S/PV.723 Security Council

Before proeeeding to the first item on our agenda, 1 should like ta pay tribute to my predecessor, the representative of the United States, Mr. Lodge. 1 am sure that we have aIl greatly appreciated the able mannei" in which he conducted the Council's debates in April, when the important decision on the Secretary-General's mission to the Middle East was adopted.

1 wish to thank the President for bis remarks. In repouse, let me extend my compliments to him, and my very best wishes for what 1 know will be a most successful tour of duty. 3. It is always a great bonour for a man to preside over the Security Council. For me, the honouE" was a very real one because during April the Council unanimously passed a resolution [813575], which in itself was noteworthy; and in response to that resolution the Secretary- General went to Palestine and achieved results which mean a great deal to the peace of the world. For those reasons, my presidency of the Security Council will always remain in my memory. 1 wish to thank aIl the memLers for their co-operation. .. Adoption of the agenda The agenda was adopted.

At our 717th meeting, when the Council embarked upon the discussion of the present "lgenda item, it decided, at the request of the Governments of Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Israel, and in accordance with Article 31 of the Charter, to invite the reprensentatives of those S~ates especially interested to take part in the discussion of the item. If 1 hear no objections, 1 shall again invite the rep..esentaûves of the States 1 have mentioned to t:>.ke their seats at the Council table. 5. Tr.e PRESIDENT: As the members will recall, the Security Couneil, at its 722nd meeting, on 4 April of this year, under the item entitled "The Palestine question : status of compliance given to the general armistice agreements and the resolutions of the Security Couneil adopted during the past year ", adopted a resolution [S/3575] which had been proposed by the delegation of the United States. In that resoiution, the Cminci! requested the Secretary-General, inter alia, to undertake as a matter 0" urgent concern, a survey of the various aspects of enforcement of and compliance with the four general armistice agreements and the Council's resolu- tions referred to in the fmt paragraph of the preamble to arrange with the parties for the adoption of any measure which, after discussion with the parties and with the Chief of Staff of the Truce Supervision Organi- zation, he considered would reduce existing tensions along the armistice demarcation lines, and to report to the Council. 6. On 9 May 1956 the Secretary-General submitted his report [S/3596], as he had been asked to do under the aforesaid resolution. He had previously, on 2 May, submitted a progress report [S/3594]. 7. The Secretary-General ·vill now make a 5tatement in connexion with the report. 1 am sure that 1 shaH be voicing the feelings of aIl memberr of the Council when 1 tell the Secretar'J-Generai how gred.tly we appreciate the efforts he has once again deployed in the service of the United Nations.

1 thank the President for inviting me to introduce my report on the Palestine question. 1 also thank him for his kind words of appreciation. 10. In the conclusions to my report 1 have indicated my feeling that we are at present in a situation where we may break the previous chain of events. Behind this statement lie many experiences during the time 1 spent in the region, among them the co--operation to which 1 have just referred. Il. 1 trust that all the parties will try to see what contributions they can now make unilatel'ally in order to re-establish and maintain the quiet and order so strongly np.eded as a background for succeasful efforts to cope .vith the great practical tasks to be tackled within aIl the countries concerned. Bach step taken in the right direction may calI forward similar steps from other sicles, and thus may stan: and give direction to a development bringing us father and fatther from the risk of conflict. There is wide scope for such related unilateral actions in the spirit of cOaoperation evidenced by the Member States in the course of my negotiations. 12. 1 trust that the parties wïll know that they can always count on the sympathetic and impartial assistance of the Secretary-General, within the framework set by what they consider possible and desirable in their efforts to make further progress.

The Security Council is meeting to consider the report of the Secretary-General (8/3596] on the results of the survey which he undertook pursuant to the Council's resolution cf 4 April 1956. The Council has rightly taken time to study this important document. We have been able in the interval to make sorne assessment of the results of the Secretary-General's visit to the area, to gather reactions from the Governments directly concerned and to weigh the matter among members of the Security Council. 14. 1 do not think it would be helpful if the Council were to indulge in a detailed post-mortem on the various aspects of the problem covered in the Secretary-General's report. What we should do now 15 to take stock of the present position and then look ahead and consider the next steps. 1 appeal to members of the Council to follow me in this approach, which seems to be the constructive one. 1.5. At the ti.wne when the Security Couneil asked the Secretary-General to undertake his important charge, a mountingrate of incidents on the demarcation lines between .Israel and its Arab neighbours was causing a 16. It was because of this disturbing situation that the Secretary-General was invited to visit the area, and was asked fust to investigate the various aspects of enforeement of and complianee with the four general armistice agreements and recent resolutions of the Council. These were the resolutions of 30 March 1955 [8/3379], 8 September 1955 [S/3435] and 19 January 1956 [8/3538]. Secondly, the Secretary-General was asked to arrange with the parties for the adoption of practical measures to reduce existing tensions along the annistice demareation lines. The sort of measures the Council had in mind had heen previously recommended by General Burns and endorsed by the Security Council, but the TJarties had not yet agreed to put them iuto effect. 1 17. Thus, the primary object of the Secretary-General's -IDssion was to reduce tension along the armistice demarcation lines. 18. It will be a cause of great satisfaction to the Council that the Secretary-General and the parties were able to make progress in agreeing on practical measures towards this objective and in putting some of them into effect. Others still remain to he agreed. But here was progress on the fust essential: the lessemng of teru:ion and the reduction of the risk of recurn::nt serious incidents. Moreover, the Secretary-General and the parties made a fu......her .sigr>H;cant advanc.e which governs the whole situation. Mr. Hammarskjold was able to secure a fam reaffirmation by the parties of the cease-fire, which is fundamental to all the armistice agreemf'nts. 19. This was important in itself. But what is just as impoT"'..ant is that, with minor exceptions, the parties have fully lived up to their assurances. This, then, is progress. But it is even more than that, because the fact of progress in any difficult international situation - the mere fact of it - is important in itself. 20. In the present case, the progress achieved has produeed a détente, a better atmosphere. To quote from the Secretary-General's report: "If we have previously experienced chain reactions leading to a continuous deterioration of the situation, we may now have the possibility of starting a chain of reactions in the opposite direction." [8/3596, para. 106] 21. The personality of Mr. Hammarskjold and the prestige of bis high office, as weIl as the valuable relationship he was able to establish with the leaders in the various countries of the area where he spent severa.I intensive weeks) no doubt contributed in the highest measure to this improvement in the atmosphere. 24. It is, of course, ta the parties that we must look primarily for agreement on further measures. As Mr. Hammarskjold says in bis report: "The initiative is now in the bands of the govemments parties ta the armistiœ agreemer.\ts" [8/3596, para. 105] But my colleagues will natID."ëÙly he disposed to provide all possible assistance on the part of the Security Council, firstly, hecause of our general responsibilities undel' the Charter for the maintenance of international peace and security, and secondly, hecause the dispute hetween Israel and itl Arab neighbours is a particular concern of the Security Council and the United Nations. 25. What, then, should he done? First it is clear that there should he a further advance in the process of agreement on and the putting into effect of practical measures to improve the situation along the armistice demarcation tines by reducing the risk of incidents. These practical measures should he worked out in concert with the Secretary-GeneraI and the Chief of Staff of the Truce Supervision Organization; it is the parties which have to agree on them and put them into effect. 26. As the atmosphe~ improves, we can hope and expect that it will he easier ta get agreement on measures of this kind which wiU further reduce the risk of incidents and thus also further reduce tension. The readiness of the parties concerned ta give favourable consideration to the proposaIs of the Secretary-Gcneral and the Chief of Staff is confinned by bis report and by the reaffinnation of the cease-fire. It is our fion belief that progress in putting these proposaIs into effect will be accompanied by a lessening of tension and a growth of confidence. 27. That will be very much to the good. But is has emerged very clearly from the Secretary-General's report that something more than that is needed-full compliance. with the armistice agreements. The Secretary-General mentions in bis report that he has assurances from aIl the Governn ents in the area, " assurances of their will fully to compl} ~d1 aIl clauses of the armistice agreements, on the bas!! of. redprocity" [8/3596; pûra. 49]. That is an important statement, but of course, it will not he easy to achieve this full compliance. • 29. Before going on to èliscuss in detail the draft resolution presented by my delegation [S/3600/Reu.l], 1 should lïke to say a word or two about the general direction in whicp 1 hope that the road which we are now taking may lead l's. 30. The Secretary-General has expressed the view that full compliance with the armistice agreements represents a stage which has to be passed in order to make progress possible on the main issues between the parties. My Govemmenl; shares that view. But, even though at the moment we mllSt concentrate on keeping the peace and on making progress towards full (' _mpliance with the armiitice agreements, we clearly ,~ot to lose sight of the need for a mutually a::ceptabk: settlemen,; t}f the differences hetween Israel and its Arab neighlnurs. Wc believe that full compliance with the armistice agreements could be the bridge which might eventually lead to progress on these differences. 31. On the other hand, the Security Council clearly must look to first things flI'St. We do not think the Council should now attempt to define the differences 1 have mentioned or to suggest how they shouid be solved. Our purpose must surely be to help to bring about conditions in which these differences can be solved. In there circumstances, it is the view of the United Kingdom that Security Council action at this stage should he based on three premises. 32. First, it is our responsibility, and it shouid he po~. sible, to take advantage of the successful contacts hetween the Secretary-General and the parties in oi'CÏer not only to consolidate the gains which have already been made, but also to keep up the momentum towards truly peacefui conditions. 33. Secondly, the Security Council should confine itself to fostering this process and shouid not force it. We should recognize the delicacy of the situation and the need to build up confidence between the parties. 34. Thirdly, we should wGrk at L'US stage towards putting into effect practical measures already agreed upon and getting still more of such practical measures agreed and put into effect. At the same time, we must try ta achieve full compliance with the armistice agreements. 35. With these premises in mind, it is the view of my delegation that the most helpful single step for the Council to take would he to ask the Secretary-Generai 37. Members of the Couneil will see that the draft resolution begins by recalling t..~e Cound!'s resolutions of 4 April 1956 [8/3575] and 11 August 1949 [3/1376, Il]. In referring to the second of these resoh,tions, we are mainly concerned to draw at'.entioil to the Security Council's reaffirmaLon of its cease-fire order and to its directions to the Chief of Staff of the Truce Supervision Organization. 38. The draft resolution then goes on to refer to the Secretary-General's report and to draw attention to the fact that, in section III and annexes 1 to 4 of the report, the posi~ions of the parties are set out regarding the assurar.ces unconditionally to observe the cease-fire which they gave to the Secretary-Genernl. 39. Next, the d'raft resolution notes the progress that has been made in the direction of the speeific measures ~et out hl the resolution of 4 April 1956. Note that full compliance with the annistice agreements and the Council's previous resolutions is not yet effected and that sorne measures called for in the resolution of 4 April been neither completely agreed UpOlll nor fully put into ('ffect. 40. Next, the draft resolution would put the Security Couneil on record as being conseious of the need to create conditions in which a peaceful settlement rm a mutually ac"eptable basis of the dispute between the parties could be made; and it would put the Couneil on record as believing that it would help to create such conditions if further progress were now made in consodating the gains resulting from the Secretary-GeneraI's mission and towaros full compliance by the parties with the annistice agreements. 41. These seem to me ta be statements of the Council's position which members of the Couneil will certainly wish to see expressed. 42. AIl that is the preambular part of the draft resolution. We come now to the operative part. 43. Under paragraph 1, the Council would commend the Secretary-General and the parties on the progress already achieved. This, r am sure, is what the Security Council would wish to do. Indeed, 1 may say that we ail, members of the Couneil and parties to the armistice agreements alike, zeel that the warmest congratulations are due to our Secretary-General. 45. 1 am happy to note that the first part of this paragraph of the draft resolution appears to he weIl on the way to being carried out already, but 1 think that members of the Council will agree that it would he most desirable that further practicaJ. proposaIs p~rsuant to the resolution of 4 April 1956 should he put into effect. 46. Under paragraph 3, the Council would declare that full freeàom of movement for United Nations observers must be respected in all areas of the armistice demarcation lines, in the demilitarized zone and in the def.ensive areas, as defined in the annistice agreements, to enable the 1 observers to fulfil their functions. We have thought it . right to single out freedom of movement for the observers from among the measures called for in the resolutio~ of 4 April 1956 because we believe that this point is of the highest importance for ensuring the observance of the cease-fire. In this, of course, we are only repeating what the Counci1 bas said before, but we helieve that it is desirable te do 50 in order to give emphasis to the point. 47. 1 do ..'lot need to comment more than 1 have done on the ideas in paragraph 4 of the operative part which underlines the importanc.e in this whole problem of full compliance with the armistice agreements. 48. P'aragraph 5 Î:i designed to record the Security Council's continuing interest and responsibility in this ma.tter, by making it dear to all concemed that the Council wishes the Chief of Staff, under bis powers in punuance of the resolution of 11 August 1949, to report to the Counci1 ü, unhappily, there should he a serious violation of the armistice agreements or of the ceaseafire which in bis opinion require immediate consideration by the Council. 49. Paragraph 6 contains a caU to the parties to take the steps necessary to carry out this resolution, thereby increasing confidp.nce and demonstrating rocir wish for peaceful conditions. 1 think it is clear from the operative part of the draft what sort of steps we expect them tn take. 1 dea1t with this point at length earlier in my speech, and 1 will therefore not go into it further now. 50. Finally, under paragraph 7, the Council would request the Secretary-General to continue bis good offices with the parties. demanderait l:~ ;:; 52. Our idea is that the Couneil should ask the Secretar'/-General to continue-and 1 stress the word "continue" -bis good offices with the parties--and 1 stress the words .. with the parties". He woald he available to heip them .:lOW 10 make progress towards the full implementation of the resolution of 4 April 1956 and full compliance with the armistice agreemenb-and no doubt he would, if he thought it desirable, make suggestions to them to that end. 53. 1 think We should he wise not 10 go beyond asking the Secretary--GeneraI in this generaI way 10 he of assistance. The members of the Council and the parties know that the Secretary-General will respond to our request 10 him to continue to he1p in the most constructive way. We must leave it to him, as we can do with confidence, to decide exactly what 10 do. There are many things which tint need 10 he done hefore full compliancr with the armistice agreements is achieved. 1 am confi...ent tbat tbe Secreauy-General, with the parties, will seize every available opportunity to proceed in this dire.ction. r

Nearly two months ago, during our meetings at the beginning of April, 1 mentioned the fears that appeared to he justified by an appreciable worsening of the situation in the Middle East. At that time it seemed to aU of us that, in an atmosphere that was becoming wone day by day and in the midst of repeated incidents, sorne of them very serious, the fatal process which makes conflict unavoidable might he set in motion at any time. 1 1 i 1 1 55. We then decided to send the Secretary-Generd! of the United Nations, Mr. Hammarskjold, to Palestine to endeavour to set matters right. WhiIe undoubtedly an important and significant gesture, this nevertheless g<J.ve cise to sorne criticism. Some took the view that we were rashly jeopardizing the authority of the highest official of the United Nations in an insoluble case. Others seemed to expect too much from his mission. 1 myself, if 1 may he allowed to refer again to thP: position 1 took at that time [717th meeting], expressed our confidence in Mr. Hammarskjold and tried to wam the public against the disappointment whkh those who expected the Secretary-General to pedonn sorne sort of miracle would inevit.'lbly feel when he retumed from bis mission. 56. Two months have passed. War bas not broken out in Palestine. Incidents are less frequent and less seripùs. In the opposing capitals a mi!der tone is heard. New agreements have been concluded, and the way has ~ pa~ I~ ilie awli~tion 01 ~~ m~ 10 9 1 1 1 58. This progress is described in the two reports [8/3594 and 8/3596] submitted to us by the Secretary-General. 1 certainly have no intention of reviewing in detail the considerable numher of pages taken up by these reports and the annexed documents. 1 shall merely stress the principle which the Secretary- General himself laid down, 1 think in his first report, and which provides the clue to everything he has done. 59. Two months ago, the structure erected by the United Nations to safeguard peace in the Middle East was based, partIy on the armistice agreements of 1948, and partly on the Security Cauneil's resolution of 11 Agust 1949 [8/1376, II] establishing the cease-fire. 60. The texts in bath categories had suffered from the ravages of time. The tireless activities of General Burns, Chief of Staff of the Tmce Supervision Organization, and of 'his colleagues, had of course to some extent succeeded in sectL'"Ïng respect for the cease-fire and for some provisions of the armistice agreements. However, in the vicissitudes of daily application, they had gradually lost their effect even in the eyes of those upon whom they should have heen binding. 1 I-1 61. In most cases, respect for those proVlSIOns had hecome a local matter left to the arbitrary jucigement of every sector commander, every leader of an advanced patrol-I was almost going to say, of every individual soldier, infiltrator or sentry. The mixed armistice commissions functioned ta the best of their abili.;y, but were subjected to prolonged periods of inactivity at the caprice of" every delegation sent hefore them. The higher military and civil authoritiess the Governments themselves, had come to lose interest in these matters, had abdicated their right to command and control and had allowed themse!ves to he drawn into a deteriorating situation by a series of anarchie enterprises. 62. The Secretary-General's great ment, in the mission he has just accomplished, is to have understood the extreme dangers of this process of disintegration, to have made the Governments concerned understand the legitimate fears with which the situation inspired him, and to have secured their agreement in an attempt to bring L~tU~Mn ro M mm. 10 l 64. On these strengthened foundations Mr. Hammarskjold, pursuant to the explicit terros of reference Iz.id clown for him in the resolution of 4 April 1956 [S/3575], bas oontinued his negotiations in an endeavour to secure the enforcement of the specific measures recommended in that resolution. On most points he has obtained agreements in principle; on the others he appears to have every chance of achieving equal success. 1 think this result give us grounds for satisfaction. 65. As 1 see it, the draft resolution presented to the Security Council by the United Kingdom delegation [S/3600/Rev.l] has three objects. First, it sets the Security Council's approval, 1 might almest say its seal, on th~ agreements concluded between the parties. Secondly, it calls upon the parties to carry out. those agreements. Thirdly, it requests the Secretary-General to continue-and Sir Pierson Dixon emphasized this word a moment ago-his good offices wit.l} the parties. 1 1 66. Thus the draft resolution is constructive in scope. The United Kingdom delegation is not merely asking the Council to approve the results of the Secretary- General's mission; it is also trying to make it clear that the step just taken towards the establishment of a lasting peace must he follo\\rW by further steps. The exp..:- rience of the past few years has shown us the impossibility of preserving even such a static situation as the cease-fire without constant endeavours to improve it, without trying to advance towards the settlement of the basic questions. In politics-as in many other spheres -not to make progress is always, in the last analysis, to lose ground. 67. What are these further steps to be? It is not really possible to tell. Perhaps, indeed, it is better not to dwell on them too much. It is easy, however, to show immediately that one task at least should be completed forthwith-the implementation, by practical steps of the type referred ta in the resolution of 4 April 1956, of the agreements concluded under the auspices of the Secretary-GeneraI. 68. The French delegation therefore strongly supports the appeal tl) the parties contained in paragraph 6 of the draft resolut:on "to cake the steps necessary to carry out this resolution, thereby increasing con.fidence and demonstrating their wish for peaceful conditions". 69. The French delegation also considers it essential that the Secretary-General should continue to place his good offices at th;; parties' disposaI. It seems quite clear thaï, should Mr. Hammarskjold relax bis efforts now, the excellent results of bis mission would soon be nuI1ified. 71. It would not he fair, however, to dwell too long on these reservations. What we, as Members of an Organization which we founded in faith and in whose future we believe, should proclaim, is tbcat the United Nations, whicb. bas so often been unfairly derlded-if only by those who unwisery expect{O'" from it too many immediate results-has, thanks to Mr. Hammarskjold, won a remarkable success in the Middle East. 1 am sure that we shall not allow that suceess to he jeopardized. 1 1 72. Mr. LODGE (United States of America)-: The United States supports the draft resolution sponsored by the United Kingdom [S/3600/Rev.l], which is DOW before the Council. We do so hecause we think it is the logica1 outgrowth of the Security Council resolution of 4 April 1956 and of the mission undertaken by the Secretary-General punuant to that resolution, a mission which we think bas done much good. 73. The resolution of 4 April was adopted unanimously. There was at that time an ominous drift towards hostilities in Palestine. Prompt action was required. To haIt that drift, and to restore tranquillity in the area, the Secretary-General was requested, as a matter of urgency, to undertake bis mission to the Near East. In this the Secretary-General bas, we think, met with significant success. Conditions in the area are measurably different from what they were on 4 April 1956. Dangerous tensions have been reduced and the prospect for full a."ld effective operation of the amlistice machinery is good. 74. As the sponsor of the resolution of 4 April, which requested the Secretary-General to wldertake bis mission, the United States has continually emphasized the importance of full compliance with the armistice agreements as the essential first step in restoring peaceful conditions in the Near East. 1 stated on 26 March 1956 that: "... in the first Ïn3tance United Nations efforts should he concentrated on full compliance with the amlistice agreements by Israel and the Arab States and on carrying out in detail the Security Council resolutions of 30 March 1955 [S/3379], 8 September 1955 [S/3435], and 19 January 1956 [S/3538] " [717th meeting, para. 11]. 1 then went on 10 say this: "Wetherefore propose in the draft .resolution before the Council [S/3562] that the 8ecretary- General undertake as a matter of urgency discussions 75. On 28 March 1956,1 summarized the United States position iu this way: " We wanted two things: to act promptly in the faœ of a gravely wonening situation, and, in acting promptly, to indicate, with the Security Council's endorsement, certain steps which the SecretaIy-General and the parties might take to carry out the provisions of the annistice agreements. These are not n~ purposes. The unanimous resolutions of the 5ecurity Council, ta which our draft resolution refers, likewise had as their purpose the effective functioning of the armistice. And that is our sole purpose. Surely no one would deny that, unless the armistice agreements can be effectively carrïed out, a grave threat to the pt'..ace may result." [718th meeting, para. 6] 76. 1 have given these quotations because 1 think it might help us to Bee clearly where we are going if we recall what it was that we had in mind when we undertook the present programme. This remains the United States' 'JOSition. 77. The Secretary-General's mission pursuant to the resolution of 4 April 1956 bas contributed greatly 10 the effective functionïng of the annistice agreements, and bas thus diminished appreciably the likelihood of a threat to the peace in the area. The report of the Secretary-General shoW!! that progress cao he made towards the full functioning of the armistice agreements. 78. Much has been accomplished of a practical nature along the lines of the measures previously proposed by the Chief of Staff and endorsed by the Security Council. The speedy carrying out of the proposaIs 50 far agreed upon will provide the basis for extending agreement on the remaining practical measures proposed to the parties, thus solidifying the gains aIready made. 79. The draft resolution sponsored by the representative of the United Kingdom bas a basic purpose, which is to emphasize the Security Council's wish, first, that the agreements already amved at should be speedily put in10 effect and, secondIy, that the remaining measures called for in the Security Council's resolutions and not yet fully agreed upon should he adoptcd without delay. 1 think that is an accurate summation. 80. And it remains true today, as it was troe in April, that the practical measures which the Council bas endorsed are the key to the full functioning of the armistice agreements and to peaceful conditions in the area. Where they have been agreed upon, therefore, there mould he no delay in putting them fully into effect. Where they are still to he agreed upon, we hope to Bee the continuation of the Secretary-GeneraI's efforts to reach sucb agreement. braie être sur espérons pour 82. Another important aspect of the draft resolution sponsored by the United Kingdom delegation is the provision in operative paragraph 5 that, in carrying out his observation of the cease-fire pursuant ta the Security Council resolution of 11 August 1949 [8/1376, 11], the Chief of Staff of the Truce Supervision Organization should "report ta the Security Council whenever any action undertaken by one party to an annistice agreement constitutes a serious violation of that agreement or of the cease-fire, which in his opinion requires immediate consideration by the Security Council ". This, too, should he a strong deterrent ta any possible aggressive action from any quarter-and this, too, has the full support of the United States. 1 1 83. Thus the task hefore the Securit'y Council today is to consolidate.the gains made by the Secretary-General in the agreements he has reached with the parties to prevent a recurrence of a situation such as prevailed earlier in the year. It seems fitting-in fact, it seems wise-to call upon the Secretary-General to make further efforts with the parties to that end. M. If the Security Council agrees, as 1 am confident that it will, that the Secretary-General should continue to act in its behalf in accordance with the resolutions previously adopted, we will aIl be able to feel renewed confidence in the prospect of a peaceful solution of the Palestine problem in full accord with the principles and purposes of the United Nations Charter.

The Belgian delegation shares in the universally favourable reaction created by the way in wich the Secretary-General has carried out the mission entrusted to him by the Security Council. The report before us [8/3596] is proof of Mr. Hammarskjold's experience, of his capacity to draw distinctions, ta recognize the various stages leading to the solution of a pmblem, and to avail himself of any opportunity for action. 86. It is clear from the report that non-compliance with the annistice agreements at this time is not the result of unwillingness on the part of the Governments concerned ta respect their obligations under those agreements. That is a mast important point. It is confinned by the fact that those Governments have been prepared to renew the obligations they had assumed before. The report points out that the situation is in the main due to the vagueness of the obligations laid down in the 87. Mr. Hammarskjold's report is very clear. It would he superfluous to go over all the points mentioned. But, without going into details, 1 should like to !'l~fer to the practical measures recommended which should prevent the recurrence of the regrettable incidents of the pasto Acr..ording ':0 the report, the Govemments con- œrned have stated that they would have no objections of principle to any of those measures. 88. The Secretary-Genera! concludes on a note of hope. "1 believe that the present situation offers unique possibilities. If we have previously experienced chain reactions leading to a continuous deterioration of the situation, we may now have the possibility of starting a chain ('f reactions in the opposite direction." [8/3596, para. 106] That conviction should be especia!ty noted, for it is uttered by someone whose information bas been drawn from direct and immediate contact with the realities confronting us.' 89. The future lies with the Governments. Their spirit of collaboration and their devotion to peace have been manifested in the course of t;he negotiaêons. The United Kingdom draft resolution provides for the continuation of the Secretary-General's good offices with them. They will certainly want ta take full advantage of Mr. Hammarskjold's help, which they have just learned to appreciate at its true woth.

The Security Council last met on 4 April 1956 to consider the Palestine situation. In the intervening period of practically eight weeks some events have taken place in the area that might weIl have given grounds for apprehension that the situation would deteriorate further in a most dangerous way. On the other hand, there have been important developments that aft'oid brighter hopes for the future. 91. In particular, we have aIl taken note of some steps that have been taken towards impI'C'ving understanding between those members of the Security Council which, under the Charter, have a prime responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. The Australian delegation hopes that we shall see in the debate on the matter now before the Couneil public expression of the increased realization and recognition of common responsibilities for the adoption by the Security Couneil of measures aiming at further relaxation of tension in the Palestine area. ?2. Another development that gives us ground for hope :s the measure oI success achieved by the Secretary- General in the dischargc of the mission entrusted to him by the Council in its resolution of 4 April 1956 [8/3575]. ~fore Mr. Hammarskjold left on bis mission, 1 told him 1~ this Couneil [717th meeting] that he canied with him the full confidence of the Australian Government. 93. During Mr. Hammarskjold's absence from New York on this mission in the Middle East, 1 am sure that aIl memhers of the Security Cauneil here experienced a noticeable alleviation in the degree of anxiecy which the situation in the Middle East and the repetition of dangerous incidents keep continuously aIive in our minds. Although the basic causes of thill anxiety, which is felt by our Governments and by the people of the world, still emt, thanks to the efforts of the Secretary-General and to the co-operation of the Govemments in the area we are able today, with hope in our hearts, to approach the task of building further upon the results which the Secretary-General bas achieved. 94. We are all greatly encouraged by some sentences in the conclusion of Mr. Hammarskjold's report [8/3596], and in particular by'his feeli,,::; +ltat there is a general will 10 peace and his beiief that no.: present situation offers unique opport.101.:- 95. We attach particular importance to the assurances which the Secretary-General obtained from the parties of unconditional support of the, cease-fire, subject only ta the reservation of self-defence, as explained in the annexes to the report. This was an essential starting point for other steps towards reducing the existing tension. AustraIia is happy ta he able to contribute in some small way to t.lte United Nations machinery to deal with local incidents, and the Australlan Govemment has accordingly responded to the Secretary-General's request to provide four military ofIicers ta serve as observers under the Chief of Staff of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization. 96. 1 do not propose ta comment at this stage at any length upon the provisions of the United Kingdom draft resolution that is hefore us [S/3600/Rev.11 but sha!! reserve any remarks on points of detail for a later stage in our discussion. 1 do wish to say, however, that the Australian Govemment welcomes and will support the general ideas which the draft resolution endeavours to express. 97. As 1 see it, the underlying idea in the draft resolution is that, 1argely as a result of. the Secretary- General's efforts and the goodwill of the parties, the Palestine situation, which if anything bas tended to deteriof'ate in recent years, is now beginning to show signs of some slight improvement and may even hold possibilities for considerable improvement. There continues ID exist, of course, an attitude of great suspicion among the parties ta the Palestine question, and very great difficulties stand in the way of finding a settlement, but it is clearly the duty of the United Nations and of the countries of the Middle East to seize the opportunity that is now presented to us to reduce very greatly, and 99. comprendront férend sources développement l'aide comme 99. Surely the time cannot he far distant when all concerned wili reaIize that the continuation of the Palestine dispute, which not only ties up resources that are urgently needed for the expansion of economic development but also imposes a barrier in the way of international assistânce, is a. luxury which the Middle East, and for that matter the whole world, cannot continue to afford. 100. le pré téméraire vernements de et changer et leur 100. As year follows year, the Palestine dispute becomes more and more plainly an anachronism and a handicap. Perhaps it is not too much to hope that tl!e Governments of the area already realize this and that their peoples, who also sense intuitively that great changes are afoot, may already he hoping for some alleviation of the anxietieS and material burdens which the continuation of the dispute imposes upon them. 101. seulement favoriser cours nements de calamité aux Palestine œuvre des mesures tendant mais mettront des de est 101. The United Nations bas been established not only to prevent evils but also actively to promote the weHare of mankind. There has been much talk in recent months of the risk that developments in and around Palestine could lead to that greatest of all modem horran, a la.-ge-scaIe war. Today we seek the c0- operation of the Governments parties to the Palestine dispute, not only in taking measures designed to reduce the risk of war, but also in creating the cOD,ditions that will enable the peoples of their c-Ol.mtries ta sb..are in the material benefits which the onward march of science and technology are bringing within the grasp of every country that is prepared to live in peace with its neighbours.

My delegation has studied, with the attention they deserve, the Secretary-General's reports [8/3594 and S/3596] pursuant to the Council resolution of 4 April 1956 on the Palestine question [8/3575]. We have also followed with great interest the Secretary-General's negotiatioDs with the Govemments concerned. 102. l'attention général la concernant lement menées intéressés. 104. We were also struck by the candour and tact with which he 'llndertook negotiations with the Govemments concemed; that attitude helped greatly both to srengthen the well merited confidence which the parties concerned had in him and to create a favourable atmosphere in which the distrust between the parties could be reduced. 105. Happily we can see today that definite progress has been accomplished by dint of the Secretary-General's efforts and thanks to the goodwill shown by the parties concerned. Thus tension has been appreciably reduced on the demaœation lines; assurances have been given by the Govemments concerned regarding the cessation of hostilities, and these assurances have been honoured; and effective measures have been taken to ensure the complete observance of the annistice agreements. 106. The Secretary~General has th'lS been able to afford the Govemments concerned his valuable cooperation in order to decrease their mutual distrust and to find common ground for agreement, thus opening the way to a new and fruitful stage in the L~velopment of relations between them. 107. We must also stress the great service which the Secretary-General has rendered the United Nations by showing that the Organization is equal to itl; task and able to discharge its functions in respect of peace and conciliation in .'10 far as its Members are willing to place confidence in it and make use of it to improve even those situations which present the greatest threat to world peace. 108. We must stress the importance of the statements concerning the assurances that the cease-fire will be respected, for the cease-fire represents one of the fundamental clauses of the annistice agreements and without it no useful effort can be made in this direction. 109. The statements relating to the cease-fire are important from the point of view of principle because, unlike the assurances of a purely local nature given by the military commanders, they have been confirmed by Member States of the United Nations in documents addressed to the Secretary-General in his capacity as representative of the Security Council. 111. In this connexion, we note with satisfaction the assurances given by ail the parties concerned that they will observe the provisions of the armistice agreements, subject to reciprocity. We also note with sa'âsfaction that the efforts made by the Secretary-General to defi11.e the scope of the obligatiQns assumed by the parties under the annistice agreements have prove<! frnitful. 112. 1t must he noted that the vagueness of some of the obligations assumed by the parties has often given rise to incidents and may he regarded as one of the causes of the disquieting situation which has prevailed and might recur in that area. 113. The assurances obtained from the Govemments of Egypt and Israel concerning the adoption of strong measures to prevent crossings of the demarcation lin.e, despite the uncertainty to which some clauses of the Egyptian-Israeli General Armistice Agreementl have given rise, must be regarded as a step towards the prevention of incidents likely to endanger the cease-fire. 114. It should also be noted, as the Secretary-General's report shows, that the armistice agreements do not provide for every contingency. In particular, the agreel7lents do not provide for any procedure for t:."te handling of conflicts covered by the general clauses. In this connexion, we agree with the Secretary-General that the parties concerned should he induced to study the possibility of establishing special procedural arrangements to remedy such a serious deficiency. 115. While 1 have no intention of dealing in detail with aU aspects of the report submittf..d on the question of respect for the armistice agreements, 1 should like to pobt out that the study of the Secretary-General's report leads us to the following conclusions on bis subject. 116. In the first place, by obtaining assurances regarding the cease-fire, the Secretary-General has succeeded ID restoring the conditions under which fun compliance with the armistice agreements can be secured, provided all the parties concerned are willing to continue to display goodwill. 117. In the second place, the positive results the Secretary-General has achieved will have to he supplemented by other measures envisaged in his report. In this connexion, we sho111d like to stress the importance of ensuring complete freedom of movement for United Nations observers, and of carrying out the proposaIs made by General Burns; those proposaIs in so far as Ù'ey relate to local arrangements, are supported by [ne secretary-General. obtenus la le général 120. In the light of these considerations, my delegation will he able to accept any draft resolution which, firstly, expresse the Security Couneil's appreciation to the Secretary-General and the parties for the progress thus achieved; secondly, requests the parties concerned to carry out the measures already agreed upon and to give effect to other practical proposaIs designed to secure full compliance with the armistice agreements; and, thirdly, requests the Secretary-General ta continue his efforts to secure the full implementation of the atmistice agree- ments. We consider that the Secretary-General must he able to give continuing assistance to the States Memhers concerned to facilitate full compli3Ilce with the armistice agreements. 121. With regard to the draft resolution submitted by the United Kingdom delegation [S/3560/Rev.l], my delegation is in agreement in principle with the points which coincide with those 1 have just mentioned, but may have certain suggestions to make at a later stage in the discussion.

The delegation of Cuba wishes to pay a public tribute to the Secretary-Generai for the work he bas done. . Mr. Hammarskjold is daily acquiring greater moral authority throughout the world by l-eason of his obvious impartiality and because he is a statesman who fully understands what practical soiutions can De found for the serious problems with which the Security Council is concerned. 123. My country is in agreement, in principle and in general, with the draft resolution submitted by the United Kingdom reprê!entative. Tt considen that the draft is wisely wordcd, that it corresponds to the situation obtaining in the Middle East and that it is obviously aimed at securing, not only a further reduction of tension, but the elimination of tension in the fairly near future. 124. We do not consider that it would he appropriate' in our statement today ta stress the views we have expressed at previous meetings of :he Council. We must say, however, that we heartily agree with the opinion expressed by the Secretary-General in his report when he says: "This last pattern is obviously the new state of affairs towards which any effort to re-establish the full and integral implementation of the atmistice agreements must aim. The target can he reached on two conditions: the first one heing the re-establishment, as a starting point for a new development, of full compliance with the armistice agreements; the 126. The United N::ltions Charter not only givcs the States Members rights: it imposes upon them inescapable duties. The fulfilment of those duties often involves the sacrifice of cherished opinions. What makes it very difficuÏt to reach a pennanent agreement is failure to recognize the facts, failure to consider the fundamental aspects of the problem, which can he resolved only by mutuaI concessions in accordance with the spirit of the United ~J'ations Châïteï. 126. droits aus.,i traire. sont difficile méconnaissance laisser dünt concessi.ons Charte 127. My delegation hopes that the results achieved by the Secretary-General will lead to a lasting peace and undcrstanding between an the parties concerned. The prev('ntion of war is the duty of the United Nations, and in the achievement of this noble end it must have the detennined support of all Member States, particularly the great Powers. 127. les mettent cntre des à tous puissances. 128. Malgré devoir brièvement Conseil [S [S/3600jRev.l].

Despite the lateness of the hour r think it my ùuty, in the interests of fairness and courtesy, briefly to express my opinion on the documents before the Council, namely, the Secretary-General's report [8/3596] and the draft resolution submitted by the United Kingdom [S/3600/Rev.1]. 129. ,", vnent fraient sa toutes avec les Secrétaire chargé 129. When tension in the Middle East rose to its peak, there were two courses open to the Security CounciI: either it could affirm its clear and firmly established jursdiction and take all the measures to which it was entitled under the Charter; or it could in a more subtle and delicate way seek to bring tne parties together by sending the Secretary-General of the United Nations to the area as its representative, entrusted with a solemn and fonnal mission. 130. exercer et en amenant a de sécurité de en des qui Secrétaire 130. Obviously, the juridical and political funetions of the Council can he discharged firmly, and even severely, or they can be carried out by means of a process of bringing the parties together and conciliating them. The United States delegation had the admirable idea of proposing to the Security Council the second course, which in no way impairs the full jurisdiction of thp Council in respect not"only of past but of po"..sible future incidents. In fullfilling this mandate, the Secretary General has made full use of his wisdom, prudence and understanding in reaching the agreement recordf~d in 132. At the same time, in the light of the facts and the documents, we must also paya just and well-earned tribute to the attitude of the Governments concerned, which have once more affirmed their will to peace and their determination to compiy with the armistice agreements. 1 1 133. As always, in such cases, the result achieved is greater than it appears, and represents not only a hope for the future but a movement, a momentum-to use the Latin word which has passed into English-on which wc may base sorne hope. It wûuld nût he appropriate at this stage to analyse the other aspects of the Secretary- General'! report, for, besides stating the facts and relating the success of his efforts, it descrihes problems and viewpoints, of the greatest interest to us, as to the possibilities-some favourable and others unfavourable-for the future. 134. The Secretary-General's report also provides a very interesting interpretation, which the Council must take into account, of the Council's own resolutions. For the jurist, and above aIl with regard to the legal aspect of the life of the United Nations, it provides something more: an interpretation of the Charter and of the Council's functions. It is not, however, for the I~ruvian delegation to analyse these aspecb of the Secretary- General's report at this stage. Wc are concerned with the political problem and the results achieved; ..nd, most of all, we wish to detennine, to crystailize, to fix the Council's decision not only from the retrospective standpoint, by paying due recognition to the Secretary- General's work and due tribute to the Governments concerned, but also by assessing so far as possibie what we may term the stock of peace which the Secretary- Geneml's mission has provided. 135. It was essential, after the report had been prese:lted and the Council convened, that this state of opinion shoulà he crystallized, and that the Council, with its high authority, should endorse the results of the Secretary- General's mission, set the seal of its high authority on many of his recommendations, and reaffirm sorne measures previously provided for in earlier resolutions zdopted in virtue of the powers conferred on the Security Council by the Charter. 136. This task has, 1 feel, been fittingly discharged by the United Kingàom delegation in prcscnting the draft resolution we now have before us. 1 do not have tune to deal with it as fully as it deserves. Howcver, in the light of the text and the concise, conciliatory and comprelesque~;, supprimés 137. It is obvious that at this time the Council must approve and commend the Secretary-General's action by paying him a special tribute, and at the same time commend and encourage the peaceful attitude of the countries concerned. 1t is also obvious, as other delegations have recognized, that the Coundl must affirm the right of its appointed observers to full freedom of movement in aIl areas along the armistice demarcation lines, in the demilitarized zones and in the defensive areas. And it is obvious, !astly, that an appeal must be made to the parties to complete the work already done by fulfilling the provisions of previous resolutions. 137. approuver un approuver font - Conseil pleine aux démilitarisées clair qu'elles autres lutions 138. Finaily, 1 see no objection to the Secretary-General's continuing his good offices with the parties. As the United Kingdom representative has 50 rightly said, tbis is not a question of renewing a mandate or of entrusting the Secretary-General with a new mission which would imply, say, a new voyage or new negotiations Oil the Hnes of thosc which have already taken place. But it is clear that the Sect'etary-General !las acquired a very intimate knowledge of the problem and an authority which is recognized by al!, and nothing could he more pïOper than that he should continue to make his good offices available to the parties. This is not only in the spirit of the resolution previously approved [8/3575], but 1 venture to say it is in the spirit of the Charter, wbich has conferred on the Secretary-General the task of keeping watch on threats to the peace. 138. vénient par bien de implique veiles effectuées. général problème, faitement parties Une l'esprit mais a sauv~garde 139. For these reasons, my delegation supports the United Kingdom draft resolution in principle. In the course of the debate we shall have further comments to make and take a definite position in regard to points of dp.taiJ. 139. nonce présenté réserve --------- PJ.VJ.1VIU cours 140. 1 do not wish to conclude my remarks without referring to an idea which is general Iy held and which has been stressed most eloquently by the Secretary-General in his report. There is in life a principle of reciprocity which might also he called a principle of repercussion; one evil act or violation leads to other violations and other gui1ty and punishable acts. But this chain reaction towards evil is offset by what we might cali a chain reaction towards good. A friendly gesture, an understanding attitude and a disposition to peace happily gencrate a like disposition, and it is to he hoped that sorne such progressive chain reaction will take place. That is the hope expressed by the Secretary-General and shared by the delegation of Peru. 140. idée exprimée dans réciprocité, de entraînent sables mal, bien. disposition sitions analogues iront général du The meeting rose at 6 p.m.