NOTE BY THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
The resolution adopted by the Security Council on 22 November 1967 (S/RES/242 (1967)), in its operative paragraph 3, "Requests the Secretary-General to designate a Special Representative to proceed to the Middle East to establish and maintain contacts with the States concerned in order to promote agreement and assist efforts to achieve a peaceful and accepted settlement in accordance with the provisions and principles in this resolution".
This provision of the resolution, on the one hand, requires careful consideration and, on the other must be implemented expeditiously. Since last May, at the time of my visit to Cairo, when I first advanced the notion of a Special Representative of the Secretary-General to the Middle East, I have given much thought to the question of who, in the light of all the necessary qualifications, might best be sought to carry out the heavy responsibilities of this challenging assignment, and I have engaged in a number of informal consultations on the matter with interested parties. Consequently, I am happy to be able now to inform the Council that I am inviting Ambassador Gunnar Jarring of Sweden to accept the designation for this vital task and I have reason to believe that he will be willing to do so. I am confident that Ambassador Jarring will do all that can be done in carrying out the assignment.
In pursuance of the above action I am, on 23 November 1967, addressing the following note to the Governments of Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and the United Arab Republic:
"The Secretary-General of the United Nations presents his compliments to the Permanent Representative of to the United Nations and has the honour to refer to Resolution S/RES/242 (1967) adopted by the Security Council at its 1382nd meeting on 22 November 1967. In that resolution the Security Council
`Requests the Secretary-General to designate a Special Representative to proceed to the Middle East to establish and maintain contacts with the States concerned in order to promote agreement and assist efforts to achieve a peaceful and accepted settlement in accordance with the provisions and principles in this resolution'.
"The Secretary-General has the honour to request the Permanent Representative of to inform his Government that he is designating Ambassador Gunnar Jarring of Sweden as his Special Representative in pursuance of the Security Council resolution. Ambassador Jarring is at present serving as the Ambassador of Sweden to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. The Government of Sweden has agreed to make Ambassador Jarring available for the United Nations assignment in the Middle East.
"Prior to his present post, Ambassador Jarring served at various times as Swedish Minister to India, to Ceylon, to Iran, to Iraq and to Pakistan. He was Director of the Political Division of the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 1953 to 1956 and was Permanent Representative of Sweden to the United Nations from 1956 to 1958, during which time he served on the Security Council from 1957 to 1958. After leaving the United Nations Ambassador Jarring served for a period as Swedish Ambassador to the United States of America.
"Ambassador Jarring will be proceeding to the Middle East very soon. The exact date and time of his arrival in the area will be communicated later.
"The Secretary-General takes this opportunity to express his earnest hope and his confidence that each of the Governments concerned will extend to Ambassador Jarring its full co-operation and will afford him all facilities necessary for the effective discharge of the important task entrusted to him.
"The Secretary-General avails himself of this opportunity to express to the Permanent Representative of the assurances of his highest consideration."
