30011957 Text of the speech made by Mr. Krishna Menon (India) in the Security Council meeting No. 766 held on 30 January 1957.

30011957 Text of the speech made by Mr. Krishna Menon (India) in the Security Council meeting No. 766 held on 30 January 1957.

I have listened with attention to the statement made by the representative of Pakistan; and the Council, in its wisdom and in accordance with its usual practice, would not expect me to reply now to that statement, which goes into detail and traverses some of the refutations that we have made. How ever, I should like to say at this stage that when the quotations-either attributed to my statement before this Council or taken from other documents-are placed in the context of the whole of the quotations I made in the Council, as they will be when I make my response, perhaps the picture that emerges will be rather different. I have no desire at all to refer to the various uncomplimentary observations about my country, because we are really discussing the question of Kashmir arising from the letter of the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Government of Pakistan of 2 January 1957.

I have difficulties with regard to some of these matters also because there have been references today to the procedures between some date in 1952 and the present time. This covers two procedures: one is the procedures with which the United Nations Representative was connected with regard to demilitarization, and the other is the procedure of direct talks between the Prime Ministers of Pakistan and India. The Council may remember that I referred to this latter question on the first day when I spoke. So far as we are concerned, any further discussion of the matter will require some clearance of documents. I have before me documents relating to the matter, but the markings on them preclude me from referring to them without proper authority.

Hence, with the consent and in accordance with the usual practice of the Council, my delegation before replying will make the proper study of the observations made today, as contained in the verbatim record which will be circulated by the Secretariat in due course, and will obtain the necessary instructions with regard to the questions raised.

I wish, however, to place it on record that many of the statements made with regard to our fellow citizens in India are of a character which we regard as extremely regrettable and, of course, are untrue. It is a matter of some pride for us that in our country the difference of faith has no effect either on liberty or on opportunity. I do not wish to go into this matter in a piecemeal fashion or to burden the Council with the general problems of India, which are not before the Council. So far, however, as statements are made which are calculated to have the propaganda effect of casting a slur on the name of India, I must refer to these statements in my next address to the Council-although I shall keep such references to the minimum. I do wish to comment now on one matter to which reference has just been made. The Foreign Minister of Pakistan has said that, at the 763rd meeting, I referred to only part of his statement. As the Council well knows, the patience of representatives was already being taxed at that point, but when the Foreign Minister of Pakistan interrupted me, I read out the entire statement. I do not know whether my error was in being brief or in being long In any event, the document is before the Council.

I have no other observations to make at the present time, except that, subject to the Council's convenience and normal practice, I shall make my reply after having made the necessary preparations. It is my duty, so far, as I am able to do so, to enlighten the Security Council on these matters. Grave allegations and insinuations have been made to the effect that my country either is guilty or wishes to get out of some international obligation. We are not prepared to accept that position. Nor are we prepared to accept the position that, in regard to the State of Jammu and Kashmir, the only valid international agreements binding Pakistan and India and here I refer not to contractual obligations, but to the context of the consideration of the present question-are the Security Council resolutions. Our two States emerged from certain sources common to us, sources which we accepted as the basis of our division. In this connexion, there have been misquotations of documents, to which I shall refer on a future occasion.

We shall also, I suppose, have to give the Council some information with regard to the refutation of facts-to take a trivial example, the length of runway necessary for a jet fighter to take off. Perhaps the Foreign Minister of Pakistan does not appreciate the fact that I have to deal with these matters. But facts of that kind have come into the picture a great deal in today's observations.

Questions have been addressed to the representative of India, and in that connexion I shall have to get clearance from the Government of India.