15. The SECRETARY-GENERAL: I am grateful for the opportunity to introduce briefly the report prepared in response to Security Council resolution 331 (1973) which the Council adopted on 20 April 1973. At that time the Council asked for a comprehensive report giving a full account of the efforts undertaken by the United Nations pertaining to the situation in the Middle East since June 1967. We have done our best, within the limits of space and time and taking into account the reports previousI> submitted, to provide the Council with a balanced, objet. tive and comprehensive account. 16. The report before the Council describes great efforts but little progress, and comments on it so far have tended to give more prominence to the latter aspect than to the former. The fact remains that a settlement must primarily depend on the Governments concerned. Neither they nor any other group of Governments has so far been able to devise an effective means of reaching a settlement. Thus the Middle East problem in its various aspects has been brought again and again to the United Nations, which has now been seized of it continuously for more than 25 years. Nor should it be forgotten that during this period the Council. and various instrumentalities set up by it and by the General Assembly, have played a vital role in limiting conflict and in preserving the truce which has prevailed in the area for most of the time. 17. It is perhaps relevant, at the opening of this important debate, to remind ourselves of the basic realities which make the Middle East problem so hard for the Council tu tackle. In the Middle East we see in an acute form the interaction of historical developments and situations of 
**Analysis**
The text appears to be discussing a specific regional conflict (the Middle East problem) and the efforts of the United Nations to address it. The language used suggests a focus on politics and international relations, rather than a specific sector or industry.

**Category**
International relations, Humanitarian aid and relief