Text of the Speech made by Mr. Fedorenko (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) in the Security Council Meeting No. 1247 held on 25 October 1965

Text of the Speech made by Mr. Fedorenko (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) in the Security Council Meeting No. 1247 held on 25 October 1965

Mr. President, allow us to associate ourselves with the congratulations addressed to you by members of the Council. We greatly esteem the qualities and abilities of the scholar and diplomat who has assumed the position of President of the highest organ of the United Nations, an organ which bears the chief responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. Experience, as we know, is acquired and enriched through practice, and we wish you every success in your efforts in this august and very difficult post.

Polemics on procedural matters have gone to excessive lengths at this meeting. This is liable to create an unfavourable atmosphere for the discussion of the substance of the items on today's agenda. We are clearly moving towards a situation in which the substance will be replaced by a polemical discussion on procedure and formalities. An unusual and, indeed, strange situation is being created in the Council, in which we are turning over and over again to discussion of the agenda which we adopted at the very beginning of today's meeting.

It is our conviction that our most important task at present is to secure strict observance of the cease-fire agreement in the area of the Indo-Pakistan conflict. Unfortunately, we know that violations of the cease-fire agreement are continuing, and this might have very dangerous consequences for peace in the area. Obviously our main attention should be concentrated on matters connected with the direct settlement of the armed conflict and, first of all, on scrupulous observance of the cease-fire agreement, which would create more favourable conditions for seeking a solution to other questions that both sides can accept.

That is in fact the principle behind Council resolution 211 (1965), which clearly provides in paragraph 4 that only after a cease-fire and the subsequent withdrawal of all armed personnel will consideration be given to the question of what steps could be taken to assist towards a settlement of the political problem underlying the present conflict. The conclusion is obvious.

At the present time, when these decisions of the Council calling for a complete cease-fire and the withdrawal of armed personnel have still not been fully implemented, it would hardly be in keeping with the spirit and letter of resolution 211 (1965). for it to consider other aspects of the problem. Accordingly, it is our view that at this stage the Council's discussion should be on questions directly connected with the settlement of the armed conflict between India and Pakistan. That is how we

understand the agenda adopted for this meeting of the Council. The Soviet delegation will not insist on consecutive interpretation of its statement into the other languages in view of the time factor will subject to the usual understanding in the Council on this question.