18111957 Text of the Speech made by Mr. Araujo (Colombia) in the Security Council Meeting No. 803 held on 18 November 1957

Text of the Speech made by Mr. Araujo (Colombia) in the Security Council Meeting No. 803 held on 18 November 1957

My delegation has listened with particular attention and, of course, with deep respect, to the important statements made in support of their respective views by the spokesmen for India and Pakistan. We have given the same consideration to the statements of the other members of the Security Council, and we support the constructive, the really positive suggestion put forward by the representatives of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Sweden, France and Australia in order to advance this matter and bring it to a successful conclusion. This explains my delegation's support for the joint draft resolution which it has co-sponsored together with the representatives of Australia, the United States of America, the Philippines, and the United Kingdom.

The draft resolution before us in no way, not even by a single line, changes the final goal which the Security Council has sought since 1948, with the express consent of the parties concerned, namely, that a solution to this problem should be found by means of a free and impartial plebiscite in which the peoples of Jammu and Kashmir would determine their legal status. The fulfilment of this fundamental premise will constitute what we might call the birth certificate of a new life for these two provinces, and the incidents that have occurred have done nothing to invalidate all the proposals and resolutions adopted by the Security Council, which also reflect the position always held by the Colombian delegation in this matter.

Now we are entrusting to the skill, the intelligence, the authority and the recognized experience of Mr. Graham the task of approaching the two disputing Governments in order to diminish the areas of disagreement and to bring closer the goal I referred to previously. It is necessary, of course and this is a basic prerequisite of the proposal which we are co-sponsoring -that the two parties should cooperate sincerely and in a real spirit of understanding with Mr. Graham. My delegation trusts that the resentment and differences. to which our proposal may at times have given rise will disappear without leaving any trace of bitterness.

So far, we have heard no other proposal which would serve peace and the settlement we have in mind so well. Therefore, until some other proposal within the framework, the limitations, and the approach laid down by the Security Council is presented to us, we must hope that the Council will give this proposal its unanimous support.