Secretary General Kurt Waldheim breaking his silence on the Middle East war urged all parties concerned today to end the bloodshed and move toward a permanent peace settlement. He said the UN stood ready to help them in that endeavor.
In a written statement released here this afternoon, the Secretary General said he had “no illusions about how difficult it is for countries in conflict to turn from war to peace” and stressed that he had “no wish to deflect any government from what it believed to be its legitimate sovereign aims.” He said that he had “no detailed solution to suggest.”
However, Waldheim went on, “after more than five days of heavy fighting which has already caused appalling human losses, I feel obliged to speak out as Secretary General.” He said he had not spoken out thus far because he did not want to interfere in any way with efforts of the Security Council. He said he hoped Council members and other member states “will redouble their efforts to seek an end to the fighting.”
Waldheim observed that “None of the parties is prepared to concede its objectives, either military or political. They would appear, therefore, to be embarked on a war of attrition with the gravest consequences not only for the region itself but for the world community as a whole.”
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