Text of the Speech made by Mr. Vesga Duarte (Colombia) in the Security Council Meeting No. 765 held on 24 January 1957

Text of the Speech made by Mr. Vesga Duarte (Colombia) in the Security Council Meeting No. 765 held on 24 January 1957

co-sponsoring the draft resolution before the Council, may delegation is maintaining the stand it has taken on earlier occasions in the Security Council. By a happy coincidence Colombia was a member of the Council in 1948 when this question was first brought before us. We then took the position we are taking today; it was and is our intention to cooperate to the best of our ability with the majority of the Council members with a view to securing a peaceful solution of this dispute between those two great nations, Pakistan and India.

I might perhaps add that our interest in the India-Pakistan question to some extent reflects Latin America's understanding of this type of problem; we remember that when we gained our independence from our respective mother countries, we also had similar problems among ourselves. Experience has taught us that lasting solutions can only be obtained by peaceful means.

As the majority of representatives who have spoken have explained, this proposal is primarily concerned with procedure. We know that in international affairs procedure almost everything and it is therefore most important that should be understood that in reaffirming earlier Council resolutions, as the co- sponsors of the draft resolution ask the Council to do, we are not taking a position on the substance of the problem, but simply indicating the means whereby a future solution may be sought through peace and understanding between those two great Asian countries, India and Pakistan. Like the representative of Cuba, I wish to express my admiration for the remarkable statement by the representative of India, who, for over eight hours, was able to hold the Council's attention, thanks to his amazing dialectic ability, and I was happy to note that at the end of his statement he expressed a desire which I believe to be a sincere one that a peaceful, permanent and lasting solution may be found to this problem.

In co-sponsoring this draft resolution, Colombia hopes that wish, which is shared by all, may be fulfilled as rapidly as possible.