UN General Assembly
1984

254. It is true, too, that there has been not the slightest progress in settling the thorny Middle East question, which is almost as old as the United Nations itself. But that failure to find a solution is not the result of any lack of imagination, perseverance or interest the part of the international community. It seems to us that everything has been said about this human and political tragedy, as heartrending as it is complex. But frameworks and plans for settlement do exist. They are not perfect, but they constitute the least of the evils when compared with the extremist solutions some have proposed. 255. If the entire problem is still with us, it is because of incomprehension and intransigence—we would even be tempted to say the political blindness and arrogance of one side or another. However that may be, this problem is still a very burning one and it has all the elements of a quagmire. That is undoubtedly very unfortunate because of the high stakes.