15061962 Text of the Speech made by Mr. Stevenson (United States of America) in the Security Council Meeting No. 1012 held on 15 June 1962

Text of the Speech made by Mr. Stevenson (United States of America) in the Security Council Meeting No. 1012 held on 15 June 1962

Mr. President, first, let me thank you and the other members of the Council for your kindness and courtesy in re arranging the hour of this meeting to accomodate me. My schedule, unfortunately, makes it necessary for me to be absent this afternoon and I wanted to express even briefly a few views on the subject of Kashmir before leaving.

The United States, as much as any Member of our Organization, regrets that this fourteen-year old dispute between two great countries, with both of whom we enjoy the friendliest of relations, has yet to be resolved and is still on our agenda of unfinished business of great importance. It has commanded the attention and taxed the resourcefulness of the members of the Security Council on many occasions and for long intervals of time during these years. Since 1948 some of the most illustrious statesmen ever associated with this Organization have laboured long and hard to advance a solution. General. McNaughton of Canada, Sir Owen Dixon of Australia, Mr. Gunnar V. Jarring of Sweden and, since 1951, the present United Nations representative for India and Pakistan on this question, a distinguished citizen of my country, Mr. Frank P. Graham, have all brought their wisdom and experience to bear on this stubborn problem.

Although their efforts and those of the United Nations Commission for India and Pakistan and the Security Council have not yet been rewarded by success, I am sure I express the views of most of the members of the Council that we all have a duty to preserve in our search for a solution to this dispute. a dispute which has poisoned not only the relations between the two countries principally concerned, but which also threatens the peace of the sub-continent.

It has seemed to my delegation that the best approach at this stage of the prolonged debate is to take for a point of departure the area of common ground which exists between the two parties. I refer of course to the United Nations Commission for India and Pakistan (UNCIP) resolutions of 13 August 1948 and 5 January 1949, which were accepted by both parties and which in essence provide for demilitarisation of the territory and a plebiscite whereby the population may freely decide the future status of Jammu and Kashmir. Certainly there can be no misunderstanding of paragraph 1 of the UNCIP resolution of 5 January 1949 which reads as follows:

"The question of the accession of the State of Jammu and Kashmir to India or Pakistan will be decided through the democratic method of a free and impartial plebiscite".

Furthermore, this is in full conformity with the principle. of the self-determination of peoples which is enshrined in Article 1 of the Charter as one of the very purposes for which the United Nations exists.

Numerous resolutions have been adopted by the Security Council with a view to furthering the implementation of the UNCIP resolutions. Pursuant to the terms of several of these resolutions, Mr. Graham, with the indefatigable patience of the peace-maker, has made repeated suggestions to the two parties for practical steps for demilitarisation and a plebiscite. His last report, dated 28 March 1958, relates in detail his efforts in accordance with the terms of the most recent resolution of the Council on this subject. Unfortunately, one of the parties to the dispute was unable to agree to the five recommendations made by Mr. Graham during his visit to the sub-continent in January and February 1958.

In spite of the long standing and sometimes discouraging history of this dispute, I repeat that we must not lose heart. In his most recent report, Mr. Graham, after reporting the lack of agreement on his five recommendations, makes a further recommendation which, it seems to my delegation, has great relevance today, four years later. In his report, Mr. Graham

states as follows: ".. I still express to the Council the hope that the two Governments will keep under consideration the proposal for a high level conference. I trust that, in their further consideration, they will find it possible promptly them selve to make, without prejudice to their respective positions on the Kashmir question, preparations for holding, within the framework of the Charter of the United Nations, such a conference at the earliest practicable date, covering questions of time, place, auspices and agenda. The agenda, as the parties might choose, might include the basic differences which the parties find to stand in the way of a settlement and such other matters as the parties might find would contribute to 'progress toward the implementation of the resolutions of the United Nations Commission for India and Pakistan of 13 August 1948 and 5 January 1949 and towards a peaceful settlement'."

We believe that this suggestion deserves the most careful consideration by the members of the Security Council. It was with a view toward facilitating such a high-level conference that President Kennedy offered the services of Mr. Eugene Black, President of the World Bank, to explore with each head of Government the outlines and prospects for negotiations and discussions which hopefully might lead to a final resolution of this troubled and contentious matter.

To our regret, this offer was not accepted by one of the parties. We are convinced that a high-level conference between India and Pakistan which, we believe, would be facilitated by such an exploration, would enable the parties to ascertain the precise areas of disagreements between them and should, we hope, induce that spirit of compromise and magnanimity on both sides without which no problem can ever be truly solved.

In any event, this Council must be prepared in such ways as it can to assist the parties in moving this dispute off dead centre. India and Pakistan-these two neighbours who share the same sub-continent, who spring from the same national soil, who possess so much common history and who together contain such an impressive share of the world's population - have now too long dissipated their energies and their resources in this costly conflict.

By removing this dispute, the parties concerned can set an example for statesmen everywhere and can contribute significantly to the cause of world peace The larger interest of South Asia's peace and security require, it seems to us, the prompt settlement of the Kashmir dispute. We are confident the other members of the Security Council share our conviction that the Council has a definite responsibility to use its best efforts to ensure that such a settlement be attained.