20011948 Speech made by Mr. Lopez, Representative of Colombia in the Security Council Meeting on Draft Resolution held on 20th January 1948
20011948 Speech made by Mr. Lopez, Representative of Colombia in the Security Council Meeting on Draft Resolution held on 20th January 1948
I just wish to add a few remarks to what has been said by the representative of the United Kingdom. The draft resolution which has been presented to the Security Council seems to me to meet very fully the needs of the situation, and in my view it should prove highly satisfactory to both parties in the light of the opinions which they have expressed this morning.
According to Clause D of the draft resolution the Commission would first address itself to the general question and then to other matters mentioned in the letter from the Foreign Minister of Pakistan [document SJ646] when the Security Council so directs. As I see it, we can proceed to set up this Commission and, following the precedent that has been established so successfully under the very able chairmanship of the President, the representatives of India and Pakistan can meet again with the President and ascertain whether there are further points which should be brought to the attention of the Security Council and on which they cannot agree without reference back to that body.
I believe that the outlook is extremely encouraging. Not only should the parties be congratulated on the results achieved so far, but the Security Council should congratulate; itself on the opportunity it has been given to recover, as it were, the ground lost on previous occasions. As it stands today, this matter is of great assistance to the Security Council and will help it to improve its position very much in the eyes of public opinion. I believe, further, that it marks a very decided improvement in relation to the two previous questions —those of Greece and Indonesia.
In this draft resolution we have reached a later stage which is a decidedly better one and seems to open the way for a more successful operation of the Security Council. I therefore not only support the resolution but also wish to add the expression of my very high appreciation of the ability with which the President of the Security Council has been handling the matter. (SCOR, 3rd Year, Mtg. no. 230, p. 139)
It seems to me that there is a very substantial difference, that should be pointed out, between the Indonesian Committee and the commission that is proposed under this draft resolution. In the Indonesian case, we could not set up a commission of the Security Council because it was vetoed. Much as we argued in favour of a commission, we could not bring the majority of the Security Council to accept our point of view in favour of that commission, whereas in the present case, the position is extremely clear and, to my mind, it is very much in accordance with the spirit of the very principle of conciliation.
The two parties to this dispute have come to the Security Council expressing both their confidence in the Security Council and their willingness to reach an understanding. By every one of their acts since they came to the Security Council they have shown rather unmistakably that they want to reach an agreement.
It seems to me it is only too clear that, as they themselves have begun to establish the basis for an agreement in the appointment of the proposed commission, we should in turn be only too glad to accept the principle of this initial step.
I should go even further and say that I am rather inclined to imagine it would be ideal, in case of any further disputes, to have the parties come to the Security Council in the same spirit and with the same avowed purpose of reaching an understanding in applying for our cooperation. I really believe that nothing better can be done under the circumstances. The parties are on the road to an amicable settlement. They have applied for our cooperation; they have suggested that this is the best way to resolve the dispute, and we should gladly accept this settlement. I am very glad that the differences between the parties have been made clear.The Indonesian question has not yielded such satisfactory results for the very reason that the jurisdiction of Security Council in the case was not very clearly established, whereas in the present instance no doubt is entertained in that respect, either by the parties or by any member of the Security Council, and we all seem to be agreed as to how we shall proceed.
(SCOR, 3rd Year, Mtg. no. 230, pp. 141-142)