05111965 Text of the Speech made by Mr. E.L. Farra (Jordan) in the Security Council Meeting No. 1251 held on 5 November 1965

Text of the Speech made by Mr. E.L. Farra (Jordan) in the Security Council Meeting No. 1251 held on 5 November 1965

My first pleasant duty is to extend to you, Mr. President, on behalf of my Government and on my own behalf our warmest congratulations on your assuming again the Presidency of the Council for this month. Your past experience as Professor of law, culture and history, your well known record as a diplomat and a statesman, your tact and wisdom, all these high qualities will, I am sure, contribute to the success of our work.

We have before us a draft resolution submitted by five non permanent members of the Security Council. This draft resolution is the result of much consultation and hard work, and my delegation pays tribute to the co-sponsors for their patience and constructive efforts. We wish to state, however, that it was not possible for us to co-sponsor this draft resolution, and we regret that we are not in a position to vote for this draft resolution.

We made our position clear earlier, and we do not see any development which would warrant a change in our stand. The draft resolution, in our opinion, does not adequately reflect the reality of the situation. We think it would help to solve the problem if a cease-fire, a withdrawal and a solution were all given the same emphasis in the present draft resolution. We all have rightly concentrated on the cease-fire and withdrawal. This is important, but we know that after a cease-fire and withdrawal we shall again come face to face with the basic problem, the problem which led to the unfortunate hostilities. To concentrate only on the cease-fire and withdrawal will bring us no nearer to a solution, and for this reason we believe that we should benefit from our own experience.

There was a cease-fire for more than seventeen years between India and Pakistan. The problem came again and again before this Council, but no adequate steps were taken to bring about a solution; as a result, what do we find ourselves facing today but open and full-scale, undeclared war between the two friendly States of India and Pakistan. Time did not and cannot erase the problem. We cannot, therefore, give our endorsement to any measure that, instead of taking us forward, may freeze the problem and keep it where it was.

I wonder whether this draft resolution in its present form would bring permanent peace to the area. We submit that, if there is a will, both the cease-fire and the withdrawal can be completed within a very short time. Twenty miles on one side and perhaps fifteen miles on the other side certainly do not require weeks and months. And, if there is a genuine desire, a solution is also certainly attainable. That is why I submit that withdrawal and solution are two sides of the same coin. They go together, and it is not realistic to insist on one and not to put the same emphasis on the other. This has been the mistake made in the past, and the Council in its wisdom may want to benefit from its own experience.

In this connection, I must state that the leader of the Uruguayan delegation, Mr. Paysse Reyes, who was our President in October, made in his brilliant intervention this morning a constructive approach to the problem. His statement should be given adequate attention by the Security Council, for he raised many points which deserve study and consideration. We should ponder them, since they come from a man of rich experience. To my delegation, this was a sincere effort to avoid further difficulties and more bloodshed, and it is for this reason that we insisted on our same stand vis-a-vis this draft resolution.

The situation is becoming more serious every day and calls for further consideration. We are unhappy to find ourselves in a position in which we have to voice a point of view which may not be acceptable to both parties. Our Foreign Minister stated: "... Jordan, as part of the Arab world, has always been linked by the closest bonds of brotherly friendship to these two great countries [India and Pakistan]." We want these close ties to continue. We should like to see permanent peace restored on the Indian subcontinent between these two sister States. This not only would be to the mutual advantage of India and Pakistan but also would benefit Asia, this Council and the rest of the world. We appeal to the parties to stop the violence, to exercise restraint and to negotiate this dispute with the help of the United Nations, if need be. A settlement can be reached, but this Council has to play its role in helping the parties to reach a just solution.