Dr. Victor Andres Belaunde, of Peru, President of the United Nations General Assembly, affirmed his conviction today that the General Assembly, in its current session, could “find a solution to all questions in the Middle East. “
He told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that “to find the peaceful solution to all the questions in the Middle East is my most ardent desire. I want to help. I want to bring about an environment in which the longing for a peaceful solution of all problems will be possible. Peace is my aim. My method My method is comprehension, understanding, courtesy, respect, love–for every member state, for every delegation. “
The 75-year-old Latin American statesman called on all members of the General Assembly to help him achieve his aim. “I am asking all to discuss all issues sincerely, honestly, kindly, ” he declared. “I ask all to put into practice the words of Abraham Lincoln, to work with me here ‘with malice toward none, with charity for all.'”
Dr, Belaunde said he felt he had the right to seek help from all who had voted unanimously to install him in the Assembly presidency. He frequently reasserted his belief that a Middle East settlement could be accomplished at this session of the General Assembly.
“I don’t claim to be always right,” he admitted, “but on the possibility of peace–on that, I know I am right.” He said that if the members of the Assembly “help me do the right and redress the wrong,” a settlement could be reached and “this could be the Assembly of Peace.”
The Peruvian diplomat asked speedy action on adoption of two draft covenants on human rights. He noted, in reference to the fact that the Assembly has adopted only the preamble and 17 articles out of a total of 83 since 1954, that “the difficulty is that everybody wants the best possible formulation of the articles in the covenants.
“We have a Spanish saying,” he added, “to the effect that ‘the best is the enemy of the good.’ I say: Let us have the good even if it is not the best. Let us get those covenants adopted here so that the members can approve, sign and ratify. Moral standards, as enunciated in our Declaration of Human Rights are fine, excellent. But the world waits for those expressions to become juridical facts. Then human rights can be enforced–for all.”
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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.
