S/PV.358 Security Council

The Security Council is met here today under the shadow of the terrible news from Palestine of the murder of the United Nations Mediator, Count Bernadotte. 1 am sure that the Seeurity Couneil as a whole will wish ta express Hs horror at this senseless and disastrous crime, and 1 venture to say these few words now in my eapacity as President of the Security Council. There is little that 1 can add to the numerous tributes to the abilHy, integrity, courage and noble charader of Count Bernadotte that are eoming from aIl over the world. The UnHed Nations was fortunate indeed in. seeuring the services of so distinguished a man, who at once devoted the whole of his ener,gy to his supremely difficult task, in the performance of which The task of the United Nations in Palestine remains to he done, and there can be no question of relinquishing it. It must rather be our dutY to redouble our efforts to bring peaee to thatdistracted and desecrated land and to build on the foundation which Count Bernadotte had already laid. 1 am. sure that my eolleagues on the Security Couneil will wish me to send, in their name, a message of heartfelt condolence to the Countess Bernadotte and members of the Count's family, as weIl as to the King and Government of Sweden. Inc1uded in this tragedy was the murder of the United Nations observer, Colonel André Sérot, of the French Air Forces, who was struck down at the same time. In the name of the Security Couneil, 1 offer to our French collea,gue and, through him, to the family of Colonel Sérot and to the French Government, our sympathy in the loss of this distinguished offioer. ,1 ought perhaps to add one or two points. ln the fust place, 1 propose to arrange, in consultation with the Secretary-General, for the proper representation of the Security Couneil at the funeral of Count Bernadotte, which is planned to take placè in Stockholm. In the second place, 1 wish to inform the SecurityCouncil that the Secretary-General, with my approval, has sent two messages [IS/1003], whieh 1 trust that the other members of the Security Council will endorS'e. The first message has been sent to Ml'. Ralph Bunche of the Secretariat, and reads as follows : "In light tragic news concerning Count Bernadotte 1 empower you to assume full authority Palestine mission until further notice." The second message is addressed to General Aage Lundstroem, Chief of Staft' of Truee Supervision, and reads as follows: "Request you make fullest investigation of circumstances shooting ,Count Bernadotte cable immediately aIl details in your possession and continue sending by urgent cable every additional detail as soon as you rec-eÏve il."

Ml'. President, it is my sad dutY as Secretary-General to add to your own words regarding the tragic and untimely deaths of Count Folke Bernadotte and ·Colonel kndré Sérot. They were line men and loyal S'ervants of the United Nations, and 1 am shocked and deeply griev'ed by their murder. ,il This brutal assassination is a tragedy in itself, but it l'aises serious problems of even greater importance than the death of individual men would ordinarily ~av'e. Count Bernadotte was the principal representative of the Uniteà Nations in Palestine when he was shot clown in Jerusalem yesterday afternoon. He and Colonel Sérot were the seventh ,and eighth representatives of the United Nations to be killed in line of dutY during the hostilities in the Middle East. Theil' murder came as a climax to a series of grave incidents which have ref1e.cted 'an unpreœdented and intolerable lack of respect for the dignity and the authority of the United Nations. Theil' murder can only he interpreted as a. direct act of aUempted interference with the effort of the United Nations to settle the Palestine question. Count Bernadotte, as United Nations ,Mediator, had proved to be a man of the very highest ,quality and capacity, and by sheer merit he had gained the respect of aIl the parties concerned in the Palestine dispute. It would have been to the interest of both sides, and of the world ,community as a whole, to have him continue his patient efforts to find a solution. It will he extremely difficult to r,eplace him. 1 repeat, however, that this is more than an individual tragedy, with its usual toll of personal grief and inconvenience. The murder of Count Bernadotte and Colonel Sérot demands an answer to the question of what shall he done in the future to protect those who serve the United Nations as its representatives in such operations as the one which it has been required to undertake in connexion with Palestine. 1 deeply regret the death of Count Bernadotte both personally and as Secretary- We are aU grateful to Count Bernadotte for the service which he has relldered to the United Nations and to the cause of world peace through his untiring efforts to bring about an understanding between the Arabs and Jews in Palestine. What he has done as a servant of the world community ,vil! stand as an indestructible monument to his meornory. 1 extend the very deepest sympathy of the United Nations Secretariat to Countess Bernadotte; to their two young sons, his father and the Swedish iIlation. 'Ne share with them the loss of a most honourahle man. Ml'. JESSUP (United States of America): The delegation of the United States wishes to express its appreciation of the steps which the President has taken, as President of the Security Council, in this matter which he has reported to us. The murder of Count Bernadotte is a dastardly act which will he condemned by every right-thinking person in every land. Speaking for the Government of the United States of America and for myself person~ ally, 1 express deep symp,a'thy to his family and to his country. 1 wish at the same time toextend our sympathy also to the family of Colonel Sérot and to the Government of France. Count Bernadotte was a great public servant in both the national and the international sense. This last of his services has not been in vain. The succes~, of the United Nations truce in Palestin,e - and despite the numerous breaches it has been a success - is due largely to his efforfs; to his forcefulcharacter. The tragic ending of this one devoted life does not bring to an end the' activitics of the United Nations in seeking a solution for Palestine, Those activities should, on the contrary, now be intensified, both for the reasons inherent in them and as a living monument to Count Bernadotte. The authorities concerned are now mos! sharply reminded of their responsibility to discharge the dutY of controlling lawless memhers of their own group. AlI parties are most sharply reminded, if a reminder is needed, of the necessity for observing the truce and for reaching promptly a definitive solution of the problem of Palestine. 1 take satisfaction in the ·conviction that the continuance of orny Government's determined efforts as a Member of the United Nations to contribute to that end will, at the same time, constitute a most fitting Ml'. ARCE (Argentina) (translated from Spallish) : The Argentine der!egation has beell surprised and shocked by the assassination of the United Nations Mediator in Palestine. We have lost a strong personality in ·Count Bernadotte who, it must be rememb.ered, fell while carrying out the deIicate task entrusted to llim last May by the Gene,ral Assembly. To the ,accompIishment of that task he devoted his intelligence and will-power in bringing to a successful conclusion a plan, the sole object of which was a peaceful and just solution of the difficulties which arose in that part of the Middle East after 1'5 May. The two communities involved in the present contlict have publicly repudiated the crime, lbut it must be noted that the de facto Jewish authorities have .not yet succeeded in suppressing criminal aets inspired by ha'te at a time when the world is faced with difficulties which threaten peace and hinder the co-operation of individuals and of peoples. For this reason my delegation l'aises ils voice in condemnation of the iniquitous and barharous crime thaï has just been perpetrated. Coming as 1 do from a truly peace-loving country which deeply deplores Count Bernadotte's death, 1 desire to assure the people and the ~oyal family of Sweden that we share their ,grief and 1 wish io convey to them our heartfelt sympathy. Until such time as the Security Council considers the political aspect of this matter, l would merely suggest a few ways in which we ml.ght ,acknowledge our œebt to Count Bernadotte. 1 have 'lherefore submitted to the Council secretariat a draft resolution rS/1006] proposing that (he United Nations flag should be fiown at haIf-mast for a period of three days; that ,the Sf>,~retary­ General should be authorized to assume responsibility for the expenditure connected with the death and burial of Connt Bernadotte. and that the President of the Council, or a per.son designated by him, should represent the Council at the funeraI. 1 would also suggest that the President should convey ourcondolences to Countess Bernadotte by telegram, together with a copy of our resolution. 1 request the President to submit this draft resolution to the Council for consideration. Ml'. PARODI (France) (trallslated from French): 1 wish to associate my Govern- . Only a t:ew days a,go, al Le Bourget airport, J, 'logether with l'epresentatives of the Secretariat, had the sad .duty of receiving the l'emains of thre'e French officers, observers who had recently been killed in Palestine. Colonel Sérot is the fourth officer of the French Army ta die in the service of the United Nations. 1 should like ta thank you, Ml'. President, for your words of sympathy, and shall not f,ail to convey them to my Government. These tragic events l'aise a number of questions for us. It is of course our dutY to wait for additional information before passing judgment on where the responsibility lies for this act. But if, as now S'eems probable, this crime was the work of fanatics, of extremists, we may safely say that they could not have dealt a more serious blow to'.the cause they believed, or pretended to believe, 'they were serving. The French delegation, during the last special session of the General AsseIDhly [A/546], and later in the Trusteeship Oouncil,' proposed a series of measures de.signed to place the city of Jerusalem under effective international control. These proposaIs met at first with a large measure of support l'rom the Assembly. J am sorry that they could not have been finally adopted. If the measures we .proposed at that time had been accepted, J think the difficulties wr are DOW encl>ùntering would have decreasedconsiderably. 1 rescrve the right to hring thisquestion up agaïn at futuré meetings of the Security Council. We shall have io consider immediate measures to deal with theevents which have taken. place in P,alestine. We shall no doubt discuss these measures at a later date. Ml'. NISOT (Belgium) (tmnslated from French): The Belgian delegation wishes to associate itself fully \Vith the feelings which have just beenexpressed here. Count Bernadotte \vas acting in Palestine on behalf of the fifty-eight -Member States of the United Nations. He was brutally murdered while .carrying out the task entrusted to him by the Security Council. This is an extremely serious matter, the like of which it would be difficult to find in the history of international events. The Security Council cànnot cOl1demn it too severely. The Belgian delegation Joms the other delegations represented here in expressing its sincere condolences to His Maj-esty, the King of Sweden, to the Swedish Government and to the family of Count Bemadotte. My delegation also wishes to extend ils condolences to the French Government which has lost, in Colonel Sérot, a mûst valuable servant. It seems hardly necessary to add that 1 fully support the resolution presented hy the representative of Argentina. Ml'. TSIANG (China): My delegation fully shares the sentiments wMch the President expressed 2t the beginning of the meeting with regard to the services and the charader of our Mediator, Count Folke Bernadotte. My delegation is also grateful to the President for having done, in the name of the Council, what he did following upon the deaths of Count Bernadotte and Colonel Sérot. Count Bernadotte w,as a great servant of peace, because he understood in a very .concrefe and intimate fashion what peace could mean ta people aIl over the wodd. He was a gl'eat ser\ -nt of peace also because he understood what 'peace required of us in the way of toleration, understanding and co-operation among the peoples of the world. His loss is Ïndeed irreparable. On hehalf of my Government and delegation, and personally, l,express my sympathy to his family and to the GovernIr~nt of Sweden. l ,also wish to 'express the sympathy of my Government and delegation on the loss of Colonel SM-ot to the Government of France and to his family. Count Bernadotte was a living example to the world. By his strong and upright character, his devotioll to the cause of peace and justice, and his services to the ideals of the United Nations, he dcserved the gratitude of mankind. The hand which cut short Count Bernadotte's valuable life also dealt a serious blow to the authority of the United Nations. 1 am sure that the measure:; which the Security Council will take to proteet its representatives in their work of mediation and to secure the effective restoration of peace and tranquillity in Palestine, will constitute the best monument that the United Nations could l'aise to Count Bernadotte's memory. 1 wish to convey to the Swedish Government the sympathy of the Government and people of Colombia for the irreparable loss they have suffered in the death of Count Bernadotte. And 1 would also convey our sympathy to the French Government for the death of that hero in the cause of peace, Colonel SérO't. Ml'. MALIK (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) (translated from Russia'JZ): On behalf of the delegation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, 1 wish to express regret at the deaths of the United Nations Mediator, Count Bernadotte, and of Colonel Sér:ot. This event lengthens the list of those who have lost their lives as a result of the 'course of ·events in Palestine: events which are inflicting suffering on hundreds of thousands of people. The Security Council and the United Nations remain face to face with the task of hastening a solution of the Palestine question on the basis oi the General Assembly's decision. Ml'. RrrCHIE (Canada): The Canadian delegation wishes to associate itself with the sentiments ofprofound regret and sympathy to the Governments of Sweden and France and the bereaved families at the tra,gic news that Count Bernadotte and Colonel Sérot have lost their lives in the service of peace. We join in paying tribute to the devotion, industry and courage with which the Mediator and his associates have performed their difficult task. Count Bernadotte's sacrifice of his life is the climax of tireless efforts in the cause of internationalgoodwill. l\k, AZl\I (Syria) (t1'llllSlated {l'om French): One thousand nine hundred and fifteen years would seem to be the span of the cycle in which the great aposlles of peace must oUer up their lives as a sacri- Hce on the altar of humanity. At a distance of only a few hundred yards, history has repeated itself according to Hs immutable laws. Count Bernadotte has fallen on the hattlefield of peace. His name should be inscribed in a place of honour on the front of the temple of peace and his ashes should l'est in that same city where lies the sepulchre of the greatest Apostle of Peace that history has known. Though other servants of this ideal may fall in the future, the flame of l1niversal peace will not be extinguished, but will continue to light the path the world must take to bring about the security and happiness of mankind. Must it be that men of good conscience who proteci oppressed peoples and endeavour to come to their aid should always meet with this fate and be repaid in this manner for their efforts? No, the conscience of humanity will not allow that. Although on certain points my Government was not in agreement \Vith the views of the late Count Bernadotte, the sacrifice of this eminent serv,ant of peace, the head of the world organization devoted to succour and relief, nevertheless fills it with the deepest respect and grief. We 'Pay our tribute also to his ,collaboratOI' who <lied with him and whose hlood has been shed on the holy soil of the city of Jerusalem which the defenders of the faith must, in the future, protect fl,'om such acts of criminal savagery. The day of 17 September should mark a turning-point in the development of world l'vents. Let us hope that it will be the beginning of the re-est'ablishment of a just peace and of the suppression of the acts of terrorism of which Palestine has been the victim for sorne years past. The death of Count Bernadotte has drawn aside the veil which obscured the truth concerning the Holy Land and ils future. In tearing aside that veil our late Mediator had rtndered one last service to humanity. Mr. l\IANUILSKY (Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic) (translated from Russian) : The delegation of the Ukrainian Sovi<'t Socialist Republic associates itself with the statement made hy the representative of the Union of Soviet Socialist Repuhlics. At the same time the delegation of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic expresses the hope thatt with the aid of the Secretariat of the United Nationst those responsible for committing and orgullizing this act will be detected in the near future.

The Security Council has hefore it a draft resolution LS/1006] submitted hy the representative of Argentina in the following terms: "Deeply shocked by the lragic death of the United Nations Mediator in Palestine, Count Folke Bernadottet as the result of a cowardly act which appears to have been committed by a criminal group of terrorists in Jerusalem whHe the United Nations rep- resentative was fulfilling his peace-seeking mission in the Holy Land, "(1) To request the Secretary-General to keep the flag of the United Nations at half- mast for a period of three days; "(2) To authorize the Secretary-General to meet from the Working Capital Fund aIl expenses connected with the death and burial of the United Nations Mediator; "(3) To be represented at the intcrment by the President or the person whom he may appoint for the occasion." 1 know that the Secretary-General is .pre- pared to take the action required by this resolution. In so far as 1 am concerned, 1 am equally prepared to conform with it. Since there are no comments or objec- tions, 1 declare this resolution unanimously adopted. Before adj ourning the Security Council 1 would invite the representatives and aIl those oresent here ta stand for a moment in sHent trihute ta the memory of Count Bernadotte. AUSTRALIA-AUSTRAUE H. A. Goddard Pty. Ltdo 255a George Street SYDlIIEY. N. S. W. FlNLAND-FINLANDE Akateeminen 2, Keskuskatu HELSINKI BELGIUM-BE1GIQUE Agence et Messageries de la Presse, S. A. 14-22 rue du Persil BRUXELLES FRANCE Editions A. 13, rue Souillot hms. V· GREECE-GRECE "Efeftheroudak.is" Librairie internationale Place de la ATHÈNES BOLIVIA-BOUVIE L-ibreria Cientifica y Literaria Avenida 16 de Julio, 216 Casilla 972 LA PAZ GUATEMALA José Goubaud Gouhaud & Suœsor Sa Av. Sur GUATEMALA CANADA The Ryerson Press 299 Queen Street West TORONTO CHILE-CHIU Edmundo Pizarro Merced 846 SANTIAGO HAITI Max Bouchereau Librairie UA Boite postale PORT·Au·PmNcE CHINA-CHINE The Commercial Press LtcI; 211 Honan Road SHANGllAI . INDIA-It/DE Oxford Book Scindia House NEW DELHI COLOMBIA-COLOMBŒ Libreria Latina Ltda. Apartado Aéreo 4011 BocoTÂ. IRAN. Bongahe Piaderow 731 Shah Avenue. TEHERAN COSTA RICA-COSTA-RICA Trejos Hermanos Apartado 1313 - SAN JosÉ IRAQ-IRAK Màckenzje The Bookshop BAGHDAD CUBA La Casa Belga René de-Smedt O'Reilly 455 LA HABANA lEBANON-LISAN Librairie universelle BEYROUTH CZECHOSLOVAKIA-. rCHECOSLOVAQUIE F. Topic Narodni Trida 9 PRAHAI LUXEMBOURG Librairie J. Place Guillaumo . LUXEMBOURG DENMARK-DANÈMARKj Einar Munskgaard Nürregade 6 XÙ>BENHJ\oVN NETHERLANDS-PAYS-SAS N•. V. Martinus Lange Vool'hout s'GHAVENHAGE DOMINICAN REPL>l.IC-- REPUSlIQUEDOMINICAINE Libreria Dominicana Calle Mercedes No. 49 Apartado 656 CIUDAD TRUJILLO New ZEALAND-- NOUVEUE-ZELANDE Gordon & Gotch, ,Ltd. Waring Taylor WELLINGTON ECUADOR--EQUATEUR Munoz Hermanos y Cia.) Nueve de Octubre 70~/ Casilla 10-24 GUAYAQUJL , NICARAGUA RaIliiro Ramirez Agencia de MANAGUA, D.-N.