UN General Assembly
1969

sign of being there before us for years to come. But we must remember that some of them represent problems that are not in themselves readily soluble and, indeed, are often matters which are never going to be wound up once and for all. Sometimes what we have to aim at is to help establish and maintain conditions under which neighbouring countries can jog along together, taking account of the facts of geography and history and relative strengths and interests, without coming to blows. 93. Sometimes the discussions in the United Nations, unproductive as they might seem, are an alternative to more violent acts. Sometimes, too, though the movement might seem to be at the speed of a glacier, there is undoubted movement. Disarmament and arms control provide an example. On disarmament the international community moves by fits and starts, rather than by steady advance; but there is indeed movement, and it is vital for the future of mankind that it should continue. 94. Some problems are particularly intractable. In this regard one thinks particularly of the Middle East, where