S/PV.1576 Security Council

I have called this meeting following consultations with all members of the Council on the question of the implementation of paragraph 2 of resolution 295 (1971). 6. In view of the consensus that has just been adopted, I wish to announce that the President of the Security Council and the Secretary-General have decided that the Special Mission will be composed of Argentina and Syria. It will be accompanied by the necessary staff from the Secretariat. 2. Members of the Council will recall that in its resolution 295 (1971), adopted at its 1573rd meeting on 3 August 1971, in connexion with a complaint by the Republic of Guinea, the Security Council decided to send a special mission of three members of the Security Council to the Republic of Guinea to consult the authorities and to report on the situation immediately. The Security Council also decided that “this special mission be appointed after Consultation between the President of the Security Council and the Secretary-General”. Accordingly, the President of the Security Council and the Secretary-General started consultations with a view to appointing the members of the mission. Those consultations were, however, suspended following the receipt of a letter dated 4 August 1971, from the Permanent Representative of Guinea, addressed to the President of. the Security Council, requesting that the sending of the special mission to the Republic of Guinea be delayed [S/1 02831, Farewell to Mr. Davidson S. H. W. Nicol, Permanent Representative of Sierra Leone to the United Nations

Some members of the Council have expressed a desire to speak in connexion with the imminent departure from the United Nations of the Permanent Representative of Sierra Leone and I shall now call on them.

I have asked for the floor to say a few words in connexion with the impending departure of my distinguished colleague and friend Ambassador Nicol of Sierra Leone, My delegation has followed with great interest the contribution he has made to the United Nations in the short time-just two years-he has been with us. It has been a refreshing experience to work with him; it has been a refreshing experience to hear him speak and to receive his counsel on many delicate matters with which we have been faced. On behalf of my delegation, I wish to 3. On 12 August 1971 the representative of Guinea addressed a letter to the President of the Security Council informing him that the Government of the Republic of

First of all, Mr. President, I wish to express my sincere congratulations to you on the indefatigable manner in which you carried out the consultations in order successfully to conclude the discussions on Security Council resolution 295 (1971) and to achieve the consensus which you have just reid out. We are all fully aware of the responsibility entailed by all this and of the spirit of negotiation with which you have faced your obligations as President of the Security Council, successfully completing the tasks entrusted to you by the Council’s resolution. As far as Argentina is concerned, we are both honoured and privileged to take part in such a delicate mission and we shall do everything in our power to complete it successfully. 11. I should also like now to join the two previous speakers in paying a tribute to Ambassador Nicol of Sierra Leone. We all know his professional ability, his human feelings, his tact and moderation and the way in which he has always used the right words at the right time to tackle problems in the Security Council, problems which are sometimes very complex. The representative of Sierra Leone has always, with his statements, helped us to solve those problems and has thus not only made a persona1 contribution-which is so valuable and welcome-but aIso contributed much on behalf of the country he represents and the African Group as a whole, 12. We know that he will be successful in London and it remains for us only to wish him the best of luck, since he has everything else.

I should like to thank the representative of Argentina for the kind remarks he has addressed to me and to reciprocate by expressing my sincere gratitude to Ambassadbr Ortiz de Rozas for the co-operation and understanding he showed throughout the consultations which I conducted in close co-operation with the Secretary-General,

I should like to associate fully myself with the remarks made by other representatives in connexion with the departure of Mr. Davidson S. H. W, Nicol, Permanent Representative of Sierra Leone. 15. Since I am relatively new in this Council, it has been for only a short while that I have had the opportunity to work closely with Ambassador Nicol, and I deeply regret that. This short association was, however, more than 16. On behalf of my delegation I wish to extend to him every good wish for success in his new post.

Perhaps the saddest duty that befalls a diplomat is the inevitable bidding of farewell to a colleague. Ambassador Bush would have liked to be here today to pay a tribute to such a I friend; but his unavoidable absence from New York makes it my privilege to tell Ambassador Nicol of Sierra Leone that the United States delegation will miss him, that Y thanks him for his unfailing courtesy and kindness, and that : we wish him well in the important riew tasks he has been called upon to undertake. 18. Dr. Nicol brought to the Security Council impressive credentials. His was a rich and varied background: as : physician he had devoted his skill to the healing of the ills : which afflicted men; as statesman and patriot he devoted his efforts to the improvement of the condition of the land which had nurtured him; and as diplomat and distinguished representative of Sierra Leone in the United Nations he : devoted his talents to that most delicate and difficult of tasks-the harmonization of relations between nations. The rich and mellifluous tones with which our friend Mr. Nicot counselled his colleagues in the Security Council and in the numerous other bodies of this great Organization in which he made his influence felt also became widely known beyond the confines of the United Nations. A generation of concerned Americans, young and old, were privileged to hear him tell of the awakening of the great continent of Africa, for which he has done so much. 19. Now High Commissioner Nicol undertakes his cauntry’s Embassy to the United Kingdom and, for good measure, to Europe as well. After witnessing his ability during these past several years to be in half a dozen places doing half a dozen things at the same time, we do not doubt his ability to undertake simultaneously ten tasks ia ten places and to carry them all out to perfection. 20. In the name of Ambassador Bush and the entire United States delegation and in my own, I wish Our colleague Mr. Nicol godspeed and continued success. 21. Mr. DE LA GORCE (France) (interpretation ffof)J ; French): I should like to associate my delegation with the words of regret just spoken about the forthcoming depsr. ture of Ambassador Nicol. Mr. Kosciusko-Morizet wfl cep tainly be sorry to have been unable to take the floor on this occasion to express our feelings about the departure of the distinguished Ambassador of Sierra Leone, We have always appreciated the great authority, the high competence and remarkable qualities of judgement shown by Ambassador Nicol in the work of the Security Council. All of us have also appreciated his remarkable courtesy and his great

I, too, should like to join in the tributes that we are paying to our colleague Ambassador Nicol-our tributes to the skill and the tact and the courtesy which he has shown to his cclleagrres on the Council during his tenure of office. I particularly appreciate this since I made my &‘bt~t here myself under his presidency in September of last year, and there could not have been a more wise, well-balanced, lrnpartial and considerate President. Indeed, the constructive work which the Council has undertaken during the last two years is in no small measure due to Mr. Nicol.

I thank the representative of Syria for the kind and generous words he used about the Secretary-General and me, and I wish to assure him that we both appreciated his understanding and co-operation during the consultations we conducted. 30. Mr. ROMAN (Nicaragua) (interpretation fram Spanish/: The delegation of Nicaragua endorses what all the other representatives have said in tribute to Ambassador Nicol of Sierra Leone. His brilliant conduct during the time that he has been with us has earned him our affection and respect, and the admiration of all members for his calm judgement and other valuable qualities. We are convinced that these qualities will ensure him success wherever his country may send him. 24. However, as far as my country is concerned, the United Nations loss is the United Kingdom’s gain, since he is to become his country’s High Commissioner in London. He is, of course, already very well known in my country arid, indeed, he is already the recipient of the highest academic honours that we can award him. I am glad to think that in bidding him farewell today our opportunities for benefiting from his skill and experience will, if anything, be enhanced by his transfer.

I, too, should like to offer my best wishes to Mr. Nicol, the Ambassador of Sierra Leone, on the occasion of his new appointment.

Mr. President, I wish, first of all, to address the thanks of my delegation to you personally, as well as to our very esteemed Secretary-General, U Thant, for the untiring efforts that both of you have made in carrying out the terms of the Security Council resolution under which a mission is to be sent to Guinea. I wish also, 32. Mr. Nicol is well known to the Soviet delegation, and not only as a member of the Security Council. He is also well known to us as the Chairman of the Committee of Twenty-Four, the Special Committee on the Situation with regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples. For one year, in 1970, Ambassador Nicol presided over the work of that important and responsible organ of the United Nations. on behalf of my delegation, to express my thanks for having been chosen to be part of the mission, for the honour that has been bestowed on my country Syria, and to assure you that we will carry out the mandate of the mission to the best of our ability and as well as is humanly and genuinely possible. 33. I should like to remind all those present here that it was under Ambassador Nicol’s leadership and guidance last year that the Committee of Twenty-Four adopted some very important documents, including the Programme of action for the full implementation of the Declaration on decolonization, which, as we all know, was subsequently adopted at the commemorative twenty-fifth session of the General Assembly [resolution 2621 (XXVJ. It is therefore no coincidence that Ambassador Nicol has so brilliantly represented not only the interests of his own country in the Security Council, but also the interests of the whole of free Africa. Nor is it a coincidence that Ambassador Nicol has always defended the cause of decolonization in Africa with such regard for principle and such consistency when the Security Council has discussed matters relating to that problem. 26. Now, it is both a sad and a happy duty to associate myself with other representatives in paying a tribute to our very distinguished and beloved colleague Ambassador Nicol of Sierra Leone. I have been associated personally with the work of Ambassador Nicol in the Security Council for the last two years or so, and one great characteristic of his has struck me. Of course, the members who have preceded me have mentioned many brilliant characteristics of the personality of the Ambassador of Sierra Leone, but the one which has struck me most is his deep humanity, coupled with a real and genuine humility and humbleness. The great man, the great scholar, is always humble, and one rarely finds that nowadays. That speaks for itself. 27. We have a very old proverb in Arabic-at least 2,000 Years old-which says about an Ambassador: “Send a wise man and do not give him guidelines”. That means that wisdom, when it flows naturally and spontaneously, gives its own directives and its own guidelines. That wisdom does 34. Finally, I hope that Ambassador Nicol will excuse me, but I do not think that I shall be revealing any great secret if I mention one detail: Ambassador Nicol is not only a famous African diplomat, he is also a well-known physician, a professor of medicine. It is a pleasure for me to inform members of the Security Council that many, many years ago, when I was working at Peterhouse in Cambridge, exist in Ambassador Nicol, for like the clean spring of water which gushes forth spontaneously and naturally, wisdom 35. It seems to me that the combination of these two professions, diplomacy and medicine, is not fortuitous. In fact, in his activities as a famous diplomat, Ambassador Nicol has tried to cure mankind of the evils of war, conflict and dissension on a world-wide scale, so to speak. 36. As a physician, Dr. Nicol has sought to help individual human beings to rid themselves of human ills, at what might be called the individual level. AU this bears witness to the many-sided character of Ambassador Nicol, professor of medicine. 37. I should like to conclude by once again wishing Ambassador Nicol every success in his new and responsible post.

On behalf of the Polish delegation and personally on behalf of Ambassador Kujaga, I should like to pay a tribute to Ambassador Nicol, the representative of Sierra Leone, and to convey to him our best wishes and congratulations in connexion with his departure and the new, important assignment to which he has been called. 39. My delegation highly appreciates the very good cooperation between our two delegations in the work of the Security Council and other organs of the United Nations, in particular the Special Committee on the Situation with regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, 40. Mr. NDURURUTSE (Burundi) (interpretation from FrerzchJ: My delegation also would like to associate itself with those representatives that have spoken on the forthcoming departure of Ambassador Nicol. A remarkablf statesman, an eminent and qualified diplomatist, Ambassa dor Nicol has contributed very positively to the wQrk of the United Nations and, more particularly, to that of the Security Council. My delegation is very happy to wish Ambassador Nicol continued success in the functions which his Government has now entrusted him.

Since there are no other names on the list of speakers, I should like now, speaking as President of the Security Council and as Permanent Representative of ITALY, to join previous speakers in the warm farewell given to Ambassador Nicol, who is to leave shortly to take up another high responsibility in the service of his country, Sierra Leone, 42. My delegation has had the good fortune to work closely with Ambassador Nicol in this Council and in the Committee of Twenty-Four, and has thus had numerous opportunities to appreciate fully his professional skill his fairness, his integrity and hjs humanistic culture. In’this Council and in all other bodies of the United Nations he has been an eloquent and fervent advocate of his continent’s yearning for justice. In pleading the African cause, he has 44. Allow me to wish him whole-heartedly every success and happiness in his new office.

Mr. President, I congratulate you on your presidency during this difficult month. You have brought it to a successful conclusion with the impending report on Senegal and the consensus which we have just adopted, as well as the reports which you have given us informally about progress in the Middle East negotiations. 46. I wish to thank members for their very kind words, which I feel are totally undeserved. I am extremely gratefuI to them. I accept their remarks as a tribute to my delegation and to the Government and people of Sierra Leone. I owe much gratitude to Sierra Leone for my appointment here and for the constant support which I have always received from my Government. We have tried to work within the circles of the African Group, the Afro-Asian Group and all the nations of the world, including _ - the Commonwealth representatives. 47. During our period of 21 months on the Council WC have been privileged to notice many positive gains. The ! principle of universality of membership is being actively pursued by the admission of new Members and the important consideration of others for this year and next year. The International Court of Justice has given a ruling i ’ on Namibia which we feel should be implemented. South Africa, Portugal and Rhodesia will find their best allies among the black citizens of their countries if they are treated with fairness and decency. 48. In this connexion, we have observed the negotiations being carried out by Britain with Rhodesia. We welcome this acceptance of their responsibility, and they have OUT best wishes for a just, peaceful and speedy solution. 49. The important proposals for peace being put forward by the United States and the Soviet Union, both at the United Nations and at the disarmament and SALT’ conferences, are very important factors towards the establishment of lasting and universal peace. 50. In the Middle East an increasing feeling of good sense and justice on both sides, spurred on primarily by the nations concerned themselves and also by the persuasion of the Big Four and the efforts of the Secretary-General and his representative, is most welcome to us. 51. Those who have made observations and written on the Security Council have missed the sense of comradeship and warmth amongst its members and the feeling of achieve. merit when a consensus is reached. 1 Strategic Arms Limitation Talks. 55. I am glad, Mr. President, that you have given me the opportunity to thank the distinguished members of this Council and, through them, the United Nations for what I have learned and will continue to learn from them.

I believe I can speak for all the members of the Security Council and for the Secretary- General in expressing our gratitude to Ambassador Nicol for the inspiring and human message he has left us. 53. I pay a tribute to the skill and great moral influence of OuI beloved Secretary-General U Thant and to the leadership he has given to an efficient Secretariat. The meeting rose at 11.35 a.m. HOW TO OBTAIN UNITED NATIONS PUBLICATIONS United Notions publications may be obtained from bookstores and distributors throughout the world. Consult your bookstore or write to: United Notions, Soles Section, New York or Geneva. COMMENT SE PROCURER LES PUBLICATION5 DES NATIONS UNIES Ler publicotionr des Notions Unier sent en vente danr les libroiries et ler agencer dkporitairer du monde entier, Informer-vour auprirr de votre libroirie ou odrerser-vous b; Notions Unies, Section der venter, New York ou Ge&ve. KAK IlOJlY’iHTb M3,lJAHMR OPrAHM3ALJMM 06bEAMHEHHblX HAIJMA II:I&~IIIIII OI~P;IIIII:IS.I<N~ O~%C?~~IICIIIIIJS II~I{III"I JlOiliIlO Ii~UllTb n IiIIlI;h'III~IS >ltl~~:JlIlIaX II IIWIITI’TIl1IS 110 III'CS ~NfiOll~X NIlpa. bIlO,~SlTC Hl~Ellllill 06 ll3~llllllllS II llLllllPJl lillll~l~llOW Yi1PZL:lllllC 11.~11 llll"lllTC 110 l,J~WL'J': OprallnsnI~llrl ohegllllcrrlll~lX Iral~lril, Ccl~lIlIH I10 U~OJ,RXiC Imqcwnil, IhO-llOpI< Llll BCCllCllt4. coM0 CONSEOUIR PUI~LICAC~ONES DE LAS NAC~ONES UN~DAS Las publicaciones de las Nacioner Unidos estdn en venta en librerios y caso~ distribuidoros en todar porter del mundo. Conrulte II su librero o dirijose o: N&ones Unidar, Seccibn de Ventor, Nuevo York o Ginebro. Litho in United Nations, NEW York Price: $U.S. 0.50 (or equivalent in other currencies) 82055~July 197%2,050