with one or two of the major problems before it. We believe that the Council should redouble its attempts to 26 end the war between Iraq and Iran. The Australian Government has proposed that the Council should have separate private meetings with each of the parties to the conflict. The scope for progress towards a solution could be explored privately at such meetings. We must help break this impasse. 294. The Australian Government takes the view that practical, achievable improvements such as those I have just described will enhance the effectiveness of the Council in keeping and protecting the peace. It is a pity, in this context, that the idea did not find favour of a private, informal session of the Council today, in ,which we could have exchanged ideas freely and frankly on how to make the Council work more effectively. Nevertheless, I hope that, even in this more formal and ceremonial setting, our exchanges will be useful. 295. Our responsibility is, after all, enormous. The point should be firmly in our minds: we may not have another 40 years if the Council fails to respond to the challenges posed by our present threatening environment. It can meet these challenges only if it can strengthen its power and authority, as the Secretary-General has reminded us. The Council is now too important to the preservation of peace to be allowed to become bogged down in cumbersome, trivial and irrelevant forms. Let us try to start our second 40-year period of history with a determined policy of improving the Council as the world’s peacekeeper, the main instrument by which we hand on security to the generations following on after us. 296. The PRESIDENT: I call on the Secretary of State of the United States, Mr. George’ P. Shultz. 297. Mr. SHULTZ (United States of America): As oth- 
**Analysis**
The text appears to be discussing the United Nations Security Council and its role in maintaining international peace and security. The language used is formal and diplomatic, suggesting a high-level meeting or discussion. The focus is on the Council's effectiveness and the need for improvements, rather than on specific economic, environmental, or social issues.

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