Text of the Speech made by Mr. Goldberg (United States of America) in the Security Council Meeting No. 1251 held on 5 November 1965

Text of the Speech made by Mr. Goldberg (United States of America) in the Security Council Meeting No. 1251 held on 5 November 1965

Before addressing myself to the draft resolution before us, I should like to congratulate you, Mr. President, on again assuming the presidency of the Council although I was not present at the United Nations during your previous occupancy of the presidency, your distinguished career is well known and your reputation for judicious and efficient conduct of the business of this Council are well established among your colleagues, new as well as old, and has again been confirmed in your current tenure as President. I welcome your experienced leadership in what promises-as is already clear to be a busy period of activity in this Council.

We have before us today, thanks to the diligent efforts of our colleagues in the Council, a new draft resolution on the India Pakistan question. I wish to express my appreciation particularly to the sponsors and to all of the non-permanent members, as well as the permanent members, of their patient consideration of this difficult question in an attempt again to achieve the unanimity which has characterised our actions on this subject throughout the past month as well as the present month.

I share the opinion of the representative of the Netherlands that this matter has been thoroughly explored in the private consultations which have taken place and I believe that those consultations, as this draft resolution demonstrates, I have been most constructive.

In the opinion of my Government, the draft resolution fully reflects the intent of the resolutions which this Council adapted in September and represents a necessary effort to add urgency to the aspect of those resolutions which, as the Secretary-General's impartial reports demonstrate, is the most pertinent at this time, namely, the problem of withdrawal. My delegation will vote in favour of this draft resolution and we trust that it will be supported with the same unanimity which has characterised the actions which the Council took in adopting its resolutions 209 (1965), 210 (1965), 211 (1965) and 214 (1965).

Resolution 211 (1965) made a demand of the parties. This demand, as I said at that time [1242nd meeting] in supporting the resolution, was not lightly made; no demand upon Governments, Member States, is lightly made, or should be lightly made, by the Security Council. It was a demand that voiced the sentiments of virtually all Member States, as reflected in the plenary meetings of the General Assembly, and it surely reflected world opinion. It was a demand for the acceptance of a cease-fire, and that demand was, happily, accepted by both India and Pakistan.

Today, in the draft resolution before us, the Council makes a renewed demand, a new demand, in order to assure the permanence of the cease-fire. It is a demand for unconditional acceptance of the proposal on withdrawal made by the Secretary-General. I think that I can repeat what I have just said, and what I said then, that I am sure that this demand is supported by virtually all states Members of the United Nations and supported as well by world opinion, which is looking for the restoration of peaceful conditions on the subcontinent. I may say further that, as was the case with the cease-fire, this demand is likewise in the interests of both parties concerned. The sponsors have chosen the world "demand" with the utmost seriousness, and we trust and the world has the right to expect that there will be full recognition by both parties of its weight and gravity.

The emphasis in this draft resolution on withdrawal does not, in my view, alter the even balance of resolution 211 (1965) which my Government, along with all of those who voted for that resolution, supports in its entirety. The draft resolution before us today, as has been pointed out by previous speakers, reaffirms resolution 211 (1965) in all its parts. The Council stands committed to the entire resolution and I am confident that the Council will honour this commitment. It is the stated objective of the Council, as far as Council action is concerned, that the implementation of resolution 211 (1965) should take place in sequence: cease-fire, withdrawal and the steps which the Council affirms. And I quote from that resolution:

"Decides to consider as soon as paragraph 1 of Council resolution 210 (1965) has been implemented, what steps could be taken to assist towards a settlement of the political problem underlying the present conflict, and in the meantime calls on the two Governments to utilise all peaceful means, including those listed in Article 33 of the Charter, to this end".

In this draft resolution, we reaffirm the declaration in all its parts, and this is only appropriate under the circumstances. On 20 September, when we had just passed the basic resolution which the draft before us today reaffirms, I emphasised, as President of the Council and speaking on behalf of all the members that the Council had spoken in terms of friendship to both parties. This morning, speaking for my Government, I should like again to stress this spirit of friendship, and again to call upon the parties to accept and implement today's draft resolution and to co-operate with the Secretary-General and his representatives and with all organs of the United Nations in implementing the resolution.

This is the obligation of both parties under their commitment to the Charter, to which we are all pledged, and the world hopefully looks for this necessary step of withdrawal as a further step towards the restoration of an honourable and permanent peace on the subcontinent.