S/PV.655 Security Council

1 wish first ta say. on behalf of the Council, a ward of sincere appreciation of our former President's services last mon,th. vVe miss Mr. Kyrou and we shall continue ta miss him,and 1 am sure that 1 express the sentiments of every member here when 1 say that Mr. Kyrou rendered splendid service last month and that we are profoundly tltankful ta him for it. 1 can only hope that in the service that 1 may be called upon ta render during the remaining few duys of this month 1 may live up to the standard set by Mr. Kyrou. 2. 1 should like, further, ta welcome the new members of the Council, Bmzil, New Zealand and Turkev, which are represented respectively by Mr. Leme, Mr: Munro and Mr. Sarper. Brazil and Turkey have been members of the Security Council before, and we welcome them ta our midst again. New Zealand is participating as a member of the Council for the first tit,le. and we welcome our distinguished New Zealand colleague. 3. 1 am sure 1 express the sentiment of the entire Council when 1 say that these distinguished representatives will find us most ready to support aIl their efforts and very happy ta have them here ta take part in our proceedings. 4. Mr. LEME (Brazil) (translated f,'011/ French): 1 should first like ta thank the President for the kind words that he has been good enCiugh to address to the represmtative of Brazil. He has paid this tribute to my country rather than ta me personally. He is the repre~l1tative of a nation with which my Government is glad always to have maintained the closest bonds of friendship, and the citizel'1s of his country have always met with a cordial and sincere welcome in my own; accordi1l1g1y, it is an honour for me ta be greeted by him. 7. AUow me also to express my country's deep gratitude to the Latin Ameriean countries; the support they have given us on this occasion has especially touched us. The historiea1 and cultural ties which bind us to our Ameriean brothers and the sentiment of friendship and mutual collaboration are the foundations of an international organization whieh was rebuilt under the roof of the United Nations, but whkh originated as long ago as the Congress of Panama in' 1"l6. The Organization of American States was set up, .•ot only on the basis of brotherhood among the peoples of the continent, but also in a desire to lend firm support to the maintenance of peace among nations. 8. In accordance with the provisions of the Charter, Brazil is replacing in the Councii a n0ble country from our hemisphere. Tt will discharge its responsibilities with the same sense of duty, the same spirit of solidarity, the same hopes as have always actuated the nation which it replaced in the Council. Jn behalf of my Government and the Brazilian people 1 gladly pay the tribute of our respect ann admiration to Chile, whose attachment to independence is an example to aIl of us and whose tradition of friendship with Brazil nothing <:;an ever weaken. 9. Thanks to the efforts of the United Nations, the \var -in Korea "ms assumed a new aspect. To the long years of struggle and sacrifice there has succeeded a truce, which, we are convinced, will soon be !ollowed by a just, lasting and fruit~ul peace. The East and the \iVest will undoubtedly find the way to total peace, the culmination of the work of men of goodwi1l, and this Council, on which the United Nations has conferred "the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security" will, if it secures the co- (,peration of aIl peoples, be able to look forward to the dawn of a new day for mankind. la. This is the spirit in which Brazil takes its place at the Council table. 11. Ml'. MUNRO (New Zealand): 1 am most gratefuI to the President for the generous welcome which he has extended to me, along with other new representatives to the Security Council. 12. This is the first time that my country has been elected to the Security Council, the United Nations organ which is primarily responsible for the maintenance of international peace and security. We are aware of the Charter provisions in respect of Security Council elections - namely, that special regard is to be paid to the contribution of Members of the United Nations to the maintenar;ce of international peace and security and to the other purposes of the Organization, and also to equitable geographical distribution. New Zealand therefore regards its election to the Council as an honour, while appreciating the special responsibility, transcending that of purely national representation, which this position entails. In fulfilling its. duties as a ~orrespondingly increased. My delegation's efforts, 1 can assure the Council, will be devoted to strengthening the authority of the Council·- and thus of the United Nation::> - in its primary task of keeping the peace of the world. 14. 1\fr. SARPER (Turkey): 1 wish ta thank the President for the very kind and cour:eous words he has spoken on this occasion when, as representative of Turkey, 1 take my seat at the Security COtl'1cil table for the second time. 15. It is with great pleasure that 1 take this opportunity to repeat the expression of the profound and sincere interest which my country takes in che activities of the United Nation~. It was that interest w!1ich led my country ·to seek election to the Council during the first part of the eighth session of the General Assembly. 1 consider 5t a pleasant duty to reiterate here my sincere thanks to aIl felIow members who so kindly supported my country's candidacy. My Government will again, in harmonious collaboration with other members of the Council, do aIl that it can in the service of the Security COllndl's objectives. 16. Sir Gladwyn JEBB (United Kingdom): On behalf of the United Kingdom de1egation, 1 should like to extend a most warm welcome to the three new members of the COlmcil. AU these three countries - Brazil, New Zealand and Turkey - are known for their finn devotion to the ideals of the Charter, a devotion which has been demonstrated not only in their words but in their deeds. 17. As the President has said, Brazil and Turkey are not newcomers to the Council, and their previous record here leaves us in 'no doubt at an concerning the henefit which the Council will derive from their return. To the distinguished representative of Brazil, whom W'è. meet here for the first time, 1 should like to address a special word of welcome. His predecessor, Mr. Muniz, won the respect and admiration of us aU, here and in the General Assembly, and we benefited on innumerable occasions from his wisdom and long experience. 1 have no doubt at all that Mr. LFme, with his great legal experience and, if 1 may say so, his evident eloquence, will prove to be a most worthy successor to Mr. Muniz. 18. As to Mr. Sarper, he is, of course, well known to all of us, and the Council is certainly not new to him. We are aIl delighted, 1 am sure, to welcome him again to our midst, and he will most certainly be a tower of strength to the Council in all its deliberations. Nobody, 1 think 1 am right in saying, is better able than this distinguished diplomatist to help us overcome the many difficulties which unfortunate1y confront us from time to time. 19. Finally, the presence of New Zealand here naturally gives my delegation the keenest satisfaction. The Commonwealth, as 1 ventured to say the other day, 20. Mr WADSWORTH (United States of America) : 1 should like to associate myself and my delegation with the remar!.::s made by the President at the beginning of this meeting and also by our colleague from the United Kingdom. We share with the President his regret at having lost from our Council table the able representatives of three great cQuntries - Chile, Greece and Pakistan. We share equally the pleasure of welcoming as new members the representatives of Brazil, New Zealand and Turkey; it is not alone that we pay a tribute to the countries represented by these individuals, countries which have made such a tremendous contribution over the yeal'S to the Unik'li Nations and to the peace of the world. 1 look forward with confidence to developing with the new representative of Brazil the same good relations which 1 enjoyed with his predecessor. 1 wish to echo most sincerely everything that was said in this regard by my colleague from the United Killgdom. 1 also wish to associate myself with what my United Kingdom colleague said about' the representatives of New Zealand and Turkey. In addition to having a very deep and sincere respect for their abilities, which have been demonstrated over the past years, 1 am very happy to count them as personal friends. 21. Tn his opening remarks the President also paid a tribute to our immeLiiate past President, Mr. Kyrou of Greece. 1 share the President's sentiments in that respect. Neither 1 as an individual nor my country would wish for our new President as active a régime as Mr. Kyrou had, but we look forward with pleasure to serving under his wise leadership during t~is month. 22. Mr. LUCET (France) (translated from French): The French delegation wishes to associate itself with the de1egations of the United Kingdom and the United States of America in welcoming the representatives of Brazil, New Zealand and Turkey to the Council. 23. We are glad to see on the Council the eminent Rector of the University of Sao Paulo, with whose legal qualifications we are already well acquainted, and, as Frenchmen, we are delighted to be able to thank him for having expressed himself sc brilliantly in our language. We are convinced that we shall obtain the most considered advice from him. 24. We aH know Mr. Munro, the representative of New Zealand. We have noted his remarkable authority in the work of the Committees of the General Assembly. We are therefore extremeIy pleased to welcome him too. 25. 1 am no less glad to welcome Mr. Selim Sarper, the eminent representative of Turkey who, like the representative of New Zealand, has so often spoken brilliantly in this Council and in the Assembly. 1 once had the honour to serve for some time in Turkey, a 26. 1 assocîate myself once again v.,·ith aU the kind words spoken by those who spoke hefore me. 27. Mr. TSIANG (China): At the beginning of our meeting this afternoon the President, on behalf of this Council, expressed a welcome ta the representatives of Brazil, New Zealand and Turkey. 1 find the President's words a perfect expression of warmth and feeling, and 1 would only wigh to assure my three new coUeagues that the welcome which the P:.:esident expressed ta them is also my welcome.

We shaU not onlv miss Greet ~ èind tue wise counSel of its representat[ve, but we shaU also miss the other two former members, Chile and Pakistan, and their distinguished œpresentatives. 1 can only, therefore, reiterate what many of us said at the last meeting of the Council, namely, that the brimant service which those three former coUeagues of our rendered in the Council will always be remembered by us with gratitude and that we shaU aU foU(lw the development of their careers with the keenest interest.

If it were not for '"te fact that 1 would not dare to take ttp the valuable time of the Council on a matter which concerns only thre<, members or, in this particular case, only one member, my country, l would make a kmg speech in order ta try to tell my coUeagues Sir Gladwyn Jebb, Mr. Wadsworth, Mr. Lucet and Mr. Tsiang, how deeply touched 1 am and how grateful 1 am for their friendly words of welcome. 1 have co-operated with most of them for many years and they have aU been a source of inspiration to me. Once again, 1 extend tÜ them mv heartfelt thanks for their kind words. J 30. Mr. MUNRO (New Zealand): Like mv distinguished coUeagues from Turkey, 1 wish to thank those members here who haye bee!l so kind as tü refer in the most generous terms to my own country and, 1 think in far too generous term::i, l, m~ personaUy. But if anything couId encourage us in the responsible work which will he required of us in the coming months, it is the warm remarks to which 1 have listened.

May 1 be aUowed to express my deepest gratitude to the representatives of the United Kingdom, the United States, France and China for their kind words about the representative of Brazil. 32. The friendship of these countries with Brazil is an honour for aIl of us, and we shall be proud to uphold here in the Security Council the tradition established by Brazil on the two former occasions v-;, _Cl it was a member of that body. Statement by the President ~3. The PRESIDENT: The Council will recall that at its 654th meeting, it took a decision with respect to the subsequent meeting to he held by the Council. It decided that the Council should meet again not eadier than 8 January and not later than 15 January 1954. As a result of that decision, and after consultations be- 36. 1 thought 1 would put all of this on record sa as ta have the Council know exactly what happened and why it was that the meeting originally scheduled for last week had ta be postponed until today. Adoption of the agenda The Paleotine question Comp!aint by Syrïs against Israel concerning work on the west bank of the River Jordan in the delDilitarized zone (S/3108/Rev.l, S/3122, S/3151/Rev.2, S/3152, S/3166) (cominued) At the invitation of the Presiden.t, Mr. Eban, repre- sentative of Israel, and Mr. Zeineddine, 'ref}resentative of Syria, took places at the Council table. 37. The PRESIDENT: Rule 20 cf our rules of proce- dure makes it possible for the President to yield his Chair for the time being to the member of the Couneil next in alphabetical order, if his country is directly inte- tested in and has a direct connexion with the matter under consideration. 1 propose to invoke this rule, and submit to the Couneil that 1 should like my colleague, the repr~sentative of New Zealand, to replace me, and myself to replace him as an ordinary member of the Council, during the debate or this item. It will be remembered from the text of rule 20 that this conve- nience is intended only for purposes of the debate under consideration, and does not affect the functions or the responsibilities of the President otherwise. Mr. Munro (New Zealand) tao": the Chair. 38. The ACTING PRESIDENT: The Council has before it the consideration of the Palestine question: complaint by Syria against Israel concerning work on the west bank of the River Jordan in the demilitarized zone (S/3108/Rev.l), and it now also has before it for consideration a revised draft resolution sponsored 40. My delegation had the advantage of many discus- sions with the delegations of Israel and of Syria bath before and after l joined with my French and Uniter: States colieagues on 16 December in sponsoring the draft resolution in its original form [S/3151]. l have listened with great attention and iLterest ta the views on that draft resolution expressed by other delegations and l have been very much helped by these construc- tiv-: although admitredly divergent views. 41. The Council will recall that on 21 December the sponsors, in order to meet certain objections which had been formulated, incorporated in the text of their draft resolution a new paragraph that now figures as }k'lragraph 12 in the revised text [S/3151/Rev.1] which was circulated on that clay. We have now circulated a second revision, and l should llke to comment briefly, if l may, on the changes that have been maJe in this new text [S/3151/Rev.2]. 42. In the first place, we have left out paragraph 7 of the original draft which, as you know, read as follows: "CaUs u·pon the Chief of Staff to maintain the demi- litarized character of the zone as define('! in para- graph 5 of article V of the Armistice Agreement." The sponsors saw in this paragraph a valuable though admittedly not essential part of what they thought was a fair and balanced text. Contrary to our expectations, however, this paragraph proved to be highly contro- versial. On the one side, we were told that vIe were wrong to make special mention of the demilitarized character of the zone. On the other hand, it had been suggested that this paragraph might conceivably be regarded as some kind of imlirect criticism of the Chief of Staff of the Truce Supervision Organization. No- thing, of course, was further from our intention than to criticize General Bennike. On the cor.trary, one of the principal aims of my delegation in considering this dispute. has from the outset been to uphold General Bennike's authority and powers. In the ch'cumstances of the dispute, l think we were quite justified in wanting to lay some emphasis on the demilitarized character of the Zone. But since we have reason to believe that the omission of this paragraph would remove some of the objections raised to the draft resolution, my co-sponsors and l have felt justified in leaving it out. As l have said, it never seemed to us to be an absoluteli essen- tial part of the draft, and l hope that its omission will be agreeable to the Council and make the draft more acceptable. 43. l now come to what does seem to me to be one of the really essential paragraphs of the draft which l have joined in sponsoring; that is to say, the new text of paragraph 8 as it is now. It is on this paragraph that much of the discussion is centred, and very naturally 44. There may well be some members of the Council to whom even in its new form th<> paragraph is not entirely acceptable. 'liVe admit that. On aIl questions affecting the relations between Israel and its Arab neighbours, it is extremely difficult, anà unfortunately in the past has often proved to be impossible, to find a text which would please everybody. However. my French and United States colleagues and 1 have now done everything that we (,,,ln to remove any ambigui- ties, ~lnd we have tried very hard indeed to meet the views of the Israel and Syrian delegations as we tmder- stand them. 45 1 would therefore most earnestlv recommend to my colleagues that they accept this important paragraph in i'ts new form and also the two following paragraphs, that are obviously closely bound up with it. Indeed, 1 sincerely hope that the Council will accept the revised draft resolution before it in its entirety by a majority which will make it clear how closely the Security Coun- cil follows events in this troubled area, how great is the Council's concern for the maintenance of tranquillity there and how nrm is the support on which the Chief of Staff can depend in the execution of his responsible and difficult duties. 46. With these brief introductory remarks, 1 com- mend the new draft resolution to the attention of the Council. 47. Ml'. WADSWORTH (United States of Ame- rica) : ln joining with our colleagues of France and the United Kingdom in submitting the revised draft reso- lution now before the Council my Government wishes itsviews and purpose to be clearly understood. To- gether with our co-sponsors, we have earnestly and patiently sought here to give to General Bennike the clearest and least complicated terms of reference for undertaking the task of reconciliation whieh we have outlined in the new paragraph 8. 48. As indicated by my colleague from the United Kingdom, we have sought most honestly and sincerely to meet the wishes, views and objections of the parties to this dispute and of other interested members of the Council. During these negotiations we have been im- pressed with the unhappy divergence of views of the parties as to their interests, rights and obligations under their own Armistice Agreement 1, and we believe that, if possible, these views should be reconciled. However, the United States holds that these divergent views incli- cate that this Council should not attempt to interpret by a resolution. what the parties' i!!+~rests, rights and obligations are. That is for the parties themselves to 49. As Sir Gladwyn Jebb has y,lnted out. we have been at this job for some time. Some thirteen weeks have elapsed sinee the matter first received the Coun- cil's consideration, and \Vith due regard to the fact that the new members of the Council have had to acquaint themselves with a most complicated set of issues, we nevertheless believe, and it is my Govern- ment's firm view, that it woald be in the general inte- l'est - in the interest of everyone concerned, the mem- bers of the Council, the parties to this dispute, and ail the l'est - to proc-eed as swiftly as possible to action on this draft l'l'solution today. 50. Ml'. LUCET (France) (transla.ted fram French): The French delegation has joined the United Kingdom and United States delegations in submitting to the Council the revised draft l'l'solution [S/3151/Rev.2] which you now have before you. It is, of course, not an entirely new document, but an attempt at a l'l'vision taking into account the experience obtained during the discussions and the views, often very wise, expressed by the members of the Council. 51. 1 am certainly not going to compete with the repre- sentative of Lebanon in philosophy, a field in \vhich 1 am sure 1 would soon find fllyself at a. great disad- vantage. But Ml'. Malik is as well acquainted as 1 am with Spinoza's saying: "Everything, so far as in it lies, tries to persevere in its being." This draft reso- lution similarly tries, so far as in it lies, ta persevere in its initial character of a goodwill l'l'solution, a reso- lution likely to help to bring about a solution ta a prob- lem which is admittedly thorny. The sponsor~ of the draft l'l'solution had believed from the outset that their intentions were clear and that the ter'ms \Vhich they had used could not lead to any misunderstanding. It seems that this was not quite the case and many of our col- leagues have, it seems, thought that they glimpsed intentions and mental reservations completeJ.y alien to a text which still lays claim to the merit of candour. 52. \Ve have accordingly made a point of applying in this revised draft, but without the vanity of authorship, the age-old principle of aU rhetoric, in the best sense of the word: "Go over your work a score of times, polish it again and again." We have accordingly po- lished, amended and, let us hope, illuminated. We are submitting today for the consideration our fellow members a text which has been pondered at length and revised with patience, and which will, we hope, dispel aIl misunderstanding. In this connexion it was per- haps inevitable that after three months of discussion and an imposing number of meetings, words, l'ven the most simple ones, twisted and turned ad infinitum, transferred from one end of the sentence to the other in the successive: forms of the draft, should have ended by taking on sorne sort of magical coefficient, sorne sort of esoteric dynamisrn of utter confusion which we really must remove from our minds if we are to get back to the good, simple and honest nature of the words. 54. We tried above aU to make paragraph 9. which has become paragraph 8, dearer. Ail the statements we have heard wouId seem to indicate that that para- graph "las indeed the main source of our apparent differences of view. Ot,r primary concern was ta dispel certain criticisms in connexion with the expression "the interests involved", which was considered obscure. We have therefore stated explicitly something which seemed obvious, but which was apparently not 50 - the fact that it was really the interests of Israel and Syria that were involved and not any others. vVe have also stated explicitly that the dispute referred to in that paragraph was the dispute created by the plan for the diversion of the waters of the Jordan at Banat Ya'qub, and not at any other place. We have also heen sharply criticized ~or hesitating to specify what precise interests \Vere ~nvo~ved, and, to repeat the words used by Mr. Malik 111 hls speech on 21 December [651st meeting, para. 47) : "... if you have in mind the interests of À, B, C, D and E, why do you not mention them?" It was never our intention to test the perspicacity of our colleagues by confronting them with a kind of puzzle, a rudimen- tary equation for them to solve, while refu~,;ng, for somewhat nebulous reasons, ta do sa ourselves. In his speech .on .16 December,. Mr.. Hoppenot had already made hls vlews on that pomt qmte dear [648th meeting, p'ara. 28]: "Syria and Israel alike", he said, "are en- tltl~d to have the Armist.ice Agreement strictly applied. Pnvate persans are entttied ta respect for their pro- perty ; riparian owners are entitled ta use the water for irrigation." 55. As everyone knows, there is a kind of vacuum of ~overeign.ty in the demilitarized zone. The rights and lnterests mvolved are therefore necessarily complex and of various kinds. It is important ta take them aU into account, and ta ignore none of them - the rights of States ta respect for treaties, the rights of Israeli and Syrian in~ividuals to optimum use of the waters, and aIse the nghts of certain persans whase natianalitv is nat legally established. We would ask the Chief of 1,,. i 62. 1 gave an extensive review of the old text of the draft resolution at a past meeting [651st meeting] of this Council. 1 criticized that téxt paragraph by para- graph, and everything 1 then saiel still stands with regard ta the new text. e,j. 1 should like ta state, purely from a procedural point of view, that 1 hope that ",hen this new text is put ta the vote, the Acting President will be good enough to put it ta the vote in parts. For this pur- pose, 1 invoke rule 32 of our rules of procedure, and 1 very 1I1ueh hope that none of the sponso.s of this draft resolution will abject ta this request of mine. 50 far as 1 know, there has never been an occasion in this Council on which, when a member has asked for a draft resolution ta be voted upon in parts. this privilege has been denied. It is certainly permissible for the sponsors of this text ta abject ta my request, but 1 hope they will not do sa. As 1 have said, 1 do not know of any precedent for the denial of such a request, and 1 repeat, 1 would be grateful if, when the time for voting cornes, this tc..'Ct ,vere put ta the vote paragraph by paragraph. 64. 1 say this because 1 shall still have ta vote against at least three of the paragraphs. 1 shaH have ta vot~ against paragraph 3 and paragraph 10 and, much ta my regret and despite the good intention that was ex- pressed by the representatives of the three 'Ilestern Powers in their statements, 1 shall also' have ta vote against paragraph 8 in its present form. 1 shaH now explain the reasons for this attitude. 65. First of aH, 1 do not regret at all that the authors of this draft resolution have decided ta deiete the old paragraph 7. vVe took strong exception ta the warding of that paragraph, and its omission is certainly wel- comed by us, especiaHy in view of the fact that the new paragraph 11 stresses the fact that nothing in this draft resolution shaH be deemed to supersede the Armis- tice Agreement or to change the legal status of the demilitarized zone under that Agreement. 66. In sorne of my former statements, 1 expressed my objections to the paragraphs which are 1l0W lltllll- bered 3 and 10, and 1 shaH not burden the Council with any repetition of them. For the reasons which 1 have already indicated, 1 shall, as 1 have said, vote against paragraphs 3 and 10. 67. 1 come now to paragraph 8. That paragraph cer- tainly has central importance in the minds of the authors of the drait resolution; they have given us to understand that. It is an involved paragraph, and involved paragraphs always permit of misinterpreta- 68. If complications are introduced when they might have been eliminated through the use of much simpler language, the presumption is that there is some pur- pose behind those complications which is not apparent. 69. Furthermore, paragraph 8 contains the phrase "including full satisfaction of existing irrigation rights". We had thought that, during the lengthy discussion of this question which has already taken place, we had proved beyond any doubt that Israel's intentions were not limited to hydro-electrical questions and were not connected only with its existing irrigation rights. We thoug~t we; h~d I!roved that Isra~l had long-range, very ~xtenslve Irrigation plans and t~at the present pro- Ject was only the barest first act 111 carrying out those plans. Hence, to speak of existing irrigation rights and thereby to tie Syria down to the understanding which the Chief of Staff or the Security Council may have of Syria's own irrigation rights, while at thè same ti~e l~aving Israel free to develop its own dreams of dlvertmg the rIver clown to the Negev - as we have shown in our previous statements - would, it seems to me, alter the status of the demilitarized zone and intro- duce limitations upon Syria's rights while leaving Israel free to proceed as it pleased with its own plans 70. Moreover, in the last part of paragraph 8, the Chief of Staff is requested to "take such <'teps in accordance with the Armistice Agreement as he may deeln appropriate ta effect a reconciliation". We have complete trust in General Bennike and all respect for his integrity. Nevertheless, it seems to us that, at the present stage of the development of this most impor- 73. No one as yet has said a single word either in praise or in criticism of my own text, which is to be found in document S/3152. 1 am not even sure that the new members of the Council know that there is another text on which the Council must vote. 1 would therefore repeat for their benefit that there is another text, contained in document S/3152. Since no one has even referred to that text, 1 am not verv sanguine of its chances of success, although 1 shaIl 'be pleasantly surprised if, in the event that the other text should not be adopted, mine should receive a majority of votes. But 1 have served on this Council for a few months now, 1 am a very realistic person, and 1 know that ~ne mu",~ aIlow for any possibility. 1 am not enti- rely certain that the threè-Power draft resolution will be adopted - the authors of that L. aft resolution may be certain, but 1 am not; 1 do not know - and, as 1 haye said, 1 am not certain that, if it is not adopted, my own will he. Hence, 1 think it would be regrettable- and here 1 think the representatives of the United States, the United Kingdoni and France would agree with me - if, after aIl three or four months of labour, no decision by' the Council should result. In view of that possibility - and 1 would not put it any higher than that - may we not aIl agree to a very simple procedural text? If the three-Power draft resolution is not accepted and if my draft resolution is not ac- ceptèd, may we not agree to a very simple procedural proposaI in which we only say: "Let General Bennike do what he can and report to us in ninety days and, meanwhile, let the item remain under discussion"? If such a text were adopted, the Council would at least have asked General Bennike to go ahead and see what he can do. 74. The representative of France said - and 1 am sure that, from his point of view, he is convinced that he is right - that if this very carefully balanced text were disturbed, he would have to reconsider his vote when the time came to act on the draft resolution as a whole. If the draft resolution is so delicate that it is impossible to touch any part of it without upsetting it and altering the opinion of its own authors, then 1 think it is the part of wisdom for us to leave oursdves the possibility now of adopting sorne very simple pn)ce- duraI text, in which we would endorse what General Bennike has done and wouId refer the matter back to him, asking him to report within ninety days on any efforts he may have made during that period, and in which we would decide meanwhile to retain the item on the Security Council's agenda. 75. It seems to me that that may be a way out. At this moment, 1 do not dare to suggest it myself in the form of a draft resolution because 1 do not want any- body to he prejudiced against it. 1 am only putting it forward as a possible way out in case these other two texts fall. If that is agreeable, 1 will not at this moment, before we pass to the vote, read out the simple text

Before 1 call upon any other representative to take part in this debate 1 should like to assure the represep1ative of Lebanon that 1 did, of course, listen with the greatest of attention to what he said. He referred, in the course of his remarks, to the steps he would take in a certain event, and 1 think that 1 understood him correctly to say that he assumed that there would he a clear understanding. 1 do not think that the Couneil can he committed to a clear understanding of the course of action which he proposes, and 1 have no doubt that if the representative of Lebanon submits another draft resolution in the event of' certain occurrences, he will, of course, pay attention to rule 31 of 'the rules of procedure. It may have been superflttous for me to say that, but 1 thought it proper to do so. 77. Mt. SARPER (Turkey): 1 think that 1 owe an explanation to the representative of Lebanon. In this, of course, 1 am speaking not on behalf of the new members whose representatives took their seats in the Couneil today but purely on my own behalf and on behalf of my own delegation. Mr. Malik said something to the effect that the new members probably knew nothing about his draft resolution. 1 assume that he was referring to document S/3152, and 1 want to assure him that 1 not only have that draft resolution on the table before me but have studied it thoroughly and underlined parts of it. Thus, as far as 1 am concerned, he may be quite sure that 1 am taking an interest in his draft resolution in a way. Je Liban. propre nom aujourd'hui entendre raient Je je de attentivement passages. être retenir 78. glais) bres que la projet qu'il que Brésil un de 79. rieur, que Je Conseil j'envisageais, l'assurance désire propose aussitôt j'ai du tion de 78. Mr. Charles MALIK (Lebanon): 1 said that the new members might not have seen my text. However, now that the representative of TNrkey has infonned us that he has not only seen it but studied it and underlined parts of it 1 have no doubt that the representatives of New Zealand and Brazil have done the same. Indeed, there 'Îs no doubt in my mind at all that everything is perfectly clear to ail members of the Couneil. 79. With regard to rule 31, 1 can only a~sure the Acting President that 1 shall always aet in accordance with the rules of procedure. \Vhat 1 said was intended only to ascertain whether any other member might feel moved to initiate this proceeding himself, and 1 assure the Acting President that if no other representative wishes to speak, and if he proposes to pass to the vote immediately, 1 shalIif no other member of the Couneil wishes to adopt my idea as his own and tQ present it as a third, simple alternative - at once s..;._ mit fonnally the proposaI to which 1 have referred and of which 1 have the written te..'l:t here ready in hly hand. "2. Requests the Chief of Staff to explore possibilities of bringing about the reconciliation between the parties to this dispute and to report to the Council on the results of his efforts within ninety days; and "3. Decides to remaÎn seized with this item and to keep it under consideration." 84. The first and second paragraphs of the preamble to this draft resolution are exactly the same as the first and second paragraphs of the joint draft resolution.

Before 1 caU upon the representative of the United Kingdom, 1 wish to make it dear that l have been asking whether there are any other speakers in this debate. 1 do not know whether the representative of the United Kingdom is about to speak in respect of what might be caUed the notice of motion made by the representative of Lebanon, because it is quite dear, in accordance with rule 31, that the draft resolution should normaUy be placed before the representatives in writing. In so far as the proper discharge of my duties as Acting President is concerned, l am sure that the representative of Lebanon knows that l am not anxious to put any obstacles in his way. However, l am bound bv the rules of the Council and l am subject to the directions of the Council pursuant to any ruIe.

l quite see the point made by the Acting President, and 1 certainly would not want to contravene any rules of procedure. But since the representative of Lebanon has in fact just read out the draft resolution which he would like ta have voted on should the joint draft resolution 2 Subsequently issued as document S/3166. 87. Might I just add, as we are on this semi-procedural point, that, though I myself believe, for the reasons already given by the representative of France, there would be a considerable case for the movers in this particular instance to object to any proposaI to vote on the draft resolution before us paragraph by paragraph or part by part - and I think that in this case it would he q1:lite a reasonable thing for us to do - we do not, as I understand it ~ and here again I think that I speak also on behalf of the co-sponsors - actually wish formaIly to put in an objection. As I understand it, there are few precedents in this regard, and we do not wish in any way to depart from precedent unless it is absolutely a case of urgent necessity. 88. However, I would recommend very strongly to the memhers of the Council that the draft resolution should be considered as a whole. It does, in its essential paragraphs, hang very much together and the elimination of any singl: operative paragraph would - and I am sure that here again I speak on hehalf of the co-sponsors - stultify the whole intention of the draft resolution itself. I therefore hope that when we do vote on it paragraph by paragraph, the necessary majority will be obtained for aIl the paragraphs voted upon. 89. l'anglais) inscrits, Conseil rale. l'Union veulent qu'il à 90. intervenir aux s'ils simplement 91. listes vènir 92. soviétique. 93. 89. The ACTING PRESIDE:l~T: First of aIl, before I. calI on the t,;,o speakers who are on my list, I should lIke to ascertam whether any memher of the Council ,;,ishes to intervene in the general debate. I have on my hst the representatives of the Soviet Union and Lebanon. ~owever, I do not know whether they wish to speak m the general debate, and I feel strongly that we should ascertain the position in that regard. 90. I see that the representative of Brazil wishes to intervene in the general debate. May I now ask the representatives of the Soviet Union and Lebanon whether they wish to intervene in the general debate or on the question of the procedure we are to adopt. 91. Ml'. VYSHINSKY (Union of Soviet Socialist ~epublics) (translated from Russian) : I wish to speak In the general debate. 92. The ACTING PRESIDENT: I calI on the representative of the Soviet Union. 93. Ml'. VYSHINSKY (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) (translated from Russian) : Both Sir Gladwyn Jebb and Ml'. Lucet have stated that the revised draft resolution [S/3151/Rev.2] represents a con- 95. It is my duty to say than on this question the Soviet Union maintains the position it took at the previous meetings. Without going into a very detailed discussion of this question - for 1 have already spoken on it more than once, and my present speech would appear to be my thirteenth, at least - 1 should merely like to say that 1 do not perceive any such radical improvements in the draft resolution as would permit us to change the negative attjtude tmvards it to which 1 referred before. 96. If, as Sir Gladwyn Jebb said - and he was probably close to the truth in saying so - paragraph is really the heart of the draft, then obviously it must be said that the fate of the whole draft depends on paragraph 8, because the condition of any living organism depends directly and decisively on the state of the heart. What is the state of tbis heart? In my opinion, its condition is far from satisfactory. 97. 1 should like to recall that in my speech on 21 December [651st meeting] 1 pointed out the defects in the draft resolution we had before us then. 1 observed that, in the form in which it was then drafted, paragraph 9 of the three-Power draft resolution completely ignored a basic condition for the settlement of any questions connected with works in the demilitarized zone, and in particular with the disputes between Israel and Syria which are now being considered by the Security Council - that condition being that no action can be taken without the consent of Syria and Israel, the two parties concerned with the settlement of the canal question, and with the question of the situation in the demilitarized zone as a whole. However, paragraph 8 of the draft now submitted contains not the slightest mention of this important, and to me quite obvious, principle. This draft nowhere contemplates a situation in which the measures referred to in paragraph 8 should he carried out by agreement between the parties concerned. Not only that, but it is here stated that all steps wruch may be thought appropriate for carrying such action into effect should be decided on by the Chief of Staff personally, on his own personal responsibility and independently of the attitude of the interested parties, that is, Israel and Syria, on this question. The words used are simply: "Requests and authorizes the Chief of Staff . . . to take such steps in accordance with the Armistice Agreement as he may deem appropriate to effect a reconciliation." The reference here to the necessity for such steps ta be "in accordance with the Armistice Agreement" 1S something quite different from "with the agreement of both parties", because the Armistice Agreement itself may give rise ta just as many interpretations as there are paragraphs in it. These interpretations may be just as numerous as are the paragraphs themselves, and it is clear that not a single one of these paragraphs can have any force if there is no agreement between the parties as ta the meaning of the paragraph, its content, sense and suitability. 99. endroit - entière. le )00. paragraphe On semble, graphe paragraphe Spinoza, Spinoza graphe paragraphe Or, cachent. 101. question, doivent D'autre l'on moyen sommes 102. vue de du plus sur Comme sont parler particulier, sauvegarder ces trusts, cette C'est de 103. cun graphe sommes paragraphes 12 nous sujets du lieu tion essentielle directive 102. 1 cannot therefore agree with the views expressed by my coIleagues, Sir Gladwyn Jebb and Mr. Lucet, who have taken the view that aIl the defects have been eliminated and that aIl that remains is to take a vote and adopt the resolution unanimously. As 1 havt. tried ta show, the defects are far from having been eliminated; the proposaI has many defects, not to mention the obscurities which still persist. This is true in particular of the phrase referring ta the safeguardlng of the "rights of individuals". Who are these individuals and would it not be possible for their signature ta serve as a cover for joint-stock companies, trusts and monopolies? In my view, this is quite possible. The comment 1 made on the matter at the last meeting is therefore still valid. 103. Lastly, 1 would draw your attention to the fact thar of aIl the fourteen paragraphs, not a single paragraph, with the exception of paragraph 8, has in fact any bearing on the dispute with which we are at present dealing. The first and second paragraphs of the preamble and paragraphs 7, 10, Il and 12 of the operative part have no bearing on that question. They aIl deal with a variety of matters which have no connexion with the building of the canal, the start of which gave rise to protests. Consequently, the draft resolution still makes no reference to this question, which is the crux of the whole matter. Nor does it give the Chief of Staff any guidance for his future action. 104. à de affaire. souhaits de 104. It seems to me that aIl this is enough to define the position of those members of the Security Coul1cil who consider that efforts should be directed towar'ds settling the question at issue instead of expressing compliments which have very little to do with the settlement of this question. lOS. en lOS. As representative of the Soviet Union, and not sharing the optimism with regard to the quality of this 108. 1 am inclined ta the view that we should adjourn until tomorrow. Of course, 1 am entirely in the hands of the Council. If there is no objection, 1 propose that the meeting of the Council shou1rl be adjourned until 3 p.m. tomorrow. 109. Sir Gladwyn JEBB (United Kingdom): 1 quite agree that we shall have to adjourn this meeting fairly soon. 1 was only wondering \vhether, in the faint hope that we might be able ta get some agreement tomorrow aft~rnoon on this matter, we 111ight possibly persuade OtEr new Brazilian colleague to make his speech now- 1 do not know whether or not he would like to - and then adjourn after that. That would save at least fortv minutes of our time. J 110. The ACTING PRESIDENT: Will the representative of Brazil indicate his desire? 111. Ml'. LEME (Brazil) (translated from French): 1 agree. 112. The ACTING PRESIDENT: We shaH hear the representative of BraziI. My understanding is that, after having heard him and the interpretation of his address, the Council will adjourn until 3 p.m. tomorrow. 113. Ml'. LEME (Brazil) (translatcd froHI French) Th~ matter at present before the Council is onlv a facet of the broader p1'ObJ.=m of a final settlement of the disputes between the State of Israel and its Arab neighbours. 114. Despite the Armistice Agreement. the efforts of the Conciliation Commission for Palestine and the steps taken by the Chief of Staff of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization, dissension between these cOt1ntries has not come to an end. 115. The Security Council, the General Assembly and other organs of the United Nations have been called upon to act on some of these controversies. But matters of the greatest moment, such as the internationalization 117. We stated in the First Commit~ee of the General Assembly in April 1948 3 that we favoured the establislunent of a federal or cantonal government in Palestine which could guarantee the widest possible local self-government for the Arab, Jewish and Christian cQmmunities. Nevertheless, when the time came, our country accepted the formation of the State of Israel and speedily recognized it. 118. Imperfect a solution though it was, the creation of the State of Israel seemed to mark a very important step towards the happy ending of a drama which had engaged the attention of mankind continuously for two thousand years: the Jewish question. But the solution was not an ideal one: justice had been done to the Jews but the problem of the Arab refugees had been created. 119. The United Nations, which is faced with the difficult task of solving the Palestine problem, has not yet rescinded the resolutions adopted in 1948. Consequently, it is our dutY to see that they are observed. 120. In the General Assembly in December 1949, our delegation voted for the draft international statute of Jerusalem. 4 We were not on that occasion prompted by ~cademic considerations, but were e."'Cpressing the sentIments of our people who, though, the majority of them are Catholic, nevertheless provide for the fullest freedom of religion in their Constitution. 121.. We had occasion to return to the Palestine problem 111 the Securïty Council at the time of the discussion on the draining of the Lake Huleh marshes [547th meeting] ; our representatives supported the efforts of France, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States to strengtheJ.l the mediation instrument established by the General Armistice Agreement. 122. In 1951, when the question was raisd of the restrictions imposed by Egypt on the passage of vessels and goods destined for Israel through the Suez Canal [552nd meeting], Brazil contested the Egyptian argument that, since the Armistice was only a temporary suspension of hostilities, the state of war was still in effect, and that, consequently, restrictions on trade were justified. 123. In 1952 our delegation in the General Assembly advocated the continuation of the Conciliation Commission,. which some delegations wished to abolish; it also asslsted the efforts of the three major Powers and Turkey to give the Commission's terms of reference a firmer basis and a more precise definition. !2~. S~ch i~ Brazil's generalline of thought now that lt. IS takmg ItS place at the Security Council table to ~ISCUSS the Palestine question in connexion with works hkely to alter the Jordan river-bed in the central sector 125. It is L'ue, as Mr. Eban has stated, that the Jordan flows through the State of Israel alone from the point where it enters Israel territory, north of Lake Huleh, right up to the point where it enters the Hashemite Kingdom of the Jordan, eight miles south of Lake Tiberias. It must, however, be acknowledged that, even if we disregard the French-British agreement establishing the rights of Syria over the waters of Lakes Huleh and Tiberias and the Jordan, we must not forget that article V of the General Armistice Agreement between Israel and Syria provides, for a demarcation line and demilitarized zone, in respect of which the rights of the High Contracting Parties are explicitly defined. The Chairman of the Mixed Armistice Commission, and the United Nations observers attached to the Commission, are responsible under the Agreement for ensuring the full implementation of those stipulations. 126. General Bennike's report leaves us with the conviction that the diversion of the course of the Jordan will result in a number of military advantages for Israel. The economic importance to the area likely to result from the construction of the proposed hydroelectric power-station must also be borne in mind. 127. After carefully studying the question, the representative of Brazil had placedhis hopes in a formula which he thought might be acceptable to the parties inasmuch as it amended paragraphs 8 and 12 of the joint drait resolution. After meeting with some initial success, his efforts encot,ntered insurmountable difficulties, which prevented further progress. 128. Only the Chairman of the Armistice Commission, who has been able to judge the facts directly and whose exemplary attitude has earned him well-deserved prestige, will be able, without a doubt, to induce Syria and Israel to acknowledge the advantage of reaching agreement, since the problem involved is of such importance. He will take the necessary action, within the terms of the Armistice Agreement, with the impartiality and sense of duty which he has constantly displayed. 129. In these circumstances, while paying a tribute to the Powers which made the original proposaI, and with aIl due respect to the opinions of the members of the Council who will not adopt the same decision, 1 have to state that 1 shall abstain from voting on paragraph 8. 130. The ACTING PRESIDENT: In accordance with our previous understanding 1 declare the Council adjourned until three o'clock tomorrow afternoon. The meeting rose at 6.20 p.m.