a number of important provisions of the Geneva Agreements. They have been endeavouring to increase military potential in South Vietnam, to divide our country, to turn South Vietnam into an American military base. Meanwhile they have been trying their best to win over Cambodia and Laos. They are making frantic preparations for war in South East Asia and concurrently, are increasing their intervention in Tai-wan and South Korea. As a result of this, the situation in our country and in Asia is also becoming more strained.
Immediately after the signing of the Geneva Agreements, President Ho chi Minh, the Lao Dông Party and the Government set forth to the whole people the task of strictly abiding by and thoroughly implementing the Armistice Agreements.
Today, despite the fact that some changes have been brought to the situation, the policy of our Government remains the same: we continue to act up to the Agreements we have signed. We resolutely struggle to prevail upon the opposite side to abide by, and implement the Agreements.
The impending danger we are confronted with is the American imperialists’ plot to divide our country, to seize South Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, to prepare for a new war. In the struggle for the implementation of the Geneva Armistice Agreements, the struggle for consolidating peace cannot be separated from that for national unity. “Only when peace is consolidated can we have conditions to advance towards unity through general elections. Reversely, the struggle for the achievement of unity brings a very important contribution to the work of consolidating peace”.
We should resolutely struggle against the wreckers of peace and unity, the sabotagiors of the Agreements. We should resolutely struggle against the American imperialists, the French colonialists opponents of the Armistice Agreements and their agents, the Ngo Dinh Diem clique. Their violations of the Agreements have been many a time exposed by our government. Our people’s feeling is running high against them. The “campaign against American imperialists” is embracing larger and larger sections of the masses. We should educate the whole people to realise clearly who is our foremost enemy and the enemy of peace and unity, to keep up the fighting spirit of our people and give them confidence in the final victory.
We should achieve broad unity in the country, we should unite ourselves with every person who stands for peace, unity, independence and democracy, we should unite with the peace-loving peoples all over the world, with the peoples of friendly countries, with the people of France and those of South East Asian countries. Only by so doing can we isolate the American imperialists and their agents.
Concretely speaking, in the fight for the implementation of the Armistice Agreements, we should oppose every scheme aimed at increasing military potential in South Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, aimed at introducing reinforcements in the form of new arms and military personal as well as at setting up new military bases. We should continue to struggle against the South East Asian military alliance.
We should struggle to prevail upon French Union Forces to carry out the withdrawal of their troops from the Haiphong perimeter, in strict abidance by the conditions stipulated in the Armistice Agreements and make careful preparations for the take-over of Haiphong. At the same time, on our side, we should see that the transfer of our troops from the 5th interzone to North Vietnam be safely performed and in good time.
We should struggle so that the above-mentioned provision concerning freedom of residence will be implemented in accordance with the spirit of the Agreements. Those who would like to go are free to do so, those who choose to remain are free to do so and the displaced people in South Vietnam must be allowed to return to North Vietnam if so is their desire. We should oppose every scheme designed to entice and coerce our compatriots in the North to go to the South, to prevent our displaced countrymen in the South from coming back to North Vietnam and to repress our compatriots in the South.
We should fight for the carrying out of a policy of non-discrimination for guarantee of democratic liberties for persons and organizations who have collaborated with either side during the hostilities. We should oppose the terrorist policy and the cancellation of democratic liberties now being practised in South Vietnam.
Concerning the unification of Vietnam through general elections, paragraph 7 of the Final Declaration of the Geneva Conference says:
“The Conference declares that, so far as Vietnam is concerned, the settlement of political problems, effected on the basis of respect for the principles of independence, unity and territorial integrity, shall permit the Vietnamese people to enjoy the fundamental freedoms guaranteed by democratic institutions established as a result of free general elections by secret ballot.
In order to ensure that sufficient progress in the restoration of peace has been made, and that all the necessary conditions obtained for free expression of the national will, general elections shall be held in July 1956, under the supervision of an international commission composed of representatives of the Member states of the International Supervisory Commission, referred to in the Agreement on the cessation of hostilities. Consultations will be held on this subject between the competent representative authorities of the two zones from 20-4-1955 onwards.”
We should right now prepare for the convening of a consultative conference to discuss with the opposite side on the question of generals elections. In order to create favourable conditions for the consultative conference, our Government has made a statement on the reestablishment of normal relations between North and South Vietnam. Our administration in the North and our compatriots of both zones should endeavour their best to reestablish and develop the above relations in every field: economic, cultural and social.
With regard to the Joint Commission of Armistice which is the body entrusted with the task of discussing the implementation of the Agreements’ provisions, we make it a point to try our best to settle every question through negotiations within this Commission.
With regard to the International Commission for Supervision and Control of the Armistice in Vietnam, we mean to help it and cooperate with it. In the past months, the International Commission has made many efforts and scored definite results, thus contributing to the consolidation of peace and the implementation of the Armistice Agreements. If the opposite side had sincerely abided by the Agreements, these results would have been greater.
The struggle for the implementation of the Agreements, for consolidating peace, achieving unity, completing independence and democracy throughout the country, is a long, hard and complicated one.
But we have with us the forces of liberated North Vietnam, the forces of the population throughout Vietnam from North to South. We are enjoying the sympathy and support of the peoples of the world and of the French people. We have with us the correct political line of President Ho chi Minh, of the Lao Dông Party and the Government. We have a firm legal basis, the Geneva Agreements.
The might of the unity of our people and of the peoples in the world plays a decisive role.
The will for peace and unity of the whole Vietnamese people constitutes a decisive force.
In the course of our long drawn-out war of resistance, the force of unity and the fighting spirit of the whole Vietnamese people, their unbounded confidence in President Ho chi Minh, in the Lao Dông Party and the Government did help us overcome every difficulty, endure every hardship, frustrate the aggressive schemes of the French and American imperialists and secure victory.
In the present struggle for implementing the Armistice Agreements, for consolidating peace, achieving unity, completing independence and democracy throughout the country, the force of unity, the fighting spirit and the confidence of our whole people will certainly help overcome every difficulty, endure every hardship, will defeat the schemes of American imperialists, of the French colonialists opponents of the Armistice Agreements and their agents, the Ngo dinh Diem clique, aimed at dividing our national territory and preparing for a new war.
The American imperialists and their agents are choosing the path of preparation for war, they are plotting to divide our country to sabotage the Armistice Agreements. They go counter to the fundamental and just aspirations of our people and those of the peoples in the world. They will certainly be defeated.
The whole Vietnamese people are for the consolidation of peace, for the unity of our country, for the adherence to the Armistice Agreements. Our cause is just. We shall certainly win.