United Nations Secretary General Javier Perez de Cuellar announced that he plans to go to the Middle East “in the coming weeks” on a “working visit.” He outlined his plans in an address to the 78th annual meeting of the American Jewish Committee here, attended by more than 1,000 guests at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel last Thursday night. The announcement was a departure from his written statement as distributed to the press.
De Cuellar, who appeared for the first time before a Jewish group since he assumed his post two-and-a-half years ago, said he believes that a solution to the Middle East conflict can be reached only through a settlement “which encompasses the security of Israel and the other states in the area, as well as the political and human rights of the Palestinians.”
The Secretary General said the Mideast conflict “is an immensely difficult, controversial and emotional problem, and there is no easy solution.” He said that the UN peace-keeping operations in the Mideast are very important because without them “the situation would be infinitely worse.” He added: “I believe they provide a basis for experience and technique which can be built upon and could prove even more useful in the future.”
Nothing that he is aware that the UN is not “the best loved organization these days” by many Jews, de Cuellar stressed that the UN Secretariat, which he heads, “strives to avoid partisanship, while maintaining principle.” He added: “The Secretariat is sometimes accused of unfairness. I sincerely believe that we are only for peace and for the future.”
De Cuellar was received warmly by the audience. He was welcomed by a standing ovation. A UN spokesperson told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that no further information is yet available on de Cuellar’s upcoming visit to the Mideast.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
