British Foreign Minister, David Owen, said today that the Camp David agreements provide the basis “on which realistic interim arrangements for the most difficult problem–the West Bank–can now be negotiated in greater detail.”
Addressing the 33rd session of the General Assembly, the British statesman hailed the Camp David accords. He said that those who condemned the agreements “so hastily should look at them again more carefully.” He noted that the agreements were based on Security Council Resolution 242 and said that “a perfect settlement cannot be achieved by exchanging declarations of principle any more than making speeches at one another. Politicians have to be prepared to get down to what I term the nitty gritty detail then explain and defend this to their own people,” Owen said.
The British Foreign Minister also addressed himself to the situation in South Lebanon, declaring that a solution to the problems in South Lebanon depends on a solution to the larger political crisis “which still wracks Lebanon.” He added: “Only a political solution can guarantee the independence and territorial integrity of Lebanon and put an end to the internal fighting which threatens to destroy the country.”
Addressing the General Assembly last night, Canada’s Foreign Minister Don Jamieson, also hailed the Camp David accords, declaring the prospect of a real and durable peace in the Mideast is now much closer although serious issues remained to be resolved. He called on the Assembly to avoid recriminations and polemics, now that peace negotiations are under way in the Mideast.
MEXICO’S FOREIGN MINISTER OPTIMISTIC
Foreign Minister Santiago Roel Garcia of Mexico told the Assembly last night that the agreements reached at Camp David could constitute an important step toward the common objective of achieving a more peaceful and just world. He said that the United Nations had a basic responsibility to help in the attainment of stable peace in the Mideast.
The United Nations, Roel observed, should not in any way be inhibited from supporting parallel efforts which might be made outside the world organization. He added that a just solution could be reached only by taking into account the interests of all parties directly involved in the conflict, and based on Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338.
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