Text of the Speech made by Mr. Castrillo Justiniano (Bolivia) in the Security Council Meeting No. 1116 held on 13 May 1964

Text of the Speech made by Mr. Castrillo Justiniano (Bolivia) in the Security Council Meeting No. 1116 held on 13 May 1964

In the course of a previous statement in this Council, we said, and we now repeat, that the delegation of Bolivia most profoundly admires and respects both of the countries involved in the matter which we are discussing, because of the tremendous contribution that both of them have made to the world's culture; and in view of that historical contribution we expressed the hope that they would succeed in solving their difficulties in an atmosphere of friendly understanding.

The Bolivian delegation firmly believes that the question of Jammu and Kashmir will not be settled simply by resolutions adopted by this Council, however well conceived they may be, but only through friendly and constructive talks between India and Pakistan.

During this debate, we have heard some statements inspired by a noble and healthy optimism, and others in which a certain skepticism engendered by the continuing nature of the factors which are aggravating the crisis could discerned. The Bolivian delegation does not wish to adopt either of those attitudes. It advocates a realistic view of the matter. Certainly, there are grounds for increased optimism, perhaps the strongest of which is the exchange of views between Prime Minister Nehru and Sheikh Abdullah which lasted two weeks, according to press reports. Although the results of these consultations are not yet known, it is to be hoped that they represent the start of an endeavour which will ultimately lead to the solution of this problem.

There can be no doubt that the efforts to reach a final solution must be encouraged with the interests of both sides in mind. The Security Council must not dictate decisions which might be rejected by one or other of the parties. We have learned from experience that, regardless of the amount of underlying goodwill, no resolution can be effective as long as the parties concerned are not disposed to accept it. We feel that the same consideration applies to the suggestion that the Secretary-General should offer his assistance in connection with the holding of bilateral consultations. Gation is convinced that the wise advice and cool-headed assistance of the Secretary-General would undoubtedly help to ensure that the conversations between India and Pakistan continued until a fair solution has been found to the question of Kashmir. We have the highest respect for the clear sightedness and remarkable talents of U Thant, and we have noted with great satisfaction that many of his endeavours have proved successful. For these reasons and because of the particular respect that we feel for the Secretary-General, we should like to emphasize that, in our opinion, he should accept the role which it has been suggested he should play in regard to Jammu and Kashmir, provided that this meets the wishes of the Governments of India and Pakistan and that they clearly express their agreement.

The Bolivian delegation stresses once again that countries such as India and Pakistan, which were linked together in the past, should rather fight together for more noble causes, for peace and progress, through proper economic and social development.

Mr. President, I wish to forgo the interpretation into French and English, as I am entitled to do under the relevant rules.