The British Ambassador to the United Nations. Ivor Richard, told the General Assembly today during its continuing debate on the Palestine issue that Britain considers the Palestinians as central to the Middle East conflict and that they must be involved fully in any settlement.
But at the same time, he said, that this “must be done in a manner which does not infringe upon or call into question the right of Israel as a state to exist in peace within secure and recognized boundaries. This right is that of Israel as a state and not merely that of Israelis as individuals. This is an all important proviso and neglect of it will do much damage to the search for peace we all desire to foster.”
The United Kingdom, Richard said, continues to believe that Resolution 242 is the only way to breach a settlement to the Middle East conflict. He said that Britain would continue to support efforts to find a solution based on Resolutions 242 and 338 of the Security Council which give recognition to all parties in the Middle East.
Regarding the Palestinians, Richard said that the international community must find a way “to enable the Palestinian people to express their personality and exercise their legitimate political rights.” He called “for flexibility, for moderation, for pragmatism, for, indeed, a willingness to contemplate the possibility of compromise” on the part of the parties to the conflict. He said also that a meaningful discussion required mutual tolerance and compromise.
The French Ambassador, Louis de Guiringaud, said that any resolution on the Palestinian issue must take into account the whole body of UN decisions over the past 25 years, including Resolution 242. He also said that the rights of the Palestinians to a homeland must be kept in mind but added, nonetheless, that the Assembly should act so that the State of Israel could co-exist peacefully with all her neighbors, He expressed the hope that Israel would accept the “major political fact” of the Palestinians in negotiating a Middle East settlement.
De Guiringaud asserted that “a true peace cannot be achieved in the Middle East without taking into consideration the legitimate rights of the Palestinians and. at the same time, that Israel “has, as a state, rights that are the same as those of all other members of the organization.” He called on the Assembly to encourage the resumption of the Geneva peace conference.
The statements by the British and French delegates, and similar statements by the delegates from West Germany and Italy, were considered important indices of the way they and other European countries might vote on the Palestine resolution. European nations indicated they could not vote for a resolution that explicitly calls for dismembering Israel, but would either abstain or vote for a document that was vague on this issue.
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