This is a study of the way in which the United Nations Secretariat
seeks the peaceful settlement of international disputes. Its basic
premise is that such a role for the Secretariat is implied in the UN
Charter and has become established in practice. The study sets out to
examine the nature and development of the Secretariat's role, its limits
and its effectiveness. The very nature of that role makes it rather
elusive, and an important aim of the study is to document the Secretariat's
role through three case studies of international disputes which occurred
during the U Thant period, from 1961 to 1971. The case studies are the
Yemen dispute in 1963 and 1964, the Bahrain dispute in 1969 and 1970, and
the Bangladesh crisis in 1971. In the light of the evidence from these
case studies the initial analysis of the Secretariat's role is re-examined.
Finally, it is suggested that there are some important implications of
this role which might be considered by governments concerned to settle
international disputes peacefully while protecting their own interests and
sovereignty
