The Healing Hand

The United Nations has been trying to cope with current problems and controversies. Sometimes these are issues that could be resolved outside the United Nations by the countries concerned. It is our belief that if the United Nations is to survive and grow into a co-operative organisation, equipped to deal with problems of the future, we should not unduly burden it with issues that lend themselves to solutions outside the United Nations in conformity with the principles of its Charter. After all, Article 2 para 3 of the Charter stipulates that all members shall settle their disputes themselves by peaceful means in such a manner that international peace and security and justice are not endangered.

There are other types of issues that concern a number of countries, and these seem to need the healing hand of the United Nations. The experience of dealing with even such issues indicates that in the final analysis it is necessary for the parties directly involved to sit together and negotiate practical and reasonable solutions to their mutual benefit. We wish to draw attention to this basic fact of life because it is often forgotten in the early stage of most problems. As a consequence, the credibility of the United Nations is placed under increasing strain.

Issues that directly pose a continued threat to international peace and security merit our attention as a matter of priority. The situation in the Middle East has been a source of grave anxiety. Another war in that region will affect all of us in one way or the other. It will almost certainly plunge the peoples of that region into disasters of unprecedented magnitude. The continuing civil war in Lebanon makes us sad, because of the heavy loss of life and destruction of property. It has added a new dimension to an already complex situation.

Peace must come eventually to that troubled part of the world. The essential ingredients for a peace settlement have already been set out in the U.N. Security Council resolutions 242 and 338. In subsequent resolutions the United Nations has recognised the national rights of the Palestinian people and affirmed the vital importance of the exercise of those rights for the maintenance of peace in that region. The root of the problem, of course, is the continuing occupation of Arab lands and territories by Israel. Ways and means must be found soon for implementing the Security Council resolutions, and a proper climate for their implementation should be quickly created by an early resumption of the work of the Geneva Conference.