327. I was struck by what Secretary of State Shultz said about the common thread that went through many of the speeches-that is; the extent to which we were willing to respond to suggestions for improvement, many of them attributed to the Secretary-General himself: that the Coun- cil could engage in more preventive diplomacy; that we should consider instituting regular meetings to consider disputes not formally brought to our attention; that the Secretary-General should bring matters to the attention of the Council at an early stage; that we should examine our procedures critically. Not every problem is best considered by ,being publicly debated; not every debate is best termi- nated by a resolution. The idea of private, informal meet- ings might reduce the scope for propaganda and increase the Council’s ability to play a constructive role. , 328. So there are many suggestions before us as to how we can improve our methods, and suggestions, too, as to 29 the objectives to which we might apply those methods. There is a realistic acknowledgement that not every dis- pute is capable of resolution by the United Nations or ?ny other organization, but a realistic reminder, too, that there are certain longstanding disputes not Pominated by the East-West divide that surely deserve a fresh bout of our attention, which call for special efforts, as the representa- tive of Australia reminded us. He mentioned more than one. There is the Iran-Iraq dispute, where no clash of great-Power interest is involved and where there is almost a universal will for settlement. However, the involvement of the Council is dependent upon the active consent of the parties, which we all hope will be forthcoming. That is one field in which the Secretary-General’s efforts are of supreme importance and deserve our support. 329. A-nother example is the Arab-Israel dispute, where 
**Analysis**
The text appears to be discussing international relations, diplomacy, and the United Nations, with specific references to the Secretary-General and the Security Council. It highlights the need for improvement in the Council's methods and suggests ways to achieve this, such as engaging in preventive diplomacy and holding private, informal meetings. The text also mentions specific disputes, including the Iran-Iraq and Arab-Israel conflicts, which are international political issues.

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