S/PV.370 Security Council

The Assistant Secretary-GeDJeral will now read the draft resolution [S/1048] submitted by the delegations of Belgium, Canada, China, Colombia, Syria and Argentina.. Ml'. SOBOLEV (Assistant Secretary-General in charge of Securi.ty CouDcil Affairs): The ·draft resolution ,reads as follows: " The Security CO!uncil. "Baving carefully considered the series of ·events whieh have Jed to the present grave situation in Berlin, "Conscious of the Council's primary responsibility for the maktenanoe of international peace and security, and " Acting in accordance with Article 40 of the Charter in order to prevent an aggravation of the situation in Berlin, in iParticulaI', hy iPreparing the way to its settlement, "CaUs upon the four Governments who have l'esponsibilities in Germany and in Berlin as occupying Powers, France, the United Bingdom, the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Repuhlircs, : "(1) To preVient any incident which would be of a natur.e such ,as to aggravate the pil'esent situation in Berlin; . "(2) To put into ·effect. simultaneously. namely on theday of the notifi-cation of this resolution to the four Gov,ernments concerned, the stejps required for the fulfrlment of points (a) and (b) which are set forth her~'Under : "(a) Immediate œmoV'al hy aIl parties of aU restrictions on communications, tDans.port and ,commeree -betw.een Berlin and the Western Zones of Germany and the restrictions on transport and commerce to ·and from the Soviet Zones of Germany, it heing understood that said restrictions ane the ones appUed 'by the parties after 1 ~,'Iar'ch 1948 ; c',est-à.-dire parties merce de imposées ,rentrée tions appliquées 1948; verneurs arrangements taire de neurs lesquelles soviétique désol'mais "(b) An immediate me,eting of the four Military Governors to arrange for the unification of currency in -BerJin on the basis of the German mark of 'the Soviet Zone. 1he fioul' Military Governors will fi;r the conditions for the introduction, CIrculation and continued use of the (;enman mark' of the Soviet Zone, as the sole currency for thé whole of Berlin d,e~cribed. "This measur,e must be totally fulfilled by the date indicated in paragraph (c) ; " (c) The date œfen.'ed to in the last part of pJ.ragraph (b) shaH 'be 20 Nov-emher 1948.. "(3) Within ten days foHowing the fulfilment of the measures provided for in 'section (2), or on such date as is mutually agreed hetween the four GOVoernments, to reopel! the negotioations in the Council of Foreign Ministers on aIl outstanding problems concerning Germany as a whole."

Several mee'tin-gs of the Security Council have already heen devoted to the consideration of the so-caUed "Berlin question" !brought befor·e this body by three of its per.manent membiers, and many ex officio conver.sations hay,e 'been heM among the members of the Council in an elldeavour to fulfil whatconstitutes the pr!mary obligation of that body, the maintenance of international peaœ and security. In the cour.se of these meetings and conversations, the Security Council and its members, jointly or individually, hav,e acted in accordance with the PU1"poses and principles of the United Nations, 'and have att~mpted to ·ensur,e that, in the difficultanalysis of the Berlin situation, Gf which everyone is aware. the promotion, establishment and maintenance of universaI peace and the securitydesired by an human beings should {prevail as the ultimate goal of those deliberations. AlI the moral efforts and anJ(iouscare of) the members of the Security Council have been ,directed unceasingly and unreservedly towards the maintenance of these Hable ,p,rinciples. The task they iIIl!posed upon themselves, as a sacred duty. has been fulfiUed. The basic principles of the universa.} doctrine of peace weroe, and are, and shan continue tobe, the .plan of work and the hasis for aotion to soly,e aIl the points in this historie case which should create new values rather than become a cause of mise!fY and deswuctÏon. The effort has been most noble. The work accOOl1plished sa patiently has been ::::::::g~_,::""~~.::::s..we ar_,e,", We hav'e read.ed this stage, with full and fervent faïth, encouraged by the creativ,e force of ,peace, conscious of the fact that the world ·Coan be guided towards a better destiny. Considerable t.1J.ought was given before we iUndertook thl~ serions responsibility of finding a solution to adifficlllt prohlem of an international, political charader, which might weIl, hecause of its complex ramifications, obstruct the road to a dear und,eI'- standing, reached withoutdissimulation or deceit. The methods used in the ex.amination of the question, the a,pp'lication of logical l'ea- Roning, as well as the appreciation of the importance of a level-headed attitude in hppraisingand settling the maUer, formed part of the wisdom shown 'by the l'elpresenta'tives who wel'ie anxious that impartiality and justice should he the prevailing notes in the consideration of thislproblem. In that way,.ie in.ternational solution of this tense and serious question, which has heen discussed throughout the world, specU'lated upon in the secret laboratories of those who ·sow the seeds of discord,as weIl as J)lessed by those who prayed for a miraculous understanding,allows us to s·ee that peace and justice can not only coexJst, hut th~t they merge into one when men preluare to work together as brothers, with and for their fellow men. . 'We have reached solutions which spring from 'considerations of what is right, land from the mOil'al reasons born of the spirit. A formula of that kind woU'ld in no way limit the natural development· of nations. The sol'Ution whi,ch has helel1 found embodies in UseIf the universal hopes of -peace. It is inspired bv the legitimate desire to promote the well-heing of the human race. Perhaps the question could be asked : is the fo:rnnula which resU'lted from those cons!lltations a just one? Has 'ea,ch of the parhes .to the dispute, defending what they consrder 'la he their right, heen the subject of a just evaluation? .Thosequestions were answered. bv the WIll to reach an understandiTIg". Dedicated as we were, with zea!. with high emotion, ta our purpos'e of seeking a definitive 801u- We are seeking a.n understanding which is not the result of a generalization of abstract, 'legal princi;ples and cold, diolomatie procedure. For this l'eason, we h~ave gone to the pure sources of trust, reason, sincerity and feeling, and we have been untiring, constant and arduous in our search for a 'Solution. A strong determination impelled our work, and brought us to the very root of the ,problem, which we attempted to solve through logical analyses. Thus arose the decision to trust in the intelligence of the parties, whose political dispute is within the 'Confines of a eity, so that, by the use of reason and not of force, they themselves might obtain the fulfilment of their agreements, which would strengthen theil' confidence in their relations with each other and their faithfulness ln contractual obligations. These considerations which constitute a forgotten doctrine must he borne in mind. Belief in redprocal 10ya'lty is strengthened by faithfulness in the fulfilment of obligations. The condud of the Se-curity Couneil in this ,exceptional moment in the history of the United Nations-which isalso the history of the world-is strengthened by ifs moral authority. The fee'ling of confidence which it inspires is based on that of the nations which form the Organization. From them arise ifs mandate, its inspiration, its solid respect for the peoples of the world, it~ moral and univel'sal concept of justice. ' .only this international justIce, thus cùnceh~ed and practiced in the form of reciprocal, co-opera:tion, can bring us 'closer to the true path 'of history of the nations The representatives in the Security Couneil wish for a stable pence on an international plane. The peoples of the world also want this. The same aspiration animates aH the Member States of the United Nations. How, then, were we not to search zealously for the correct solution of the international equation among the different and oPlPosing factors of the contingent evaluations confronting each other ? Much has been said concerning prestige. But can 'anyone lose prestige when set::kil1g to live in peace with his n'eighbours? ls the maintenance of prestige incompatible with peace? [n reality, true prestige i5 founded on knowledge, respect, understanding, equanimity, and on the noble manifestations of solidanity. mandé les secteurs situations ont un résistances . tablent confianceéga'le dre, le internationale. We hav·e thus arrived at a solution characterized hy simultaneous obligations for both parties. We have pointed out that aIl parties should remove existing restrictions, and we have imposed, equaUy and simultaneously, the principle of the unification and immedia'te introduction into Berlin of the German mark of the Soviet Zone. and the meeting of the Military Come manders of the four [parties to put this into pradice before 20 November 1948. Equality in tb~ proportions of a solution, or if you prefer, international dis·tributive justice, aipplied to situations which might appear insoluhle, hfls opened a road Ieàdin~ us tO' a solution which shouldi blf' fruitful. We think tha'! the discouraging resistence of those who believp in 'lllliversal insecurity should be conquered. That same faith in the results to he achieved. if this trust is built on confiden'ce, is the best defence of international,p,eace. 1 mettre à sion peup'les normal d'inqlùétude l',expectative à Th~ resolution it is suggested should he put lUto practice to guarantee juridical security, contains ,prowessiv,e aims and tends to creatJe a favoul'able atmos'Dhere for' work and understanding, 'Permitting a natural return to normal industry of aU peop}es, e~~iIy perturbed by these periods of mstabIlIty, 'lIDIcertainty and unrest, ~hich lead men.from a stat,e of eXlpeclah.o~ to one of in{lecision, and from inde- CISlon to war. sécurité Ce' C'est We are' on ·the road to consolidating peace in our search for international secu~ty. This is not a chimerÏJcal prospect. It 'IS' the 'rèsitlt of the application of the 'Ve should not be prejudieed. \Ve Imow that we are standing befoœ llistory, working for the barmonious eo-'C'xistence of nations and for the common well-being. This is our aSopiration in submitting the resolution for the consideration of the Security Council. We hope that the results will confirm the deep desires for ;peace of aIl the industrious masses of the 'CO!ll1mon peop'le of the world. Ml'. TSIANG (China) : After the noble and eloquent statement made by the President regarding l'his draft resolution and the work of the six delegations under his leadership, it is unnecessary for me ta make a long statement. In faet, it appears ta me that there remains very little ta he added. \Ve have worked together loyally, with a single pUDpose, which is 'RIso a very simple :purpose, namely, ta relieve the tension and ta prepare the way for an even... tuaI s,ettlement. Although our pm'pose is single and simple, nevertbeless, there may be sorne critics who will criticize us for not doing enough ; ot,hers may criticize us for doiug tao mu'C1l. Those who woU'ld like ta see us attempt more might think it strange that we have omitted any reference ta responsibility as ta past events, or any reference ta other important questions. such as ourrenicy reform, political organization and reparations. To such critics 1 would say, in the first pla'Ce, that if we take good care of the present and fhe future, there will he time ta consider the responsibilities as ta past cvents. 'f.hen 1 should add that if we succeed in preparing the way for an eventuai seUlement. it wHl he found that othe}' questions win become easier to solve. Indirectly, at least. we would therehy have made a contriblition toward the seUlement of other questions. There mig.ht he critics who think tlmt we haV'e ·gone too far. During the brier postwar pcriod no crisis has shocked' the worl(l so dceply as the recent events in Berlin. A wave of fear has sw~pt over the face of the ~lobe. Peop'le everywhere have ·been The Charter laid upon the Sccurity Council ,tJle primary respons~bility for the maintenance of internationa'l peuce und sl'curity. In the face of sueh a situation, if the Set~urity Coulldl h'ied ta cvade any part of thn.t reS/ponsiliility it would be tantamount ta abdication; and that, in turn, would' be a serious hlow ta the whol(\ orgnnizntion of 'ple~H~e and ta the hopes of man- Idnd. V'{c could not Imve triedto do less. . The te1'111S of the drat't resolution are, in 111V opinion, quite clear and do not need mlY explanaHon. The draft l'l'so'lution is a fair l'l'solution. 1 submit thnt this druft l'l'solution embC'dies a formula for pence with hanour for every country. If this draft resolution were ta be accepted unanimously hy the Security Council, it might wellturn out to be a dedsive l'vent in the history of the United Nations and in the history of the world. Ml'. EL-JÜIOURI (Syria) : lu the elahorate statl'ment which the President has sunmittl'd to us, ,he has inte1~preted very corl'l'cUy the fee'1ings and sentiments of ·the groUlP of six States which consider themselves neutrai in this malter. Yet, in relation to this case, 1 do not consider that therecan he any neutrality; we cannat consider oUl'seives ncutral becal.se wc are here representing Mel1l1ber States and we have a responsibility, it seems ta me, to do our ,be8t for the maintenance of international peace and security. Therefore, if international 'peace and security \Vere in UllY way threatened or violated, the catastrophe would notbe. '1imit-l'd ,to those who would be directly engaged in it, 'but it would perhaps overwllelm the whole wol'ld and no State would he able to l'l'main out of the eonflict -and danger. When we fi1'st received this eomplaint fl'om the three gl'll'nt Powers 1 was rather fl'ightened ; but when we began to diseuss tI,1e matter and study H thoroughly, the SItuation then aiPlpeared to me casier and much less serious than 1 had at first thonght. 1 found, and the group of six nations fOlmd, that an agreement in effect was rC'ached on the important points of the matter, that the restrictions would he removed and that the currency wouM Ile l'eplaced in some fOl'm, the only difference bleillg in the wav which one eurrencv should be substitnted for the other. We thought that the disnute was a verv iilsianificant one, and that the 'glleat Powers. the permanent members of the Securitv Council. who are essentiaHy responsiMe for the maintenance of .peaèe an d secmi1y. In the last parngraph of the resolution, the four Governments are caUed upon ta re-open negotiations very soon in the Council of Foreign Ministers in orde,r to begin ,the negotiations for the final solution of the problem; they are called UlPon ta estabIisJI certain definite agreement-s on the position of fiermany and Centra'! \Europ'e. This problem also ought ta be solved, beca1use the war has now been over for a long time and the world is waiting for the peace trea'ty and for the final solution of the problem concerning the beIIigerents of the last war, in order that we mav achieve the other objectives with which the Security Council and the United Nations are being kept lbusy: the objectives to be reached in connexion with atomic ener~, disarmament and otller matters which however require, as a pre'!iminary, the seUlement of this ,problem. At this stage, we aIl ho!pe-and it is a real hope-that the representatives of the great Powers and their Governments wiII give satisfaction ta the Security Council and to the whole worId by adopting this draft resolution and thus preparing tlle way in a friendly manner for the finding of a final solution to this existing dispute. "Ve hope tha't this diSlpute will he 8ettIed very soon so that the world may resume its tranquillity and its security, a trancruiIlity and security based on a firm foundation.. \Ve aIl appreciate the efforts that have been made by the President of the Security Council dU!'in~ the cf'''1ferences which have bèen. held in the last fortnight and which have achieved this resuIt that, we hope. w:iII bring happiness ta e'Veryone of us and to the whole world. Although there are many disquieting aspects of the matter submitted to us, there is llcvertheless one ground for hope. AIl four of the Powers concerned have shown themselves wiHing to seUle the questions at issue bv means of negotiations, to be carried on"particularly through the Council of Foreign Ministers, a body which they have themselves set Utp. The six members of the Council who are trying to aid the four Powers to seUle their disputes have Ipinned their hopes on that one fact. The chief purpose of Iheir efforts was to l'emove aU obstacles to the 1'enewal of negotiations. That is the essential aim of ·the draft resolulion they are submitting to the Council. The authors of the proposaI thought the Council would !he failin.g to carry out one of Hs primary responsibiliHes if it did not, tirst and foremost, endeavour to prmrent anyaggravation of the situation. The draft resolution tried to obtain thal end by iprovisions of two kinds. The first caUs 'Opon the four Governmenls to prevent, in a general way, any incident which might fead t'O a deterioration of the situation; the second invites the Powers to take conCI'ete measures simultaneously in order to prepare the ,vay for a seUlement. Such measures aI'e, first, the aboli\:ion of restrictions on communications, transport and commerce and secondly, a meeting of the Military Governors with fi view to dete1'llnining what should be done to hring . about a unifi.ed currency in Berlin. Once that end has been achieved, the Council of Foreign Ministers would l'ènew negotiations on pIl()biems concerning Germany as a whole. Such a l'esolUi.l0n seemg to us iboth reasonable and judicious. Il safeguards basic 'principles and it opens the ~ay for a settlement of the issues. Il should be acceptable to every State that respects the principIes of the Charter. . The Belgian delegation did not liesitate 10 support the resolution or to .]toin \Vith those delegations which presented il to the Çouncit After having given due considera- ~Ol1 to .the .provisions of the resolution, it lS certum that the Powers concerned will be able to agree to il.' When the Security CouIlcil was required, in uccordance with its re~ponsibilitiesunder the Chal'ter~ to give consideration to the dif:fi.cult~ dangerous and critical situation which had 'arisen in Berlin~ we realized that~ in dealing with a question of such magnitude and one full of the most serious hazards for the future peace of the world~ it was our dutY toexamine aH the issues in the light of the most complete information which we could secure from aIl the parties. lUter that, it would he our dutY to review aIl these faets in a sober, careful and. constructive manner. The question before the Security Council was far too grave to risk any premature decision~ and so we took due time. We have obtained the f'acts ; we have studied them, and we now bring befOl'e this Council a draft resolution which offers to aIl four parties the possihility of l'esuming negotiations on a hopeful and equitable basis, fl'ee from the pressure of the restrictions which have hung over previous discussions. The Ganadian delegation believes that the draft resolutioll which is now placed hefore the Security Council points the way to a proper solution. The representati.ves on the Security Council of these six nations of widely diff.ering customs and traditions have heen able to' agree together on this matte'r, and we confidently commend this draft resolution to ,aU the ,parties. We hope it will command their consent and so lead to a settlement hot only of the Iparticular situation with which the Security Council is especially concerned~ but also it is onr hope that the acceptance of this draft resolution will start a far-l'euching proce~s for the reconciliation of many other stulYborn issues which need ta be solved in the interests of the peace and of the well-heing of 'aIl the nations of the world. Ml'. URDANETA ARBELAEz (JColombia) (translated from Spanish) : . The Colomibian delegation has co'llaborated with the utmost goodwill in the preparation of thé doraft resolution which the Secl1rity Couneil has \oVhen my country signed the Charter of the United Nations at San Francisco, it was fuUy aware of the responsibility which it \Vas undertaking and the opligations which Lhe Charter imposed; ànd it has always ke!pt the resolve to fulm faithfully each and every one of the provisions of the Charter. But it considers that aIl the Articles of our Charter should he intel\preted in the light of the we:ll-chosen wards in the Preamble which represent the true and hasic uim of Lhe United Nations, namely : .. To save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind, and... Lo practice tole·rance and live together in peace with one another as good neighibours, and... to ensure, by the acceptance of principles and the institution of methods, that armed force shall not 'be used, save in the common interest. " Because the Colombian delegation considers that the resoluti.ln which we have presented to the Security Council is dearly inspired by these principles ,and th~î: it bears the seal of impartiality and dûes not seek to achieve other aims than equity and justice, that delegation wishes to give thé resolution its hearty support. Furthermore, my delegation has the utmost confidence that the four great Powers who hear the responsibility for the administration of the city of Berlin, and who also have 'fhe primary res90nsibility in the maintenance of peace, wiU share, as 1 am sure they do share, the conciliatory spirit which animated the six delegations submitting the resolution, and that they too, like those six countries, bave a great desire fQr and interest in the ,preservation of Ipeace. For these reasons, therefore, my ~elegation believes that they will co-operate ln obtaining the greatest possi!ble success for this l'esolution, and wiH carry out its provisions to the fullest extent. 1 do not wish to close without again extending to èhe Foreign Minister of Argen-

Since the six countries presented their draft 'resolution at today's meeting, the representatives of the United States of America, Great Britain, France, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist R€!puhlic, have only just received the eX'act and complete text. Therefore, and in accordance with the proposaIs made by some of the representatives who pTeserrted the resolution to the Security Council, it seems wise to !US to postpone the meeting for two or three days, that is urrtil Monday, 25 October, at 3 o'clock, in order that the representatives may stndy the draft reso'lution in question in its entirety. THREE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-FIRST MEETINC Held at the Palais de Chaillot, Paris, on Friday, 22 OcJ,tobe.r 1948, at 8.30 p.m. President: Ml'. Warren R. AUSTIN (United .states of America). Present: The representatives of the fol- lowing countries: Argentina, Belgium, Canada, China, Colombia, France, Syria, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Repuiblic, Union of Soviet Sociafist Republics, United King- dom, United States of America. 1. Continuation of tQle election of five members of the International Court of Justice The PRESIDENT: We shall continue to consider the election of five members of the International Court of Justice, because the ,consideration of that item on our agenda was not completed this morning. The proof of that is contained in a letter from Mr. H. V. Evatt, the President of the Gen- eral Assembly, which 1 shaH now read to you. It is dated 22 Octoher and addressed to the' President of the Security Council, and states: "1 have the honour to inf'Orm you that in the first meeting of the General Assembly held on 2'2 October 1948 [152nd plenary meeting] for the pur.pose of electing fiv,e members of the International Gourt of Justice, tht- fol1owing ·candidates have ob- tained 'an a,bsolute majority of votes in the General Assembly :