Text of the speech made by Mr. Georges Picot (France) in the Security Council Meeting No 769 held on 15 February 1957.

Text of the speech made by Mr. Georges Picot (France) in the Security Council Meeting No 769 held on 15 February 1957.

The French delegation has listened with the greatest attention to the statements during the past few weeks of the divergent views of Pakistan and India.

The Kashmir question is a subject of grave concern to all Governments who are anxious to safeguard the maintenance of peace and to bring about a democratic solution of outstanding problems throughout the world. During the past nine years, the question of the future of the Princely State of Jammu. and Kashmir, an outcome of the partition of the Indian Empire, has been a source of more or less permanent discord in the sub-continent.

shall not recall the incidents by which this long dispute has been characterised, shall merely point out that it is the duty of the Security Council, in pursuance of its fundamental task, to do its utmost to prevent any repercussions, however localised, which might rapidly flare up into a conflict. The Council is in duty bound to exert every effort to bring about a peaceful solution based on the principles of the Charter. Such a solution should be accepted with goodwill by the parties, even if it calls for some sacrifices from them both.

The French delegation therefore supports the draft resolution presented by the delegations of Australia, Cuba, the United Kingdom and the United States of America [S/3787]. It considers reasonable to request our President to examine proposals for a settlement which, although based on previous resolutions of the Security Council, would take into account the arguments advanced by both parties in this room over the past few weeks.

The draft resolution before the Council is not in the nature of a substantive decision. It confines itself to prescribing a fact finding measure and the Council will take no decision on the solution of the Kashmir problem until it has heard the report of its President. I do not therefore think that the final phrase of operative paragraph 1, which reads: "bearing in mind the statements of the representatives of the Governments of India and Pakistan and the proposal for the use of a temporary United Nations forces", should be regarded as anything but an indication.

The President of the Council will undoubtedly examine with the Governments of India and Pakistan all the aspects, both juridical and practical, of the use of such a force. In the circumstances, it seems to me that any objections which the parties, or the members of the Council, might have to any given formula are fully reserved.

The French delegation earnestly hopes that the mission to be entrusted in the President of the Security Council under the draft resolution before us will prove successful. Mr. SOBOLEV (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) The Soviet delegation reserves the right to speak on the substance of the draft resolution after the Council has heard the statements of the parties concerned in this matter, that is to say, of the representatives of India and Pakistan.