Speech of the President of the Council Mr. F. Van Langenhove {Belgium)
Speech of the President of the Council Mr. F. Van Langenhove {Belgium)
The agenda includes the examination of the latter, dated I January 1948, on the situation in the State of Jammu and Kashmir, addressed by the Indian representative to the President of the Security Council.
The Security Council was convened following the receipt of the communication referred to in our agenda as document S/628. Since the notices were sent out, the Secretary-General has received a telegram from the Government of Pakistan, dated 3 January, asking for the consideration of this question to be adjourned; this telegram and also the Secretary-Gene rat's reply, referring the request to the Security Council, are given in document S/629.
Before embarking on consideration of these several communications I shall read, for the information of the Security Council, the two telegrams which I requested the Secretary-General to send to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of India and to the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Pakistan on my behalf [document S(636. These telegrams are identically worded; they read as follows:
"The Security Council is on the point of undertaking the examination of the request submitted to it by India, which invokes Article 35 of the Charter of the United Nations. Prior to such examination, and without prejudice to any decision on the part of the Council, I venture, as President of the Security Council, to address an urgent appeal to each of the two States which appear to be most closely concerned in the matter to refrain from any step incompatible with the Charter and liable to result in an aggravation of the situation, thereby rendering more difficult any action by the Security Council.
"I am addressing the same communication to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan [India].
"I have the honour to be, etc."
The two documents S/628 and S/629) seem to me to require decisions by the Security Council on the following points:
1- Should India and Pakistan be allowed to participate, in accordance with Article 31 of the Charter, in the discussion of the case submitted to the Security Council by the Government of India?
2. Should the Council grant the Pakistan Government's request to stay proceedings to enable it to prepare its case and give its delegation time to arrive?
I propose that the Council take a decision on each of the two points I have mentioned.
In the first place, are there any objections to India and Pakistan being allowed, under Article 31 of the Charter, to take part without voting in the discussion of the question brought before the Council by the Government of India?
If there is no objection I shall assume that the Council agrees to invite these two States to participate in the discussion.
I now come to the second point: should the Council approve the postponement requested by the Pakistan Government?
This raises a preliminary question: does the Council consider it necessary to invite the Indian and Pakistani representatives to participate in the consideration of this request for a postponement?
I think I am justified in saying that the presence of these two representatives would enable us to ask the Pakistan representative to specify the extent of the postponement requested by his Government and would, moreover, give the Indian representative an opportunity to state the views of his Government on this subject.
Are there any objections to the representatives of India and Pakistan being asked to take their places at the Council table at once?
As there is no objection, I assume the Council agrees.
The Secretary-General has prepared a report concerning the credentials of Mr. M.C. Setalvad, representative of the Government of India, and, in the event of his being absent, of Mr. PJ Pillai.
The Secretary-General has also prepared a report on the credentials of Sir Mohammed Zafrullah Khan, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Pakistan, and, in the event of his being absent, of Mr M.A. Hasan Ispahani.
These two reports (documents S/631 and S/633 have been circulated. I presume that they evoke no objections.
I shall not ask the representatives of India and Pakistan to take their places at the Council table.
At the invitation of the President, Mr. Pittai, representative of India, and Mr. Ispahani, representative of Pakistan, took their places at the Council Table.
The President (translated from French): The debate on the-Pakistan representative's request for an adjournment (document S/629) is now open.