পাতা:বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্র (ত্রয়োদশ খণ্ড).pdf/৮৪২

814 ংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্রঃ ত্রয়োদশ খন্ড serious since refugees must cross this disturbed border' if repatriation is to become a reality. Nor can any of us in the United Nations afford to forget that a major conflict on the sub-continent could all too easily expand. In tragic circumstances such as these, it is all too easy to make moral Judgments. It is far more difficult to race up to the political and human realities of the situation and to help the people find a way out of their difficulties. It is the latter course which, in my view the United Nations must follow. In the light of the information available to me, I reluctantly came to the conclusion, by mid-July, that, the time was past when the international community could continue to stand by, watching the situation deteriorate and hoping that relief programmes, humanitarian efforts and good intentions would be enough to turn the tide of human misery and potential disaster. I was deeply concerned about the possible consequences of this situation, not only its humanitarian aspect, but also the potential threat to international peace and security and the bearing it might have on the future of the United Nations as an effective instrument for international cooperation and action. It seemed to me that the tragic situation arising from these events, in which humanitarian, economic and political problems were mixed in such a way as almost to defy distinction, presented a challenge to the United Nations as a whole which must be met. For these reasons, I felt it was my duty, as Secretary-General, to bring this problem to the attention of the Security Council. I did so on 20th July by means of a memorandum to the President of the Council. In the memorandum, after outlining the considerations set forth above, I stated that the political aspects of this matter were of such far-reaching importance that the Secretary-General was not in a position to suggest precise courses of action before the members of the Security Council had taken note of the problem. I believed, however, that the United Nations-with its long experience in peacekeeping and with its varied resources for conciliation and persuasion must and should play a more forthright role in attempting both to mitigate the human tragedy and to avert a further deterioration of the situation. I expressed the view that the Security Council, the world's highest body for the maintenance of international peace and security, was in a position to consider, with the utmost attention and concern, the situation on the sub-continent and to reach some agreed conclusions as to measures which might be taken. My primary purpose was to provide the basis and opportunity for such discussion to take place and to express my grave concern that all possible means should be explored to resolve this tragic situation. At about the same time as I submitted this memorandum, which is related to a concern for international peace and security, I made a humanitarian proposal, also in the exercise of my responsibilities and within my competence as Secretary-General, aimed at facilitating the process of voluntary repatriation of refugees by establishing on both sides of the border a limited representation of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. As an initial step, I suggested that such representatives should be stationed in two or three areas to be selected by the two Governments, in consultation with him. The Government of Pakistan accepted my suggestion, but the Government of India did not on the grounds that it was not preventing the refugees from returning to East Pakistan.