UN General Assembly
1977

116. In the Middle East, the world still faces the most serious of all potential conflicts. The recent resurgence of fighting in southern Lebanon is a sad reminder both of the urgency of finding a solution to the Middle East conflict as a whole and of the difficulties which the Lebanese Government faces in restoring peace and security in that country. One might have thought that here was an obvious situation in which the United Nations could and should have played a more prominent role. For a number of reasons, which we understand, this has not so far been the case. Nevertheless, the assistance of the United Nations remains a possibility, should the present effort of those in the region fail to yield the success for which we all hope. The United Nations has been involved diplomatically in the whole question of the Middle East since 1947. Its involvement in security arrangements through UNEF and UNDOF has cost more than $269 million. In the current financial year it will cost $98 million.