The Reminiscences of Zafrulla Khan — Page 217
201 REMINISCENCES OF SIR MUHAMMAD ZAFRULLA KHAN The United Nations is indirectly helpful in another direction. Not all new states - and, indeed, not all the older states - can afford to maintain diplomatic missions in the capitals of all other states. Part of that lack of diplomatic representation is got over through bilateral and multilateral conversations, negotiations, settlement of formal matters - sometimes even of important matters - that are carried on behind the scenes. So that, in a sense, each mission at the United Nations carries on a double function: One, its accreditation to the United Nations, where we all work together for common purposes; secondly, it fills in the gaps in its country's diplomatic representation abroad. For instance, Pakistan is not directly represented in several of the newly-independent states, and, indeed, not even in all the older states. My mission here, under the directions of my government, often takes up questions with the representatives of different countries and we get them settled here or get them moving. It is true, they do not involve issues of crucial importance, but they take the place of the daily routine of diplomatic exchanges. The United Nations is becoming a centre for that kind of activity also. Question : Would you say that the United Nations is more homogeneous, more of a genuine organization now than it was when you first came to it? Khan : In the sense that it is not now so one-sided, yes. Up until 1955, it was an organization representing mainly Europe and the Americas. There were only a few Asiatic members and two or three Africans. It is better balanced now. Question : Has it developed an esprit de corps, a feeling that the United Nations has a kind of life in itself ? Khan : I believe so. Question : The same sort of thing that you mentioned about the World Court, for example. Would you find that ? Khan : Not to the same degree. The Court is a much smaller body and all of us concentrated all the time on the same problem with the same objective and when we had finished with one, we took up the next one. Here, the problems are varied, numerous and conflicting, and not only does the emphasis vary, interests also clash. But here also we are engaged in similar activities in pursuit of common overall objectives