Text of the Speech made by Sir Patrick Dean (United Kingdom) in the Security Council Meeting No. 1116 held on 13 May 1964

Text of the Speech made by Sir Patrick Dean (United Kingdom) in the Security Council Meeting No. 1116 held on 13 May 1964

The basic position of my Government on the Kashmir dispute is well known and I have at this stage nothing to add on this topic. Since the Council last discussed Kashmir, certain developments have taken place in the sub-continent which ought to be taken into account.

My delegation expressed the view on 10 February 1964 [1090th meeting] that the first step towards finding common ground between India and Pakistan should be that both India and Pakistan should restore normal conditions and inter communal harmony in their two countries, and forthwith undertake talks on their communal problems, with a view to preventing further outbreaks.

We note with very great satisfaction that a meeting between the Ministers for Home Affairs of India and Pakistan has been held to this end, and that a further meeting between them is planned in order to resolve points left outstanding at the earlier meeting. My Government attaches the greatest importance to these meetings of representatives of the Governments of India and Pakistan as a means of reducing dangerous tensions on the subcontinent. As the Prime Minister of India, Mr. Nehru, said in a statement in the Indian Parliament on 13 April 1964: "There is other way for India and Pakistan to live except to live at peace."

The second development since the Council last met is that Sheikh Abdullah has been released, and has been having discussions with Mr. Nehru and other Indian Ministers in Delhi. We note that in his statements he also has laid great stress on the prime necessity of restoring amity between India and Pakistan as neighbours in the subcontinent.

Time is required for the constructive developments to which I have referred to yield their results. We therefore believe that the Council should content itself with encouraging the parties to continue the consultations which are in train in order that an honourable solution, satisfactory to the peoples of India and Pakistan, including, of course, the people of Kashmir themselves, may be reached. If at any stage they believe that a degree of outside assistance would be helpful, my delegation would urge the parties to consider the possibility of engaging the assistance of the Secretary-General of the United Nations.

The Kashmir dispute remains of concern to the United Nations as a whole, but if the parties most directly concerned, including the people of Kashmir, reach a mutually acceptable conclusion, it will have the whole-hearted endorsement of my Government and, I would expect, of the Security Council.