Helsinki Summit

History was made last month when the heads of 35 nations met at the European Security Summit Conference in Helsinki. It is claimed that no comparable gathering has taken place during the past 300 years. The object of the Conference was to obtain agreement to a 30,000-word document which had been laboriously drawn up by various groups over the past 2 years.

The document is a declaration of intent and is not legally binding on the signatories. During the Conference speaker after speaker was at pains to emphasize that signatures on a document would not be enough: "The provisions of the document must be translated into action if we are to realize the promise of greater security and co-operation in Europe", said U.S.A. President Gerald Ford, and this was reiterated in many of the speeches including that of the United Kingdom Prime Minister Harold Wilson.

What was accomplished at this Conference? Opinions differ. On the one hand, there is the view that the whole exercise was a gigantic charade, and on the other, that the declaration of intent would at least provide a standard against which the future behaviour of the signatories could be tested. It seems that the latter is the most that can be said to have been achieved. It is a sad commentary on international relations that nations consider it necessary when signing solemn agreements to bring into question each other's good faith. And there is the additional problem of varying interpretations of such documents. Words and phrases are construed differently by the contracting parties and the drafting is sometimes so vague and ambiguous as to make this almost inevitable. Already it is feared that this may be a fatal flaw in the Helsinki agreement.

There will never be amity among nations so long as this brand of diplomacy is indulged in. The coming Antichrist will be expert in the art of deceit and double-talk. He will outdo and outwit his contemporaries:

"they shall speak lies at one table", but he "shall obtain the kingdom by flatteries" (Dan. 11:27,21).

It is clear that apart from the public sessions at the Helsinki Summit there was much diplomatic activity behind the scenes. World recession in trade was very much on the minds of those present, as also was the thorny problem of the proliferation of nuclear weapons. And, inevitably, the deteriorating situation in the Middle East was a major cause for concern. The recent attempt of the Arab bloc at the Organization of African Unity Summit at Kampala to force through a resolution calling for the expulsion of Israel from the United Nations is a further indication of the trend of events in the Arab-Israeli dispute.

All this does not surprise those who follow world events in the light of Biblical prophecy. But it is none the less a cause for increasing exercise of heart by those who are thus enlightened. We should not only rest in the assurance that "the Most High ruleth"; we should also continually renew our resolve to "serve the Lord, Christ".

Grave Warning

In a forthright speech on August 7 President Ford reiterated the determination of the U.S.A. to bring to a speedy end the present stalemate in the Arab-Israeli dispute. He said, "We have had four wars in the Middle East. A fifth not only means that Israel will be fighting the Arabs, but the potential confrontation between the U.S. and the Soviet Union is a possibility". He warned Israel and Egypt that "flexibility at this crucial time is important to the peace of that area and possibly to peace in the world".

No doubt this grave warning on the eve of Dr Kissinger's eleventh attempt to bridge the gulf between the two sides was designed to convey the growing impatience of the U.S.A. at the delaying tactics of the disputants. No-one with any knowledge of the intricacies of this dispute will deny that this is one of the toughest assignments in a world bursting with problems. If Dr Kissinger succeeds he will be acclaimed; if he fails, the grave alternative referred to by President Ford will threaten mankind. Let us pray that moderate counsels will prevail and that a further outbreak of hostilities will be avoided.

unknown | Sept 1975
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