29101957 Text of the Speech made by Mr. Jarring (Sweden) in the Security Council Meeting No. 798 held on 29 October 1957

 Text of the Speech made by Mr. Jarring (Sweden) in the Security Council Meeting No. 798 held on 29 October 1957

I have listened very attentively to the statements which have been made during the present debate on my report on the India-Pakistan question. I wish to take this opportunity to express my gratitude for the kind words of appreciation in the report which have been spoken in this Council.

In asking to speak at this stage, I do not intend to make any additions to or comments upon my report. Nor do I feel that having submitted it, I should now offer an interpretation of the report. The report reflects this situation relating to the India-Pakistan question as I saw it, in the light of the mandate I received from the Security Council, at the time of my visit to India and Pakistan. The report must consequently speak for itself.

In my report, I established that a deadlock had been reached between India and Pakistan on Part I of the resolution of 13 August 1948, and in particular on paragraphs B and E of that part. In continuing over efforts to find a way towards a settlement of the India-Pakistan question, I think that should give this problem our special attention. Every proposal for a constructive settlement thereof which might be put forward should, in the opinion of the Swedish Government, be submitted to the most careful examination.

Before I proceed, I should like to recall that the Swedish Government, as other members of the Council well know, has during the current year suggested that certain legal aspects of the question might be referred to the International Court of Justice for an advisory opinion. My Government still maintains that this suggestion should, at an appropriate moment, be carefully considered. Although such a moment can hardly be said to exist today, my Government would nevertheless be interested to learn the attitudes, in principle, of the parties to this suggestion.

During the debate at the Council's 797th meeting, the United Kingdom and United States representatives indicated that it might be advisable to let the United Nations representative for India and Pakistan, Mr. Frank P. Graham, who is eminently qualified for this difficult task, resumed his conversations with the two Governments, with a view to putting forward recommendations for a settlement based on the two resolutions adopted by the Commission for India and Pakistan in 1948 and 1929, by which the two parties have declared themselves bound. Should such a suggestion meet with general support, the Swedish Government will raise no objections, despite what I have already said concerning the desirability of seeking an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice Our hope is that the parties will be able to find their way to a settlement of the question through negotiation. This would be in conformity with the wishes often expressed by the parties for a peaceful settlement within the framework of the United Nations-those wishes to which I have permitted myself to draw the Council's attention in the concluding words of my report.